The PlayStation 4 launched last week, and gamers quickly took to its exciting Twitch and Ustream broadcasting capabilities. This feature enables players to livestream their gameplay to the web with just a few button presses.
Microsoft promised a similar feature for its next-gen console, and gameplay broadcasting is coming to Xbox One — just not at launch.
When the Xbox One releases Friday, the system won’t enable gamers to stream gameplay unassisted. Instead, that functionality isn’t due until the “first part of 2014,” Twitch community manager Jared Rea wrote in a blog. Microsoft separately noted to GamesBeat that we could expect something around the start of the new year.
Microsoft revealed its Twitch broadcasting during its E3 presentation in June, and you can see it in action in the video below. The Twitch section begins at the 2:18 mark:
This is a bit of a blow for Microsoft. Currently, gamers can hop on to Twitch or Ustream and watch dozens of people streaming PlayStation 4 titles. That’s free advertising for Sony, and it also makes gamers feel like a star. For some, it’s already a must-have feature:
So is Xbone One definitely offering the same streaming/Twitch integration as PS4? Because that’s a deal-breaker for me now. I’m hooked.
— Gravy Whitta (@garywhitta) November 16, 2013
While we wait for Microsoft to figure out its streaming, Sony could establish itself as the best place to get multiplatform titles. If a significant number of gamers are even just looking for the potential to stream, they’re only going to find that on PlayStation 4 for the next few months.
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