What Is Twitch TV? Microsoft Delays Streaming On Xbox One

The Xbox One’s Twitch-based streaming abilities will be delayed a “few more months,” according to an announcement made from Twitch.tv’s twitter feed yesterday. The app, which has been used by PlayStation 4 users since the console’s launch on Nov. 15, 2013, was initially promised by Microsoft at the release of the Xbox One on Nov. 22 last year.

The original plan was to launch the Twitch.tv streaming abilities with the Xbox One, until a statement released by Microsoft on Nov. 19 last year informed gamers that gameplay streaming wouldn’t be available until 2014. "We know the ability to instantly broadcast gameplay is something the gaming community is excited about, and we are too," Microsoft stated in a blog post last November. "We are working to ensure the initial Twitch on Xbox One broadcasting experience meets the expectations of the Twitch community, so while this feature won’t be available right away, we’ll let you know as soon as it is ready. Our goal is to deliver it during the first part of 2014."

Yesterday, Twitch.tv support’s tweet notified Xbox One users that the wait may be a bit longer. “Xbox One Direct Broadcasting: There is no ETA at this time from Microsoft. Expect a few more months. If we know sooner, we'll update.” Though live broadcasting won’t be available for months, players are still able to record gameplay clips less than five minutes and upload them to Xbox Live.

A Microsoft representative recently spoke to gaming site Polygon about the delay, saying "we understand that the broadcasting component of Twitch is very important, and it is a major focus on our roadmap as we work to ensure it is seamlessly implemented into our Xbox One experience over the coming months." This delay may be partially due to Microsoft’s latest announcement at 2014 International CES, which promised to focus on remedying bugs and glitches that were plaguing the Xbox One. Xbox Chief Product Officer Marc Whitten stated that the brand will concentrate on listening to customer complaints. "Let's take an update and really go through a big list of what we're hearing from customers, what we know is broken with the architecture, areas that we want to improve or complete,” he said.

While Microsoft still struggles with its Twitch.tv capabilities, Sony’s PlayStation 4, which launched in North America on Nov. 15, 2013, allows gameplay streaming directly from the console. The PS4 also supports live broadcasts through Twitch.tv and Ustream. Within just a few days of the PS4 release, there were hundreds of streams available on PlayStation Plus from PS4 players. Even Shuhei Yoshida, Sony’s head of Worldwide Studios, tried out the feature in a highly-watched stream during the console’s launch night.

How exactly does Twitch.tv work? The San Francisco-based company is a live streaming video platform that focuses primarily on video gaming and e-sports. The site has become a popular way for users to broadcast gameplay. Founded in 2011 by Justin.tv founder Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, the site was aimed at streaming gaming-related content. Twitch.tv often attracts more than 35 million unique visitors a month and is designed to be a major platform for real-time coverage of e-sports. Twitch.tv often covers highly popular tournaments, personal streams and gaming-related discussions. Some of the site’s most popular games are “World of Warcraft,” “Starcraft II,” “League of Legends” and “Diablo III.” A majority of registered users are males aged 18-34. The site also launched a partner program in 2011, which allows users to earn revenue based on their content. There are currently 4,000 partners, some of the most popular being Major League Gaming and North American Star League.

When do you think Twitch.tv will be available on the Xbox One? Should Microsoft focus less on fixing the new console's glitches and more on integrating with Twitch.tv? Leave a comment below.

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