[06.12.15] YouTube officially taking on Twitch

YouTube

“A new player has entered the game.” – the very first tweet at 12:30pm CDST on June 12 from a new [verified] Twitter account, @YouTubeGaming. Slowly but surely, more tweets are being dropped by the minute hinting at, what aims to be, the biggest development from YouTube in years. After being rumored to purchase Twitch prior to Amazon’s acquisition, Google is finally launching a version of YouTube specifically for gamers, and they are hoping to take down the streaming giant with YouTube Gaming.

“Our brand-new user experience puts games front and center, including live gaming.” This means one central hub for Let’s Plays and Live Streams, something that will put YouTube one step ahead of its competitor, seeing as Twitch primarily focuses on the latter. While Twitch has the option to cut highlights and have archives, all of this is done around the live stream content. YouTube specializes in the opposite, uploading pre-crafted content, and while it only recently got into the streaming business, it certainly has the infrastructure to support it without much cause for concern.

Content will be broken into three separate categories: Games, Feed, and Channels. Reportedly, more than 25,000 games will have their own landing pages for related videos, alongside the familiar Channels from gaming companies and YouTube creators. For content creators, the organization system will be relatively similar to the YouTube channels. Don’t let that confuse you, though. YouTube Gaming will be a separate experience from YouTube. “You can search with confidence, knowing that ‘call’ will show you ‘Call of Duty’ and not ‘Call Me Maybe.’”

From the user-end, this difference comes in the way you receive content. While you obviously can follow channels just like on YouTube, you can also tell the system what your favorite games are under “My Games.” This will bring in a stream of content all related to that specific title, alongside all of your favorite content creators. It will also be an easy way to find those currently live streaming the game.

The live streaming is getting a nice upgrade too, which will be familiar to Twitch users. YouTube promises and upgraded Live system, including the recently released 60fps HD video streaming, which will feature improved chat latency and moderation. Now you can interact with your favorite YouTube Creators unlike ever before. It really turns the whole YouTube experience on its heading, switching from a passive viewing experience to a two-way street. This experience will extend from the web to mobile and tablet devices on iOS and Android, allowing you to interact with your favorites virtually at all times.

While it hasn’t launched yet, you can currently signup for more information on the site’s landing page:http://gaming.youtube.com

To stay up-to-date, you can also follow @YouTubeGaming on Twitter.

[04.04.14] Amazon enters streaming race with ‘Fire TV’

Amazon

Yesterday, Amazon announced the upcoming release of their own game console, sort of. The Amazon “Fire TV” is really more of a set-top streaming box with gaming capabilities that competes with the likes of Apple TV or the Roku. However, this new device packs quite the punch behind it, giving it the possibility to match up against the gaming capabilities of the Roku 3 or, maybe, even the Ouya. According to Amazon’s press release, the Fire TV has “over 3x the processing power and 4x the memory of Apple TV, Chromecast, or Roku 3 for exceptional speed and fluidity”. It will utilize Amazon’s full catalog of videos, apps, and games, including a multitude of popular titles such as “Minecraft” or “NBA 2K14”. Currently, there are over 100 games available; some free and some paid.

ASAP

Everything about the Fire TV is intended to give you the fastest, most enjoyable experience of any set-top box. It comes pre-registered, meaning as soon as you plug it into your TV and connected to your wifi, you’re instantly ready to browse the entire catalog that Amazon has to offer. It will utilize Advance Streaming and Prediction, or ASAP, to help get you to what you want to watch, perhaps before you even realize you want to watch it. When you have something specific in mind, you won't have to scroll through a clunky menu using an awkward keyboard to find it, all you'll need to do is hold the Fire TV remote control up to your mouth and tell it what you want to watch.

Fire TV Services

Amazon doesn’t tote Fire TV as a gadget, but rather a “seamlessly integrated service”. It will take advantage of “Whisper Sync” so you can start watching a movie on your Kindle Fire on the way to office, continue the experience at your desk, and then pick of where you left off on your Fire TV at home in bed. The Fire TV will make it easy for you to stream from any of your favorite service, including Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, or iHeartRadio. If you prefer, you can also stream from your personal collection on your TV and even display slideshows on the TV.

Amazon

Obviously you’ll also have access to the full library of Prime videos and shows with your Amazon Prime subscription; however, Amazon is offering a new kids-only service with limitless access to thousands of movies and TV shows targeted specifically at those aged 3 to 8. There are also integrated parental controls which include time limits that can be tweaked to the time of day and even types of content. “FreeTime Unlimited” releases starting next month for a monthly fee of $2.99 per kid or $6.99 for unlimited family use.

Fire TV Controller

Amazon

If you really want to up your gaming capability with the Fire TV, Amazon actually designed a traditional gaming controller which somewhat resembles a hybrid of the Xbox One and Wii U Pro Controller and doubles the number of games you can play on your Fire TV. It’s completely wireless, runs off of 2 AA batteries, and claims to have a 55-hour battery life thanks to auto-sleep and instant-wake features built into the controller. In addition to the now-standard dual joystick layout, the controller features integrated and dedicated media buttons. Amazon has also developed its own universal game service called “GameCircle” which lets you track your progress and achievements across games and compare your scores with your friends or globally on leaderboards. The controller costs $39.99, however due to unexpected demand, it’s currently on back-order.

The Amazon Fire TV is currently available for $99.00 exclusively on Amazon.com.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com and as one half of Grinning Moth Productions. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you