GoPro unveils Twitch-like streaming service for thrill-seekers

The success of platforms like Twitch hasn’t gone unnoticed by GoPro. Today the company is announcing that GoPro.com will become its own streaming service for Plus subscribers. There is also some good news for Windows users who were jealous of the Mac-only webcam update, along with some updates to Hypersmooth 2.0 on the Hero 8 Black.

Who would have thought that it’s partly thanks to watching people do cool things in games that we’re now seeing platforms for the same but for the great outdoors. Yet, here we are. Three of the company’s cameras will work with the new platform: Hero 8 Black, Hero 7 Black and Max. GoPro didn’t share much in the way of specifics about how the streaming service would work, beyond calling it “high-quality” and that it would be “simplified.” Livestreams can be shared by sharing a link directly with friends and followers, with the service going live today.

You’ll need to be a subscriber to GoPro Plus to take advantage of the service, which is the company’s $5 per month premium membership. Plus already includes benefits like unlimited storage of your GoPro videos at native resolution and discounts on accessories — the streaming option adds to that with no extra charge. Of course, you can already stream from your GoPro to platforms like YouTube and Twitch for free, but never a bad thing to have more options, and as a dedicated platform it might be easier to grow a community or followers.

Beyond the new streaming service, GoPro also announced a beta version of its webcam utility for Windows (it was Mac only until now). The Mac version will also move from beta to an official feature in a new firmware update. This same update also offers HyperSmooth 2.0 video stabilization to “more video settings” but without specifics about what modes that includes.