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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