Microsoft has announced its newly-acquired Beam game streaming service will land on the Xbox One and Windows 10 this winter.
The live-streaming tool, which offers interactive elements for viewers and gamers alike was snapped up for an undisclosed fee last month.
Microsoft appears poised to pitch Beam as a rival to the industry’s two dominant players; Amazon’s Twitch and Google’s YouTube.
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However, while those solutions keep very clear lines between the broadcaster and the audience, Beam takes a different approach.
During a demonstration at TechCrunch Disrupt, Beam showed how Surgeon Simulator viewers can play along with gamers, controlling hands while the surgeon controlled fingers.
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In a blog post announcing the acquisition last month, Microsoft explained how “with Beam you don’t just watch your favorite streamer play, you play along with them.”
Xbox Live’s Chad Gibson added: “You can give them new challenges and make real-time choices that affect their gameplay, from tool selection to quests to movement; all through simple visual controls.”
Beam currently has around 100,000 active users, a figure that’s sure to dramatically increase with the might of Microsoft and prominent positioning on Xbox One and Windows 10 gaming platforms.
Following the acquisition announcement Beam promises a host of “awesome new features and epic new interactive game integrations.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
