Windows 10 will have Beam game broadcasting built-in (PC and XBox One)

[GoodBytes]

Streaming PC game to services like Twitch can be complicated to setup.

Microsoft have been working with Beam (a Twitch like service, but focused on gaming only), to have Beam broadcasting integration built-in into Windows 10.

 

 

How easy?

Assuming you have a Beam account simply:

1. Start any game you want.
2. Hit Win+G to show the game bar (the bar to record your game play, or take a picture)
3. Click on the new broadcast button, and you are done.. you are now live, and you see a chat box where you can see people chatting to you,and you can interact. The chat box is semi-transparent.

 

Friends on your XBox Live account will be notified when you start a stream as well.

 

Source: Microsoft Live Event - Oct 26 - https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/octoberevent/microsoft-live-event

 

A little bonus news. With XBox Live app on PC and XBox, you can setup a custom tournament with supported games. Invitations are released about the tournament, and XBox Live service will handle in determining who is the winner. If you want to see more, check at 45min in the video link above.

 

Both new features will be available in the Creator Update (Redstone 2) of Windows 10, which is aimed at a March 2017 release.

 

 

This will hurt Twitch a lot if they can't join in with Microsoft to have Windows 10 integration as well.

 

 

 

 

[SansVarnic]

I agree this could be a potential disaster for twitch but that is assuming that people adopt the service though ...

[TrigrH]

13 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

This will hurt Twitch a lot if they can't join in with Microsoft to have Windows 10 integration as well.

Just like bing hurts google

[S w a t s o n]

28 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Streaming PC game to services like Twitch can be complicated to setup.

Microsoft have been working with Beam (a Twitch like service, but focused on gaming only), to have Beam broadcasting integration built-in into Windows 10.

This will hurt Twitch a lot if they can't join in with Microsoft to have Windows 10 integration as well.

Yea, I doubt this will be much of a ping on twitch's radar. Just like how blizzard/valve implemented streaming, it wont matter. People come to twitch to see the big names and the big chats. Also I remember when twitch was "like justin.tv but focused on gaming only" lul.

 

edit: If hitbox.tv had gotten the partnership this would be a bigger deal but still probably nothing

[suicidalfranco]

yawn

[AresKrieger]

Wait so they partnered with a streaming platform that already existed???? Never heard of beam

[GoodBytes]

3 hours ago, SansVarnic said:

I agree this could be a potential disaster for twitch but that is assuming that people adopt the service though ...

I think professional well established streamers will remain on Twitch.. either way they have the setup to have a camera point on them, remove background and all that. This feature will allow new streamers that wants to come in, and don't have the gear and software, let alone knowledge to setup a proper Twitch streamer setup get started. All they need is a decent mic (and maybe a pop-filter)

[LAwLz]

Great... More services that nobody will use. It would have been somewhat interesting if it was Twitch, but since it's not it just reminds me of all the shitty trial bloatware OEMs usually add to pre-built computers. 

[Bleedingyamato]

45 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

I think professional well established streamers will remain on Twitch.. either way they have the setup to have a camera point on them, remove background and all that. This feature will allow new streamers that wants to come in, and don't have the gear and software, let alone knowledge to setup a proper Twitch streamer setup get started. All they need is a decent mic (and maybe a pop-filter)

Does Twitch require you to have a camera on yourself?

 

I've thought about trying to get into streaming but idk if I'd want a camera on me.  I'd have to think about it but I might prefer just a mic for commentary.  

[RagnarokDel]

2 minutes ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Does Twitch require you to have a camera on yourself?

 

I've thought about trying to get into streaming but idk if I'd want a camera on me.  I'd have to think about it but I might prefer just a mic for commentary.  

One of the biggest streamers, Lirik doesnt have one on him.

[Bleedingyamato]

4 minutes ago, RagnarokDel said:

One of the biggest streamers, Lirik doesnt have one on him.

Good to know.  Extra benefit would be it's one less thing to buy to get started.  

[tlink]

can someone explain this move over using twitch? would twitch have refused this partnership? why would they go with a smaller company?

[ThreePinkApples]

47 minutes ago, tlink said:

can someone explain this move over using twitch? would twitch have refused this partnership? why would they go with a smaller company?

They made a point about how Beam had extra features stuff for interacting with the streamer, and the design did look a lot more friendly. That might simply be it, Microsoft felt that it was a better experience. 
Also quite possible that Twitch wasn't interested because of reasons?

[suicidalfranco]

great more useless crap that will take storage space away 

[bigneo]

Is there going to be Beam Android app or Windows Phone app only?  

 

Twitch Android app kicks ass, I think.

[apm]

3 hours ago, tlink said:

can someone explain this move over using twitch? would twitch have refused this partnership? why would they go with a smaller company?

didnt they buy beam?

 

beams only interesting feature is its lagless/no delay stream, but thats easy to do if no one is using the service..

microsofts event had about 250 viewers on beam.

twitch/justin.tv had very low delay too back in the day. now they are down to ~15s again from around 30s.

[ThreePinkApples]

7 hours ago, apm said:

didnt they buy beam?

 

beams only interesting feature is its lagless/no delay stream, but thats easy to do if no one is using the service..

microsofts event had about 250 viewers on beam.

twitch/justin.tv had very low delay too back in the day. now they are down to ~15s again from around 30s.

Did you just say no dealy stream? I hate the delay on Twitch and other streaming services. I know why it happens, but it makes it just unusable for me to use for some simple streaming with friends watching. I don't want their opinion/reaction 10 secs after it happened, I want it when it happens (1-2 secs is acceptable as a step 1, but it should end up being below 1 sec)
Have you measured the Beam delay? I guess I'll have to give it a test at least. 

Edit:
Some simple testing: 
Audio Only, seems to very from < 1 sec to around 2 sec delay
Playing of a YouTube video (using Window capture in OBS) gives me around 3 sec difference on the video. So, not that bad, but still noticeably if you are talking directly to someone watching the stream. 

60 FPS did not go very well, (Stream just loading, frozen on first frame)

1080p was also an issue (initial test was 720p30), 1080p30 gave me the same issue as 720p60

Setting Keyframe to 1 seems to fix 1080p and 60 (running 1080p60 right know), but the delay has increased to 5 secs

[Doobeedoo]

I mean it's neat integration for sure, and all being easy to use. Though what's the bitrate, resolution, fps for that livestream? 
And yeah I've read that it would be complicated to integrate Twitch though how much really?

[Rune]

....why wasn't this twitch?

[GoodBytes]

27 minutes ago, Rune said:

....why wasn't this twitch?

We don't know.. maybe Twitch taught it was stupid as they have their own solution... just a guess...

[Litargirio]

4 hours ago, Rune said:

....why wasn't this twitch?

Probably has to do with Beam actively trying to improve their service and give people a user friendly experience, whereas Twitch are just sitting on thier butts doing nothing, since they are the #1 most used streaming service anyway. Yes, they have made some improvements, but their delay is still 20+ seconds after all of these years, when Beam started out with less than 5 seconds from the very beginning, and are aiming to stay this way.

 

If only Twitch let themselves get bought by Google... but no, they had to choose Amazon, which is just sitting on the company and doing nothing with it.

 

I think it is very cool that Micosoft is supporting the smaller company.

[samcool55]

Well knowing MS i guess this is a case of good-ish executed but not good enough to become number 1.

 

[PetrasG]

Beam was acquired by MS back in August 2016. So they are just integrating one of their own systems into Windows.