Livestreaming is certainly all the rage when it comes to video games, whether it’s devoted users showcasing their latest game sessions, or companies providing a sneak preview of what’s ahead for its forthcoming products. Twitch has cleaned up nicely in this business, and now Valve sees an opportunity to do the same with Steam.
The company has posted details on this just-introduced feature, which enables gamers to broadcast their game sessions with ease over the Steam service. In addition to showing off what they can do, users are also able to look around and find sessions based on their favorite games, simply by using a search tool and selecting “watch game” when they find what they want to view.
In addition, people can also select options in terms of who can watch streaming sessions, whether they prefer to invite a select audience or simply limit it to friends. Certain companies can possibly use this service to show off upcoming games, without them being leaked to the public.
However, there’s a certain way that users’ broadcasts have to be launched. Instead of simply starting a broadcast (as you would on Twitch), the show doesn’t actually begin until people begin watching it. That could be tricky for those who aren’t good at building up an immediate audience, but there are settings that can be messed with so that the numbers aren’t quite so strict for certain streamers.
While the service is certainly Twitch-like, Valve is doing it all on its own, and considering the millions of users that utilize Steam on a daily basis, it should have no trouble building an audience. However, Twitch still has the advantage when it comes to not only a large number of users, but also support through Amazon, who acquired the company earlier this year.
2015 will certainly be a big year for streaming services – especially once Valve releases its long-awaited Steam-based Machines.
