Does the Halo 2 effect threaten broadband?
>> From Sandvine.com: [QUOTE] Waterloo, Ontario; December 7, 2004 The long-expected broadband gaming boom, where hordes of players enter hosted Internet environments in order to do battle, may now be underway thanks to the popularity of the Halo II live-play video game. An analysis conducted by broadband traffic measurement specialist Sandvine Incorporated shows Microsoft Xbox Live traffic on service provider networks quadrupled during the Nov. 9 launch of Halo II a trend that continues to this day. The jump raises quality of service concerns for service providers eager to keep gamers amongst the Internets most avid and devoted users from bolting to competitors with a better reputation for offering broadband access optimized for live play. Online games like Halo II require low latency from the networks that host them. In order to avoid network disruptions or jitters that degrade the pace and flow of virtual competition, network managers must be capable of identifying game traffic and s
