Twitch announces broadcasting and capture SDK coming soon to Android
Although I don’t think I’ll ever understand the phenomena of gamers wanting to watch others play video games, the popular online game streaming service Twitch is finally going mobile. Announced today in a press release, the upcoming Twitch Mobile SDK will provide game developers with the tools they need to enable live video game broadcasting, capture, and archiving directly from an Android (or iOS) device.
In addition to simple live streaming, mobile gamers will also be able to take advantage of their smartphone or tablet’s now standard front facing cameras to record their pretty little faces while streaming. Just make sure you turn it off before having some “alone time” with your lady to avoid an awkward situation.
Audio can be recorded either through a device’s internal microphone, or via an external. And because not everyone has an unlimited data plan or an ocho-core Android device, users will be able to select between high, medium, or low quality settings when broadcasting gameplay.
To help keep their viewers engaged (aside from gratuitous cleavage shots), Twitch also mentions that broadcasters will be given a “robust” range of chat options including emoticon badges and colors. Sounds like they’ve really got all their bases covered.
Unfortunately, Twitch wouldn’t commit to an exact date the SDK will go live, only giving a vague “soon” timing.