Will Xbox One Not Launching With Twitch Backfire?
Will Microsoft's decision to delay integrated Twitch streaming affect it's sales in comparison to the successful Playstation 4 launch. Well I look into the nitty gritty to see if the decision could backfire for Microsoft, seeing Sony pull ahead in this part of the console wars.
I'm a huge fan of Twitch because I'm a live streamer myself. I have achieved great success and have great community during my streams and it is a new form of entertainment that is taking over the world. I mean the League of Legends MLG series had over 200,000 viewers at its peak and it is also a great way to see games before you buy and ask the streamer their opinions and in fact the views of the people in the live chat. I really enjoy streaming and it's honestly a form of entertainment live television for a gamer. The site is getting more and more hits and has now released an iOS and Android version too. With the huge rise of Twitch in the gaming world the two new consoles have decided to implement Twitch into its OS though Microsoft has recently announced that Twitch will not be integrated into the Xbox One at launch where as the PS4 comes equipped with twitch from the get go.
Twitch is the world’s leading video platform for gamers and sees traffic of over 45 million views each month so the the decision to leave it out of launch on the Xbox One baffles me. The Playstation 4 has achieved immense success from launch on twitch, with streamers hitting up the PS4 service right from the start giving it a huge amount of press while playing live. With the amount of people watching Twitch, the PS4 Twitch service is hitting lots of the gaming world and getting people taking about it right from the start whereas it is an medium where Microsoft will not be able to effectively tackle ps4 in the war as it has nothing to offer, yet.
Microsoft has officially said, "We know the ability to instantly broadcast gameplay is something the gaming community is excited about, and we are too. 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."
Firstly, there is no confirmed release date so the first part of next year could mean upwards by March time. By that time the PS4 would have been online on Twitch for five months and any bugs would have been fixed as the service will no doubt improve. Microsoft will no doubt have launch issues like everything in the gaming world seems to have these days so I honestly feel Microsoft is already at a huge disadvantage. Being able to target 45 million gamers is nothing to be sniffed at and I feel Microsoft have dropped the ball here.
The Twitch app itself will be available when the Xbox One launches across thirteen markets on Friday, November 22, but only to Gold subscribers and at launch you can watch Twitch's complete catalog, use Snap to play games, and view Twitch content at the same time but does not implement the ability to actually stream from your machine.
It also features ten achievements for those who really love to Twitch, including one for watching 100 hours of live Twitch video, and another for tuning in to live video for at least one minute in every hour of a complete day. I'm either missing a trick here, but I thought achievements were earned through playing games? I don't see this as a massive selling point and see it as a pointless addition. I like the fact you can view games while gaming yourself, but would probably feel a little distracted if I have someone is blabbing away while I'm trying to immerse myself in the game I'm playing.
Microsoft not implementing what is an awesome and possibly huge fan base gathering feature is a hugely silly move for me and I believe Sony have hit the nail on the head with their launch. We will have to see if Microsoft deliver next year, but until then we will have to live with the PC and PS4 owning the game waves for now.
