- Alpha and skip-alpha members will be the first to see the return of the service
- Microsoft promises to make Twitch streaming through the Xbox easier than ever
- The company says it will listen to the community for feedback on future updates
After much demand from users, Microsoft is bringing back Twitch streaming to the Xbox dashboard, promising to bring future updates.
Twitch Is Back on the Xbox
Twitch streaming is soon going to be back to the Xbox dashboard after an almost five-year absence with alpha and skip-alpha members being the first to see the service return. “With everything going on in the world, it’s more important than ever that we stay connected with our friends, families, and communities,” says Xbox's official statement. “We've heard your feedback and are excited to bring back this fan-favorite feature, re-engineered, and better than ever.”
Xbox and Twitch are teaming up and promise to make live streaming “easier than ever”. The new interface will be similar to the snap interface that debuted on Xbox back in 2014. This will allow users to immediately start broadcasting their gameplay in the “Capture and Share” tab of the Xbox guide.
To start streaming, users will have to link their Twitch account to their Xbox by scanning the QR code with an iOS or Android mobile device or navigating to the URL via their PC or mobile device. Once this is done, users can hit the “Go live now” button to instantly start streaming their games.
What Else Will the New Feature Offer?
Naturally, the new dashboard will have support for various audio and video components, and provide a toggle for microphone and webcam options. Options for the control of both game and microphone audio, resolution, and bitrate, as well as overlay positioning, can be found under the “More Options” menu.
Viewers can watch an Xbox streamer’s live stream on any device, just like if the streamer was using a PC. Xbox users who follow a streamer will get notifications once their friend goes live. However, to use this function, users must set this up by going to the Xbox Notifications tab within Preferences and selecting their desired live stream settings.
Microsoft has promised that it will bring new features to the service in future updates. Their statement said that they brought back this streaming feature because fans insisted a lot. The company also said that it will coordinate its future updates based on what feedback it receives from the community. “Go ahead, boot up your console and get streaming, I’ll see you on Twitch!” Microsoft added.
