Problems With Native Gaming App Streaming
While a streaming app can be an easy solution for someone looking to jump into a stream without any additional hassle, it has its setbacks.
Games on PlayStation for example can sometimes block streaming and recording entirely. Many companies, like Atlas and Bandai Namco , have included in-game functions that stop their titles from being streamed after a certain period of time.
Theres no real way to tell which parts of the game will be cut either, and streamers often find out the hard way. Theres also no way to disable it.
How To Get Good At Streaming On Twitch
On Twitch, success is measured by the distribution of hours watched. A very limited number of top streamers, four thousand of them, hold three-quarters of live hours watched. Twitch has around 9 million monthly streamers, so the math is obvious. A lot of people arent getting many eyeballs on their content.
Youll need to put in a bit more effort than just learning how to stream on Twitch if your goal is to find a place among the successful streamers. Creating your success strategy starts with the most important aspect: content.
Gather Connect And Set Up Your Gear
Before you start setting up your streaming software, make sure all the hardware you need is connected. This means connecting your webcam and microphone to your computer. If you plan to add an additional computer monitor to your setup or want to use a green screen, nows the time to get it ready.
Test everything as well. Set up your webcam at a good angle and check out the audio levels on your mic. Nows a good time to sound-proof the room youre streaming in or adjust your lighting if youre using lights.
Read Also: How To Find Someones Ip Adress On Xbox
How To Stream Xbox To Twitch Using Obs Studio
If you’re looking to stream to Twitch then you’re probably at least looking at using OBS Studio. The free, open-source, cross-platform application is the choice of many of today’s biggest streamers. Not so much because it’s free, but because it’s incredibly powerful, supports just about any piece of hardware and the plugin library is vast. If you need to do something for your stream, you’re going to be able to do it with OBS Studio.
The same applies if you’re primarily an Xbox gamer, too. You don’t necessarily need a monstrous PC to power your stream, nor the world’s fastest internet connection. What you need is a capture card, a spare HDMI cable, and a few spare minutes to get set up.
If you’re looking to stream your Xbox to Twitch with OBS Studio, here’s how to get set up for the best quality broadcasts.
Xbox And Playstation Voice Chat Options When Streaming To Twitch
Your squad is dropping in hot and streaming all of the action to Twitch. Youre streaming directly from your Xbox or PlayStation and youve got Lightstream running to add on all of your branded overlays and alerts. Theres a problem though. Your viewers can only hear you. Theyre missing out on the shot calls, jokes, and camaraderie your friends are bringing to the experience.
Adding your teams voice chat to your Xbox or PlayStation streams isnt always straightforward. There are a few different ways to make it happen depending on what game youre playing and who youre playing with. Well start with the easiest method and work our way to more complex options that are useful in specific cases.
If you already know what type of voice chat you want to use, you can jump directly to it:
Also Check: How To Get Gta Mods On Xbox One
How To Stream With Microphone And Camera On Twitch
Before you start a stream on Twitch from an Xbox One gaming console you can add a webcam and a microphone to your stream. If you have a Kinect sensor you can easily turn it into a webcam, but if you don’t, you can use any webcam that is compatible with a Windows PC and that has a USB port. However, you can only use third-party webcams if you are streaming to Mixer, while Kinect is still your only webcam option if you want to share broadcasts on Twitch.
Use the audio in or a USB port to connect the microphone to the Xbox One and head over to Twitch App. Bring up the Settings menu and make sure that the Enable Microphone box is checked, and then check the Enable Kinect option. And that’s it, your microphone and Kinect Sensor are going to record audio and video footage during your stream.
Fortnite, Overwatch or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds are currently among the most popular video games on Twitch, and you can stream each of these games from your Xbox One. Even though setting up your first live stream from an Xbox can be a bit time-consuming, it is still a relatively simple process that will enable you to broadcast all of your favorite Xbox One video games to the largest live streaming platform on the Internet.
Which Xbox One games you like to stream to Twitch? Leave a comment below and let us know.
Consider Upgrading Your Audio Setup
The Kinect may have a microphone but for high-quality audio for your stream, you should use a separate device:
- The Xbox One Chat Headset: Owners of the original Xbox One will have received Microsoft’s own custom gaming headset in the console’s box. The Xbox One Chat Headset connects directly to the Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter which plugs into any Xbox One controller. This headset records clear audio and is easy to use and can also be purchased separately by gamers with newer consoles, such as the Xbox One S and Xbox One X.
- Other headset or microphone. Newer Xbox One controllers include a 3.5mm audio jack built into the bottom of the device under the d-pad. This jack can be used to connect any regular headset, earphones, or microphone from a heavy duty gaming headset to basic Apple EarPods.
Also Check: Can You Hook Up Airpods To Xbox
How To Broadcast Your Xbox One Games On Twitch Or Mixer
Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more…
The Xbox One can broadcast your gameplay on Microsofts own Mixer service, but it also lets you broadcast on Twitch. Twitch streaming just requires some quick setup the first time you do it.
Stream Using Your Xbox Or Playstation
While many streamers choose to start streaming with a laptop or computer, the good news is that for most gamers, you have everything you need to start streaming already in your living room. If youâve got a current-gen PlayStation or Xbox, you can be live on Twitch in just a few simple steps.
1. Create a Twitch account from a mobile device or computer. We recommend downloading Twitch on your iOS or Android phone to adjust your stream settings on the fly, which is easy to do with your Stream Manager in the app. Also, donât forget to turn on Two-Factor Authentication to keep your account safe.
2. Download the Twitch Xbox app from the Microsoft Store. Note: you donât need the PlayStation app in order to broadcast from your PlayStation.
3. Personalize your channel by adding elements that reflect your personal brand to set yourself apart. This will help viewers know who you are when they discover your page! You can modify your profile photo and bio on mobile, or customize a number of additional settings via a web browser. Weâve set up an entire Creator Camp page on Personal Branding to show you all of the places you can customize your channel page to reflect you and your brand.
5. The quality of your audio is critical in helping you connect with viewers. There are a few great, affordable headsets with built-in microphone settings, like the Turtle Beach Recon 200, which work for all consoles and PC, that ensure great audio for your stream.
Streaming from PlayStation
Recommended Reading: How To Find Xbox Ip
Connect Your Ps4 To Your Twitch Account
When you click the share button on your controller, youll see the option to broadcast gameplay. PS4 will ask which platform you want to use, and after selecting Twitch, youll need to connect the console to the account. You can do so by:
- Scanning a QR code youll see on your screen, or
- Going to twitch.tv/activate from a computer or smartphone and entering the code youll see on your screen.
Install The Software And Connect It To Twitch
Any one of the software choices we mentioned earlier will work great for Twitch. For the purposes of this guide, however, well use OBS Studio for all examples and explanations.
After installation, OBS Studio will ask whether or not to run the auto-configuration wizard. Consider opting for a manual setup. That will get you acquainted with some important aspects of streaming.
For starters, head to File > Settings > Stream in OBS Studio. Choose Twitch as your service, then either connect your Twitch account to OBS Studio or connect Twitch using the stream key.
For the former, youll just need the login information for your Twitch account. For the latter, you should go to Twitch, go to Settings > Channel and Videos, and copy the primary stream key you see there. Paste it into OBS, and youre done.
Don’t Miss: How To Find Someones Ip Adress On Xbox
Microsoft Insider Update Returns Twitch Streaming On Xbox Dashboard
Twitch streaming integration will be reintroduced directly into the Xbox dashboard by Microsoft. In 2014, Twitch was first integrated directly into the Xbox One dashboard, using the original Snap interface to allow players to stream directly to the service. It’s making a comeback in the Xbox Guide, with similar integration and webcam support.
Microsoft announced in its Xbox Insider Release Notes Alpha and Skip-Ahead alpha Xbox testers can access the new integration right now, and its simple to use. With an overlay on top of your games, you can adjust the game or microphone volume, include party audio from friends, and see a list of viewers and how long you’ve been streaming.
The Twitch integration also allows users to switch between resolutions and bitrates, ranging from 360p at 500kbps to 1080p at 6500kbps. USB webcams are also supported by Microsoft, and most plug-and-play models should work as a camera for Twitch streaming.
Users can use the new Twitch streaming feature by going to the “Capture and Share” tab and selecting “Live streaming.” To begin streaming gameplay, they have to connect their Twitch account via a mobile device or console settings, then press the “Go live now” button. “This feature only streams gameplay, so if the user navigates to home or another app, viewers will see a pause screen,” Microsoft explains.
Layouts Alerts And More
Once you have the basics of OBS and XSplit down, you can start customizing your stream with layouts and custom alerts. There’s a brace of popular toolsets for enhancing the look and feel of your stream are StreamLabs and StreamElements.
StreamElements is an all-in-one, browser-based tool that lets you design entire layouts complete with widgets, animations and more. Once you’ve created a theme, you can easily bring it to OBS or XSplit with a simple browser code.
StreamLabs offers a variety of customizable widgets, such as an Alert Box that shows on-screen notifications when viewers do things such as subscribe to your channel or make a donation. You can also use StreamLabs to set up Bots that help moderate your chat room.
You May Like: How To Change Screen Size On Xbox One
What Kind Of Content Should You Stream On Twitch
Gaming content is what originally launched Twitch. For a long time, it was the primary draw of the platform. Even today, people seem to tune in mostly to watch gaming content. Two of the most popular categories, in terms of hours watched, are two game categories: League of Legends and Fortnite.
Its important to note, however, that as of March 2021, the Just Chatting category was dominating concurrent viewership and racked up 63 million watched hours, accounting for a 12.8% viewing share of total watched hours. In the Just Chatting category, you can find channels about anything, not just games and gamer culture.
So what does this mean for you? You dont have to get stuck producing bad gaming content if theres something else youre much better at. Here are a few tips that should help you get settled into a nice content category or a few.
Set Up The Stream And Go Live
Take these few simple steps before finally going live:
With that, all thats left to do is press the start stream button, and youll be online.
Live streaming on Twitch isnt too demanding for a novice. You can have your live content on Twitch in a matter of minutes with some basic gear and general computer literacy. Its that easy to learn how to stream on Twitch if your goal is just to live stream.
Don’t Miss: Can You Play Genshin Impact On Xbox
Carefully Choose The Games You Want To Stream
The most popular games have lots of viewers but also lots of established channels flocking to them. New releases can balloon quickly, as evident in the 2019 success story of Apex Legends. A good trick is to use tools such as Quizzical Pixels What to Stream to find games that have good viewership but very few channels streaming them.
How Do I Make My Stream Look And Sound Great
Your gear and your upload speed play a crucial role in the quality of your stream, but theyre not all that matters. Content affects quality, too, albeit in a different way. There are some other effects you can add to your stream, as well as special settings you can pay attention to, that can make a lot of difference.
If you want your stream to look and sound like those of some of the most popular streamers, you should consider the following:
You May Like: How To Manually Eject Disc From Xbox One
Is Prime Gaming Free With Amazon Prime
Yes. Amazon owns Twitch and Prime Gaming is included with a Prime membership to the main Amazon site. If you have a Prime membership, you automatically also have a subscription to this Twitch service as well.
To ensure you receive rewards youll need to ensure your Twitch account is connected to the Amazon account that has Prime. This can be done as follows:
Start Streaming On Twitch With Free Download
Twitch stands out as a versatile, flexible platform for streamers who want to provide their audiences with engaging content. To stream video content live, you need a streaming device, camera, microphone, and encoder. If you are using a software encoder, you need an external capture card to ensure that your computer can recognize the feed format.
You also need high-end broadcasting software for your PC. PowerDirector 365 is great for cutting highlight reels of streams, and it comes with Screen Recorder 4, a robust plug-in that is ideal for Twitch streaming.
The latest features of Screen Recorder 4 include streaming video to custom servers and multiple locations at once and including video overlays, such as images or logos, in your streams. You can also preview and adjust your webcam videos location and size and customize your videos streaming bitrates. Using the chroma key to replace your webcams background is another high-value feature for Twitch streamers.
If you want to stream high-quality, engaging content to Twitch, you need user-friendly but professional broadcasting software. Screen Recorder 4 is easy to learn and compatible with most external devices and multiple audio-visual inputs. Download PowerDirector with Screen Recorder 4 today.
You May Like: How To Connect Xbox To Hotspot
How To Stream On Twitch Using Pc
This section looks at how to stream on PC using broadcasting software. Twitch recommends doing extensive research to find a broadcasting application that fits all your streaming requirements.
Screen Recorder 4 is available in PowerDirector 365 for Windows, and it is among the most effective options for all types of streaming content. If you are new to Twitch streaming, try this software to start streaming engaging content today.
Power Up Your Live Streaming Setup
If youre looking to add some power to your streaming setup to make it better at handling whatever game you want to throw at it, adding a dedicated streaming PC is a great way to do it. If youre running a two-PC setup, youll want the one with more processing power to handle the streaming. And youll need a capture card.
Capture cards come in internal and external variants. The internal cards must be physically installed onto the streaming computers motherboard and then connected with the gaming PC via HDMI. The external cards connect via USB to the streaming computer on one end and via HDMI to the gaming computer on the other end. After that, you only have to add the capture card as a source in OBS.
If youre using a PC-console setup, the main difference is that the capture card sits in between the console and the TV or computer monitor. Use the in HDMI port to plug the console into the card and the out HDMI port to connect the card with the display or TV. Again, simply add the card in OBS Studio as a source, and youre set.
Read Also: Xbox One Connect To Hotel Wifi