Microsoft Xbox One players will now be able to use the latest update to share their video game sessions live with others through Microsoft’s own gaming broadcasting service called Beam. The new feature comes with Microsoft’s Creators update, which was first revealed for Windows 10 in October and will start shipping for PCs on April 11.
Microsoft integrates Beam into Xbox One
Until now, the majority of video game players deployed the Twitch streaming service to chat with each other on Xbox One, Sony PlayStation and personal computers. However, with Beam, Microsoft creates a level playing field with Twitch, a leader in the video game streaming market.
Microsoft acquired Beam’s parent company in August 2016 when Beam was still testing its service. Even Beam’s test version allowed users to modify popular video games such as Minecraft with the help of a software development kit, notes Fortune.
Beam integration will offer players the simplicity of broadcasting their game session, finding and viewing other games and interacting with them, and various other things. Microsoft announced that players will not be required to download any other app to enjoy the service, as Beam comes built into the Xbox One. Twitch requires that a separate app be downloaded.
What else is in the Xbox One Creator update?
The Xbox One Creator update has been undergoing testing since January, angering many fans because unlike the Open Windows Insider Program, the Xbox Insider Program uses a secret graft-based buddy system which leaves most fans clueless. The update is apparently complete and available to players on the Xbox One console.
Along with introducing Beam streaming, the update brings many more changes such as an updated Home with an overhauled look. Now, recently-used games or apps will not be spread over half of the screen. Further, Microsoft stated that it has made various performance tweaks, apparently related to the User Interface.
The new guide now can be accessed with just one click, and it is quicker than the older one. Within the update, Microsoft also tried to improve the multitasking feature. The Snap feature is absent from the Dashboard; therefore, a player cannot see two apps simultaneously on the screen. Instead, the new guide option for some apps and new PIP style overlay will be available allowing the player to perform two tasks, notes Thurrott.
The company is also making improvements to the parental control functionality, allowing parents to set daily time allowances for each child in the house, similar to how they can do this on PCs.
