Google may not be the owner of Twitch, but that doesn't mean it's going to abandon its game-streaming hopes for the future.
YouTube has announced that it will start to support livestreaming at 60 frames per second, at both 720p and 1080p resolutions — essentially meaning smooth gameplay will translate better over livestream.
Not everyone will however be able to enjoy the new features right away, as 60 FPS livestreams are currently only supported in the HTML5 YouTube player — but that might not be such a bad thing. Unlike Flash – which is used by Twitch – HTML5 will actually be better for CPU performance. It also supports variable-speed playback, allowing users to go back to a point in a stream and watch at 1.5 or 2 times the normal speed.
In order to ensure that streaming at 60 FPS is easier for gamers, YouTube has worked with developers to create and develop new versions of Elgato Game Capture as well as Xsplit Broadcaster and Gamecaster — all of which now support YouTube streaming at 60 FPS.
While the ability to watch at 60 FPS is currently only available for desktop, users who are unable to view at the maximum framerate won't be left out — they'll just have to watch at 30 FPS. The higher the streaming framerate, the smoother and more clear the image.
This is only one of a number of recent changes YouTube has made for a better game streaming experience, with the company saying more is yet to come.
Amazon – the owner of Twitch – probably doesn't have to worry that all of its users will switch to YouTube. Nevertheless, it's likely that the company will announce updates to its platform to keep pace with YouTube.
And although streaming at 60 FPS is predominantly used in gaming — it isn't limited to gaming. Anyone using YouTube's streaming API will now be able to flag a stream to operate at 60 FPS.
Twitch is currently the king when it comes to streaming video games and e-sports. Amazon bought it up for a whopping $970 million in August after rumors surfaced that Google was planning on purchasing the company for itself.
After the deal with Google fell apart, more rumors came up, suggesting that Google would instead focus on beefing up YouTube's live-streaming capabilities. It's likely that more information about YouTube's streaming options will be detailed at Google I/O, set for May 28-29 in San Francisco.
