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The Windows 10 Creators Update will come with game broadcasting features built right in

By Koh Wanzi - on 27 Oct 2016, 12:56am

The Windows 10 Creators Update will come with game broadcasting features built right in

Game broadcasting features will be built right into the Windows 10 Creators Update.

The key takeaway from Microsoft’s announcement today was clearly all about 3D content and empowering creativity (the update isn’t called Creators Update for no reason). Still, Microsoft wasn’t about to neglect a key demographic – gamers. There was news on that front as well, and the company announced that the Creators Update would come with game broadcasting features baked right in.

The move comes after Microsoft’s acquisition of game streaming service Beam, so it makes sense that the Redmond company would want to put this to use in some way. And what better way than to make it a marquee feature in its flagship operating system?

The feature will be part of the Xbox app in the Creators Update, and all you have to do to begin streaming is hit the broadcast button on the app’s Game Bar. It’s painless and instantaneous, which is exactly how Microsoft intends it to be. Xbox Live will even ping your friends when you go live, further adding to the communal nature of the whole experience.

New interaction features were revealed as well, and viewers can click buttons to suggest what the streamer should do next in game.

A chat overlay will also appear in game, allowing you to interact with viewers and view your stream in real-time.

In a sense, this is about the democratization of e-sports and game broadcasting. While Twitch is already quite a force in this area, you still have to jump through quite a few hoops to get your stream up and running. In comparison, if all works as claimed, broadcasting via the Xbox Live app is nearly hassle-free.

The feature will work with both Windows 10 PCs and the Xbox, so Microsoft isn’t favoring one breed of gamers over the other. That said, it doesn’t look like Microsoft is pursuing professional gamers or streamers with this feature. As with its 3D creation tools, it appears focused on simply making available a new feature to the masses.

In addition, the company said that gamers would be able to create their own custom tournaments and challenges. This takes place courtesy of the Arena platform on Xbox Live, which started off by allowing Microsoft, game developers, and e-sports organizations to run their own competitions.

Player-created tournaments are expected to be available in 2017.

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