You can now stream your Xbox games to Twitch right from the OS.
Both the Xbox and PlayStation platforms have supported native live streaming for years. However, neither has been able to approximate anything like streaming on a dedicated PC. A dedicated PC gets you access to production software like Streamlabs and OBS. You can use these programs to customise alerts and scenes, making your stream feel your own. Streaming from your console was a barebones experience by comparison. You couldn’t even add a facecam to your stream. You could stream from your console, but no one wanted to watch it.
That all changes for Xbox owners with today’s update
The Capture and Sharing tab on your Xbox guide now contains a Livestreaming menu. Inside, you can link your Twitch account with a QR code. Once linked, the command Go Live Now will appear. Hitting this option will fire up your Twitch stream, and you can stream any games installed on your Xbox.
Plug your webcam directly into your Xbox if you want to add a facecam. Plug your headset into your controller for voiceover. Under the Live Streaming Options tab, you can play around with facecam sizing and bitrate to your heart’s content, and go live when you’re ready.
Ready to change games? Just hop out. The Xbox will display a pause screen on your stream while you boot up another game, and change your stream title once you load in.
You still can’t play with scenes and alerts, but this is a huge step in the right direction. Being able to simply plug a USB webcam into your console and have it be ready to go is frankly brilliant. This knocks down a significant barrier to people who aren’t as tech-savvy or perhaps don’t have the time to customise every element of their stream. For the full professional experience, you’ll still want a dedicated streaming setup on the PC, but this presents a strong alternative.
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