Consoles

Published on January 9th, 2018 | by Admin

LINKSYS ANNOUNCES NEW WRT GAMING ROUTER DESIGNED FOR XBOX ONE

New WRT32XB Reduces Peak Ping Times by Up to 65% on Xbox One Gaming Consoles  

The Linksys WRT Gaming Routers Add Powerful New Software Enhancements For Gaming Prioritisation On Any Device including PCs, Consoles and Mobile Devices 

Sydney, Australia – Jan. 8, 2018Linksys®, celebrating thirty years of networking and Wi-Fi innovation for the home and business this year, today announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the newest addition to the WRT™ product series – the Linksys Gaming Router designed for Xbox One® – WRT32XB and new software enhancements to prioritise gaming on any device that will be available for the currently selling WRT32X and the new WRT32XB router.

The New WRT Gaming Router Designed for the Xbox One Family of Devices (WRT32XB)

Linksys and Rivet Networks teamed again on the new WRT32XB, the only router optimised for high-speed gaming when using Xbox One.  The WRT32XB router incorporates the Killer Prioritisation Engine (KPE), which will auto-detect any Xbox One, including Xbox One S and Xbox One X, and prioritise gaming packets automatically to provide serious console gamers with the best online gaming experience. The Killer Prioritisation Engine identifies, prioritises and accelerates Xbox gaming network traffic from any Xbox One console above all other devices in the home to deliver lower ping times and optimise online gaming. The KPE protects Xbox gamers from extreme lag spikes at the router level and reduces peak ping by up to 65% on Xbox One consoles, delivering consistent and superior reaction time during intense gaming scenarios.* The new user interface and firmware is also custom-built for gaming traffic control.

For a limited time±, users who purchase the WRT32XB router will receive a three-month membership to Xbox Game Pass at no additional cost. Xbox Game Pass provides users unlimited access to over one hundred Xbox One and Xbox 360 titles, including fan-favorite exclusives such as Halo, Gears of War and Fable.

The global gaming market of more than 2.2 billion gamers generated $109 billion dollars of revenue in 2017 of which 31% is from Console Gamers according to the latest Global Gaming Market Report from Newzoo. “With more than $33 billion spent on console gaming this past year, these gamers expect to have the best gaming experience possible,” said Greg Morrison, Country Manager at Linksys ANZ. “The new WRT32XB gaming router helps provide Xbox gamers with another tool in their arsenal to get an advantage over other players.  We are committed to giving gamers the performance they want to beat their opponents.”

“Integrating Killer Networking technology into a new Linksys WRT router specifically for Xbox One gamers is a first for the console gaming industry and it shows that advancements are being made to enhance the gaming experience on all platforms,” said Bob Grim, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Rivet Networks.  “For the first time, gamers will have a router that is designed specifically to prioritise Xbox One packets as well as their Killer-enabled PCs to identify and prioritise important gaming network traffic and ensure their gaming experience is fast and smooth no matter what else is going on in their home network.”  

Linksys WRT32X Enterprise Grade Hardware

The WRT32XB router starts with enterprise grade hardware: 1.8 GHz Dual-Core ARM CPU, 802.11ac Wave 2 Dual-band 3×3 wireless radio, 256MB Flash and 512MB of DDR3 Memory, and 5-port SOHO-grade Gigabit Ethernet switch with TCAM.  For the software, the core firmware level uses the latest stable Linux kernel version for a streamlined and lightweight code base with low latency as the top focus. The secret ingredient and key innovation is the integration of the Killer Prioritisation Engine.

WRT32XB Router Key Benefits:

  • Wi-Fi router built purely for gaming which identifies, prioritises and accelerates Xbox One gaming and all gaming traffic
  • The WRT32XB router will also provide synchronisation with Killer-enabled PCs to provide gaming traffic a priority on wired and wireless connections
  • Prioritisation engine powered by Killer Networking delivers up to 65% reduction* in peak ping on Xbox One for faster response time
  • Blazing fast 1.8GHz Dual-Core processor for simultaneous high-speed data processing
  • Custom-built gaming user interface and firmware specially tuned for online gaming traffic

Product Technical Specifications:

  • Wi-Fi Technology: AC3200 MU-MIMO
  • Network Standards: 802.11a/g, 802.11n, 802.11ac
  • Wi-Fi Speed: AC3200 (N600 + AC2600) ‡
  • Wi-Fi Bands: 2.4 and 5 GHz (simultaneous dual-band)
  • DFS certified for operation in the clear DFS channel airspace
  • 5-port Pro-grade Gigabit Ethernet ports: 1x Gigabit WAN port, 4x Gigabit LAN ports
  • Other: One (1) USB 3.0 port, One (1) Combo eSATA/USB 2.0 port, Power
  • Antennas: 4x external, dual-band, detachable antennas
  • Processor: 1.8 GHz dual-core
  • Memory: 512MB DDR3 RAM / 256MB Flash
  • Wireless Encryption: WPA2 Personal
  • VPN Support: PPTP IPSec pass‐through
  • Storage File System Support: FAT, NTFS, and HFS+
  • Browser-based Setup and custom graphical user interface

Linksys and Rivet Networks Collaborate to Improve the Already Best-In-Class Gaming Prioritisation

Linksys and Rivet Networks are improving the Killer Prioritisation Engine (KPE) to cover more devices. With automatic software updates that will roll out throughout the first half of 2018, the Linksys WRT family of gaming routers, including the WRT32X and WRT32XB, will now optimise gaming across all platforms – PCs, consoles, and mobile.   This means that users gaming on any device will get their gaming prioritised as #1 over all other traffic on the network, providing for a better online gaming experience with less lag.  This is done by moving the application level stream detection onboard the router which intelligently and autonomously recognises the network traffic from all devices coming into the router and prioritises the traffic for a fully dynamic quality of service to reduce latency while gaming – no matter what else is happening on the network.

Morrison added, “The Global Gaming Market Report from Newzoo reports that in addition to console gaming, mobile gaming is the fastest growing gaming segment at 32%, spending more than $35 billion this past year, and with Killer Prioritisation now detecting gaming traffic on mobile devices, the WRT32X is the best gaming router for this growth area of online gaming.”

Also included are stylised improvements to the user interface to reflect the new Killer Prioritisation Engine, as well as improved network traffic and speed test visualisations. The WRT32X will give gamers the advantage of faster frags and lower ping times.

Pricing and Availability

The new Linksys WRT Gaming Router –  WRT32XB pricing and availability in ANZ will be announced in the coming months.

 

The new software enhancements for both the WRT32X and WRT32XB are planned to roll out the second quarter of 2018.

 


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andrew@impulsegamer.com'



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