System Link

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Two Xbox 360s with an Ethernet cable.

System Link is a form of offline multiplayer gaming on the Xbox and Xbox 360 gaming console over a LAN (local area network). A network switch and standard straight-through Ethernet cables may be used to link multiple consoles together, or two consoles can be connected directly. Connecting two Xbox consoles to each other without a switch requires a crossover cable, while Xbox 360 consoles can use standard cables.

The purpose of this is to have multiplayer gameplay on multiple consoles, which allows for a non-split screen multiplayer gaming experience and far more players in one game than a single console can support. Halo: Combat Evolved allows up to 16 players on split screens on four consoles to partake in a simultaneous 16 player game. Later, post-Xbox Live games such as Halo 2 and Unreal Championship supported more consoles per game than the maximum of four supported by Halo.

The Xbox 360 can not only use wired Ethernet to connect to a LAN, but also use a wireless adapter (such as the Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter in an access point-based or mesh network). Additionally, some Xbox Live titles like Halo 3 can play a match with players connected over Xbox Live and on the same LAN. By allowing multiplayer games over the same LAN, System Link has led to the formation of private and public LAN Parties.

Keeping the tradition, the Xbox 360 also allows you to play system link. It appears more developers are utilizing the feature in this generation of video game consoles. As more 360 games are released and people start to buy second consoles, it’s becoming difficult for the average gamer to find out what games support system link.

To make it easier for players to know if a game has system link or not. Games that released now have a (system link 2-16) symbol on the back of the game cases to make it much easier to tell if the game has system link or not. To hook up 4 Xbox 360's together you need special linking adapters that you can buy quite cheap at nearby electronic stores.