Valve Announces Livestreaming Feature for Steam

Livestreaming is kind of a big thing right now. Let’s Players are having more of a presence on Twitch than on YouTube, and the big companies are running livestreams for basically everything, going so far as to integrate streaming apps into their new consoles. Not to be outdone by the likes of console scrubs, Valve has decided to throw its hat into the ring with a new streaming feature for Steam.

Called Steam Broadcasting, the new feature works a bit differently than other livestreaming platforms out there. Instead of having streaming software and starting broadcasts yourself, everything is done through the Steam client and your broadcast starts the second somebody wants to watch it. If you’re in game, somebody on your Friend’s List can select the new “Watch Game” option on your profile. Once they request to watch, you start streaming.

You can also set the privacy of your broadcasts, so that only your friends can watch or so that anyone can watch. If you select the “Anyone can watch” option, your stream starts when you boot up a game and it is shown on that game’s hub. Your broadcast ends when exit out of the game or you can stop it manually in the Steam overlay.

The feature is currently in beta, so things are probably a bit hinky right now. The places you can view the streams is also limited, with Steam Broadcasting only being supported on the latest versions of Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and the Steam Client. You can only broadcast on Windows 7 or 8 right now, too. Linux, OSX, and Windows Vista support is coming in the future.

If you’re interested in Steam Broadcasting, you can sign up for the beta now. If you have any questions, you can check out the FAQ here.

Source: Steam