Rewards for grumbling Xbox users
Microsoft has apologised for the glitches that hit its Xbox Live online game system during the Christmas break.
The software firm said it was "disappointed" with its performance and promised a free downloadable game to all users as recompense.
It said the problems had been caused by a surge of people signing up and using the gaming service.
Microsoft said the growth in new users had been driven by sales of top titles such as Mass Effect and Halo 3.
Game offer
The Xbox Live service suffered an ongoing series of problems during the holiday season. The discussion boards and forums of many gaming news websites have been filled with gamers complaining that they could not sign up or get on to the service.
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