Despite several fans favoring Amazon's buyout of Twitch, we're certain that some folks are not pleased. Some might have preferred Google or even Microsoft to have been the ones to purchase the video game streaming website instead. But hey, it didn't happen, so here are a few alternatives that might catch one's fancy.
Twitch has been around for quite some time, and has grown into the best place to stream video games. The community is strong and loyal to the bone, but that doesn't mean the service is completely without its problems. In recent months, Twitch has done some unpopular things that left streamers and viewers scratching their heads.
For example, Twitch removed all archived videos from its servers, and also created a policy where to have all archive videos automatically removed in 14 days. This move probably has a lot to do with the cost of storage and bandwidth, something that should no longer be a problem now that Amazon is the owner.
Furthermore, Twitch began muting videos with copyrighted music, and this did not sit well with fans. In fact, some folks believed it had a lot to do with the rumored Google buyout.
For those who might not like these policies, know that Twitch isn't the only video game streamer in town. There are options, so let us list them out for you guys.
Hitbox.tv: This is a direct challenger to Twitch, probably the most direct challenger. Unlike Twitch, Hitbox doesn't remove archived videos, and the platforms streaming delay is far superior to Twitch. What does this mean? Well, when a video is streamed on Hitbox, it takes 2 to 3 seconds on delivering streaming content from the person playing, to the audience. On Twitch, it takes 20 to 30 seconds, which means folks would be commenting on a particular action that happened 20 seconds ago.
Hitbox also offers the community revenue options similar to YouTube, so money can be made.
Ustream: What we have here is a service that is not dedicated to gaming, but competent enough. It has revenue sharing options for publishers, but folks should bear in mind that this is an invite only affair, so folks will only get accepted if they have a large audience beforehand.
YouTube: The best online video platform on the Internet right now. Great for watching pre-recorded video game content, but not so much when it comes down to streaming. Fear not though, archived videos will not be removed from YouTube, and the revenue possibilities are quite high.
Which one to choose?
If we were to switch away from Twitch, the next place to visit would definitely be Hitbox. It's arguably the second best place to stream video game content, and we expect the community to grow further in the coming years.
