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Google’s supposed attempt to buy Twitch for close to $1 billion was dashed when Amazon came in and offered them a similar check, but that won’t keep Google from trying to cash in on the video game live-streaming boom. The company is reportedly preparing to launch YouTube Live, a Twitch-like video streaming service that will primarily service gamers (and, by extension, eSports organizations).
We’ve always believed this sort of streaming service was a natural progression for Google and YouTube considering they already have a strong infrastructure, the money, and engineers and the experience necessary to be successful.
Google has prime opportunity to make noise in this space. While Twitch may be the sole owner of first place in games streaming by a large mile, there are still a lot of pain points users have to deal with.
The biggest pain point is a recent change in archived broadcast policies that now limit how long you can store your past broadcasts. The change meant Twitch streamers could no longer maintain a library of content for their fans to check out, and many of them have had no choice but to continue using YouTube to upload their best moments.
If Google can tackle that issue and provide a happy medium between a strong live streaming platform and an archive that lasts forever, they’ve already got themselves a huge one-up on the competition.
They’d also do well to lax the requirements for becoming a streaming partner, give all users (not just those who are partnered) the server backbone needed to stream live video at multiple resolutions, and be a more stable platform overall. Check all those boxes off, and Twitch could suddenly find themselves with a mass exodus on their hands. The Daily Dot says Google is looking to make a reveal right around gaming’s big annual trade show, E3, in June.
I checked out Twitch a few times, I dont know why but i found it fun to sit there and watch people play games. I’d check this out once it came out.
That partnering restriction has been gone for a long time. Including the minimum subscriber requirement. The biggest issue I see right now are the hoops you have to jump through just to START a live stream. If they make it as simple as a streaming key and pushing a start button like twitch does then they’ll nuke twitch easily. They definitely should make a donation to OBS and make sure it’s working perfectly with that software since it’s easily the most popular solution.
I think that Twitch will probably be around until live-streaming is dead. Of course, I guess I felt the same way about justin.tv
Google’s servers will definitely help
I don’t get how people can watch others play a game, JUST PLAY IT YOURSELF. Maybe I’m just too old, or an old school gamer.
Some games are more story than game (tell tale games, etc), and if they are especially difficult to play (bugs, poor design, etc), expensive or in any other way inaccessible despite their public interest (rival platform exclusivity), then watching it is the next best thing.
why are people watching sports on tv ? you could just go out and play it yourself; I for one fallow some streamers because they are entertaining, some because they have something smart to say about a game, their mechanics or the gaming culture in general and some streamers because they are extremely good at a game
I never thought of it that way. I guess it is just another form of entertainment, like watching acting, singing, etc. Different strokes for different folks.
I wish I could play games in my downtime, I work too much and I know I can’t afford the latest and greatest. And so I play vicariously.
I hear ya. I don’t have time to play much. It’s a matter of prioritizing my time, which doesn’t even allow watching. I miss my unlimited time as a child.
Usually watch to see where are my flaws and where I should change to make my performance better – talking on PvP/FPS perspective.
With regards to Android, much more has to be done in order to allow video uploading from Android devices. Poor upload limits for gmail/email (even via WiFi), poor upload limits for the official YouTube app and mobile site, etc.
In fact, the ONLY way I’ve found to upload a video of any reasonable size is to go to the YouTube PC site, and upload via that on my phone. Funnily enough, all of those limits and restrictions concerning upload links simply vanish.
If Google can’t fix their own existing, broken video system for their own devices, OS and video streaming service, then I doubt this new one will be any good.
My z3 does uploads well imo
I am happy for you, but my htc desire didn’t and neither does my note 3, due to problems built in to android.