Microsoft takes on Twitch with Beam buy
Microsoft announced the acquisition of interactive livestreaming service Beam on Thursday, an unexpected move that puts the Xbox owner in a position to compete directly with Twitch, minus the recent push toward non-gaming broadcasts.
Beam behaves like a leveled up version of Twitch in some ways. Its trademark feature is an interactive component that allows viewers to participate in what they're watching.
Remember that whole "Twitch Plays Pokémon" thing from 2014? It works a little bit like that.
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Beam streamers with minimal coding experience have the option of adding customized buttons below their streams that viewers can click on to cast votes. Participants stand to earn XP for their profiles, unlocking things like emotes or greater voting power.
The service also boasts a stream delay of less than one second -- it's several times longer in Twitch -- meaning viewers see the stream almost as it happens. That short delay is vital for the sort of interactivity that Beam streams offer, since the streamer and viewers are actively communicating.
The service uses an HTML5-based streaming protocol called FTL to keep the stream delay down. A now-removed explanatory blog post from Beam (cached version here) explains that FTL is a custom protocol, built in-house. It's able to maintain a stream delay of under 250ms while using less bandwidth than other streaming options.
Beam is also mobile-friendly, with Android, iOS, Kindle and Apple TV apps as well as Google Chromecast support from the Android/iOS apps. The HTML5 foundation also means the service works with browsers that don't support Flash (what up, iOS users?).
Questions remain concerning how a growing audience might affect Beam's overall performance and, perhaps more fundamentally, what Microsoft intends to do with its new purchase. You don't buy Beam unless you want to take on a behemoth like Twitch.
One thing is clear, however: the Beam acquisition won't affect the current Xbox/Twitch relationship, as a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed in a statement.
"We believe video is an important part of the gaming experience and we want to always give our gamers choice in their experience. We’ll continue to support our existing partners, while providing a variety of options for our customers."
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
