Xbox Gaming in South Africa

Southpeak Games' incoming FPS, Section 8, is bringing dedicated servers with it - dedicated servers running on your own Windows-based PC that is. Using the new X Server software (distributed free of charge with the game), you'll be able to host games of up to 32 players on your own private server.

"FPS fans looking for the perfect multiplayer game expect fast, reliable servers when they're playing online. We go one step further by offering an increased player count and boosting the game play experience to a new level," said Richard Iggo, VP of Marketing at SouthPeak Games. "We're confident that Section 8's incredible team-based combat and our adoption of cutting-edge server technology provide an experience unlike anything else out there."

Perhaps more exciting, of course, is that this shouldn't preclude South African hosts like SAIX and IS from running Section 8 servers of their own for local gamers, which is a potentially huge change of circumstances for local Xbox players stymied by 384k lines. Even more exciting, if this technology manages to achieve any kind of widespread adoption outside of Section 8, we might end up seeing dedicated local servers for Halo and Gears of War turning up. While it's all a bit "maybe if" and "but how" right now, this is definitely something you'll be wanting to keep an eye on.