Twitch TV Game Streaming Coming To Xbox One

Twitch TV Xbox streaming goes live on March 11, landing the same day as Titanfall

Is it any coincidence that on March 11, the same day Titanfall comes to the Xbox One, the Twitch TV game streaming app will also go live? Twitch is currently the world’s largest video platform and community for gamers with 45 million visitors per month, and Titanfall is one of the most anticipated Xbox One games. These two powerhouses combining forces will likely only improve business for both parties.

How will the Twitch TV app work?

According to Microsoft, starting a stream will be as simple as saying “Xbox, broadcast”. This means you won’t have to pause a game to start streaming, which is a smart move. Who wants to pause a game worth broadcasting? Your friends will also be notified when you start streaming, and viewers can even join your game if they choose. Chat is also included, although typing out messages with the controller during a game likely won’t be too popular. Chat can be snapped to one side of the screen, and picture-in-picture video from Kinect can likewise be positioned in any corner. You will also be able to “archive your Twitch broadcasts and view live Twitch streams regardless of their original source”, a feature not yet available on Sony’s Playstation 4. And, of course, you can earn Media Achievements by spectating and streaming on Twitch. As are most good things on Xbox, the Twitch TV app will be locked to Xbox Gold subscribers, but that’s no surprise.

Can Xbox One Handle Twitch TV?

The biggest question in many gamers’ minds is what will the quality be like? Xbox One already allows you to record the last 30 seconds of gameplay by saying “Xbox, record that”. However, as many reviewers have noted, the quality is baaaaad. Although it’s 720p and 30 frames per second, the bitrate is terrible. Video streaming is very hardware intensive, and the Xbox One has fallen behind the Playstation 4’s capabilities on numerous occasions so far. And we’re only 3 months into the launch. With future games sucking up all the power these consoles can give, it could prove to be a challenge to incorporate and continue to deliver high-quality streaming. When the app launches on March 11 and Titanfall streams overtake the airwaves, we will see just what Twitch TV and Xbox One can do.