It’s mind boggling how big video game streaming has become. It’s almost bigger than actually playing the games themselves. Up until today, streaming has only been available to consoles, but with mobile devices taking over the world, YouTube has announced that those devices will now be able to stream gameplay as well.
Starting today, Android users can now stream gameplay on the go using Mobile Capture on the YouTube Gaming app. YouTube Gaming was introduced by Google in June, and subsequently released in August as a website and app to compete with Twitch. With YouTube’s infrastructure, gamers have an easier time starting a live game and quickly informing their fans through channels.
Google says that no additional hardware or software is needed. All gamers need to do is tap Go Live or your avatar on a phone in the YouTube Gaming app. The selfie cam will record the gamers face and the phone’s microphone will grab the commentary. It couldn’t be simpler than that.
Streaming games has proved to be a big moneymaker for some people so Google has also announced sponsorships. Fans will be able to subscribe to their favorite channels for $3.99 per month in over 40 countries. Subscribers will also receive access to private live chats, a special chat badge, and a public thanks from the streamer. Some fans might prefer one-time gifts, and that’s a possibility too. For now, this sponsorship function is in beta testing and only available to a handful of streamers.
In addition to streaming gameplay and sponsorships, The YouTube Gaming app received a few new features for viewers. Users will now be able to see available live streams for games in their collection more easily. Video bookmarking is now much easier, and the watch page on gaming.youtube.com as been redesigned. Finally, iOS users get better search navigation as previous searches are now remembered.
The YouTube Gaming app is available on both Android and iOS devices, but only Android devices can stream games at this time. It’s more than likely that Google will bring gameplay streaming to iOS devices at a future date.
You can grab the Android app here and the iOS version here. Happy gaming.
