Hitbox doesn’t have an app that will let you broadcast easily from Xbox One or PlayStation 4, but it is working with a hardware company to make it a little easier for people to start livestreams from those systems.
The company announced today that it has teamed with audio-video company AverMedia. This partnership will see Hitbox get deep integration into AverMedia’s Live Gamer Extreme capture card, which is one of the few devices that can record and broadcast gameplay at 60 frames per second and a resolution of 1,080 horizontal lines. With more than a hundred million people tuning in regularly for game streams, Hitbox is looking for any way to grow its audience — which would make it more attractive to marketers.
Hitbox has already won over some PC gamers due to its high-quality video, but Twitch dominates the consoles. Earlier this generation, the Amazon-owned video platform made deals to get Twitch broadcasting built into both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This has made it so that anyone who owns those systems can quickly start sharing live video of their gaming after hitting a few buttons. But Hitbox is hoping that it can make moves to attract a piece of that audience as well.
“Hitbox is already a favorite among PC gamers around the world for our commitment to quality and technological innovation,” Hitbox chief executive Martin Klimscha said in a canned statement. “Now, console gamers have the opportunity to tap into our superior livestreaming environment and broadcast live to our community of 50 million viewers.”
Teaming with AverMedia, however, is likely only going to have a minor impact on console gamers who stream to Hitbox. Getting a prime placement in the Live Gamer Extreme software should give people an easy one- or two-button process to get started streaming, but connecting an external card will never have as easy a setup as the native Twitch apps on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Additionally, AverMedia is in a competitive market with companies like El Gato and Hauppauge.
Still, Hitbox is clearly trying to establish itself as a reasonable alternative to Twitch, and this is a move in that direction.
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