Twitch integration may give the XBox One a surprise boost

So I've been trying to bodysurf over the backlash a bit and think about what advantages the XOne still has, and it seems to me that Twitch integration might be a bigger boon than it seems.

Aside from the hordes of FPS (CoD, Halo, etc.) players, the fighting game community is probably the second biggest group of people innately supporting consoles. For whatever reason, fighters just don't come to PCs, so folks who play fighters have the limited choice of Sony or Microsoft. And aside from all of the fascinating no-scope whatevers, people who play fighters are very public about their accomplishments and want to share their videos, watch videos from other players they like, and watch tournaments that happen all the time.

PS4 has UStream support, but the fighting game community has already established itself on Twitch, so it seems easier for those fans to change consoles and get the ease of direct uploading, rather than change video streaming sites.

Not trying to say either console is better here, but just something to consider about the overall success of the currently maligned XOne.

(also, who the hell thought we'd have a page specifically for "Twitch TV Integration". Love you Giant Bomb)

Its easier to buy a $500 console than sign up for a free Ustream account? Not sure where the logic is in this.

I don't do it but I know there are millions of youtube guys who stream stuff on twitch so yeah this will be a big deal for them. Not sure why Sony chose to go with Ustream, unless MS already thought about this stuff and got twitch early.

No, it's completely illogical, but I could still see it happening. There are tens of thousands of passionate fighting game fans, so getting them all to migrate to a different site is a much harder move than to just get a console that will actually make the functionality of their current streaming setup easier.

@demoskinos: If you look at it just as two streaming services yeah but there's a lot Twitch does to support streamers and from what I understand it's a much better service. There's a reason it's way more popular then UStream is. Plus Jared Rea.

I don't really follow the esports screen, so i don't know if they will pick this up but I do follow the fgc and I agree to a point. I think the thing keeping the FGC away from the Xbox One is the connectivity issue or that is what it seems like at the moment but without that I could totally see what you are saying.

http://www.giantbomb.com/xbox-one/3045-145/forums/is-twitch-integration-a-game-changer-for-you-1440060/

I think that Twitch integration will be vastly more useful for people who want to tutorialize, or the amateur livestreamer who wants to broadcast new releases from their bedroom. Streaming is such a balancing act on the tech side that I can see committed streamers just sticking with the set-up that they have unless MS/Twitch offers high-quality tools (something comparable to OBS/XSplit, for example).

The downside, I think, is that Twitch definitely does not seem ready for thousands of new streamers uploading to their servers from all across the country. It's pretty normal to see 'casters who aren't located on the West Coast or in specific cities struggle to get and maintain a quality connection to the service, while on the viewer's side it's pretty normal for twitch's performance to be completely decimated by big LoL or Dota tournaments (which can mean a concentrated viewership of 100,000+ people, not a huge number in itself) in addition to the ongoing issues with the service under normal conditions.

If this deal ends up meaning more revenue for twitch, and the improvement of their capacity and overall service then I think it's a good thing, I'm pretty tired of not being able to watch streams at a watchable quality and without constant buffering and skipping.

Still the actual limits of the twitch integration aren't known yet. Also lets not forget that the XBone isn't exactly friendly to people trying to setup cash games and shit in hotel rooms. I could easily see the community skewing to PS4 and just using Twitch anyways using external streaming tools.

considering the logistical challenges the xb1 will present for tournaments and gatherings (necessary internet access for every box), i'm not sure the fighting community will come running just for twitch. and let's be real- even if every single person who would be streaming a next gen console goes microsoft for the twitch integration...those numbers still won't be enough to carry the platform. i think it's a perk, but not a system seller.

@joshwent: Twitch released an SDK that will allow any game, PC or PS4, to integrate streaming functionality into their game. Its the difference between MS and Sony this generation isn't it? MS wants to have the same functionality for their games across the board (streaming, kinect, chat etc.) and Sony wants to leave it up to devs and go game by game. (Gaf link to source)

@joshwent: The native Twitch integration for XBox One and Ustream integration for PS4 is irrelevant. The likely scenario is that native integrations will be ignored and PS4 will be streamed using Twitch the same way they've been doing it on PS3 and 360 for the past 6 years.

Fighting game tournament streams need PCs/Laptops and programs like Xsplit, the next-gen consoles will not change that.