I have recently posted about Facebook’s live stream feature and upcoming original and exclusive programming. Videos and live streams are all the rage as of late, with Twitter and Amazon also thinking about ways they can add more generous video features to their list of services. So it isn’t surprising to learn that Samsung wants in on some of that action as well.
Samsung’s new app, Game Live, is not out yet but what I’ve been able to find out about it sounds promising. Sure, we already have Twitch to work with, and while that platform rates pretty high among the gaming community, it could use some improvement, something that Samsung is rumored to be including in Game Live.
Simply put, the app will allow gamers using recent Samsung Galaxy devices running Android 6.0 and up to live stream game play to Facebook, YouTube or Twitch with either the game audio, player commentary (through the device’s microphone), or both. Multiple players playing simultaneously in the same game will also be able to chat with each other through the speaker. Users will be able to stream videos up to 4GB (for high quality resolution), which translates to roughly 200 minutes. Lower quality videos could allow bigger sized videos (and therefore longer ones as well).
I don’t think that Samsung is looking to compete with the already well established Twitch, since it allows users to stream to the older app. It is unknown at this time if the app will be made available for other devices, or even older Samsung devices. Equally unknown is whether this will turn out to be a free or affordable app. Certainly Twitch offers a lot more options where device choice is concerned, allowing its users to stream from an impressive nine different platforms, namely Desktop, iPhone, Android, Xbox One and 360, Playstation 4, Chromecast, Fire TV and NVIDIA SHIELD. It’s obviously much more accessible than Game Live will be, if the accounts I’ve heard are true.
But let’s see where Samsung goes from here. If Game Live is as smooth and easy to use as it sounds, newer Galaxy owners may be in for a treat. And my Facebook feed might just be filled with game playing action rather than the latest Facebook video fad.