Steam infiltrates Twitch territory with Steam Broadcasting [Update: Twitch reaction]
Steam Broadcasting allows players to stream their live gameplay to friends, strangers and any Steam user between, without any third-party programs required. To stream a game, simply start playing. Players are able to keep their gameplay private, too.
The first time a friend requests to watch your live game, you'll see the broadcast privacy settings, with choices to allow friends to watch, request to watch, receive invites to watch, or to allow anyone to watch your games. Choosing "Anyone can watch my games" makes your stream appear on that game's Hub.
"You'll receive a toast when a friend either requests to watch or starts watching your game," the Steam Broadcasting FAQ reads. "At any time you can see a list of viewers from the Steam overlay broadcast box, or if you're watching your own broadcast, from the top of the chat."
There's no option to record broadcasts on Steam yet. Those in the Steam Client Beta can try out Steam Broadcasting right now.
Update: Twitch VP of Marketing Matthew DiPietro offers the following statement about the new competition: "We are huge fans of Steam and work with Valve regularly on various events and product integrations. While Steam's broadcasting solution and the Twitch platform are very different things with vastly different feature sets, it's really validating to see a company like Valve embrace streaming in this way. Live video is the future of social connectivity for gamers and this is another proof point. We wish them the best of luck."
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Introducing Steam Broadcasting
Starting today Steam gamers may watch their friends' games through the click of a button via Steam Broadcasting, now available in beta.
Steam Broadcast is designed for ease of use, allowing anyone to view a friend's game by simply clicking on "Watch Game" on their Friend's profile or Friend's List to open a window into their gameplay - no game ownership, special fees, or additional apps required. The beta is open to everyone who opts in to the Steam Client Beta (via the Steam Settings panel), however bandwidth may be limited during the beta.
As always, Valve is interested in all feedback and ideas on how to make this feature better. To find out more about Steam Broadcast and offer your feedback, please check out the Steam Broadcast update page: http://steamcommunity.com/updates/broadcasting
[Image: Valve]
