Xbox Update Adds Twitch Integration

A new Xbox update has gone live for testing which allows players to stream their content to Twitch through a quick and easy series of steps. This Twitch integration will now be hosted through the "Capture and Share" tab within the Xbox guide menus which should make the process much more straightforward for those looking to get started. This integration follows the closure of Microsoft's own Mixer service which was shut down in 2020 and previously allowed for quick access to a streaming option within the console's interface.

The Xbox update was released as part of the Xbox Insider program and is available now for those within the Alpha ring. By navigating just a few options within the Xbox guide and making sure that your Twitch account is already properly linked to your Xbox account, you'll be able to quickly hop onto Twitch and start broadcasting whatever it is you're playing. Those worried about their privacy will be happy to know that the stream gets paused if you switch over to a different app, so viewers won't see anything other than the main game that you're playing.

"Insiders can try out live streaming to Twitch by navigating to the 'Capture and Share' tab and choosing 'Live streaming,'" the notes for the latest Xbox Insider Alpha update said. "They'll then need to link a Twitch account using a mobile device or using console Settings. Once the account is linked hit the 'Go live now' button to start streaming gameplay to Twitch. This feature only streams game play so viewers will see a pause screen if the user navigates to home or another app."

For those who try out the live streaming service and don't seem to be able to get it to work correctly, it's worth noting that the Xbox team said it's already aware of a couple of issues. In most cases, the advice was to simply restart the broadcast to see if it would work after starting anew. If problems persist, however, it may be that you're broadcasting something that won't work at all since "Some titles intentionally do not allow live streaming and will always display a pause state." It was not specified which titles do not allow for live streaming.

Xbox's latest Alpha update for its Xbox Insiders is available for testing now.