Android and iOS apps have also been released

Aug 27, 2015 06:50 GMT  ·  By

Google announced YouTube Gaming more than a month ago, but today the service has launched to the public, in what industry experts are seeing as a move to take on Amazon's Twitch live game streaming service.

If you missed all the announcements and don't really care about reading the official mumbo-jumbo press release, here are a few quick facts.

First, the platform is found at gaming.youtube.com, and features a dark interface, much different from the light-toned YouTube UI.

Just like all the other Google services, you don't need special username and password, and if you're logged in on YouTube, you should already be logged in on the Gaming platform.

The site's menu is different from YouTube and account controls (settings) are also unique to the YouTube Gaming platform.

Easier to stream your games via YouTube

You can upload gaming-related videos, or you could choose to start a live stream using YouTube experimental "Stream now" feature.

Once videos are uploaded and streams recorded, they'll appear in a dedicated profile page (a.k.a. your YouTube Gaming channel).

It is worth mentioning that once a live stream ends, it is automatically converted into a YouTube video which can be reaccessed any time you want.

Besides streaming from your PC, if you have a system that can send a video feed from your video consoles to your PC, you'll be able to stream from a PlayStation 4, Wii U and Xbox One.

Explore YouTube videos based on your favorite games

Discovering YouTube Gaming content can be done by two ways: channels and games.

YouTube Gaming channels are exactly like normal YouTube channels, allowing users to follow each other, regardless of the uploaded content.

The Games category, on the other hand, provides a way to get relevant YouTube Gaming videos from a particular game, regardless of the uploader.

For each game's portal, there are controls to filter videos. This means you can easily choose to watch Reviews, Let's Play videos, or Live events.

Additionally, for each game, the developer has its own tab where it can push official announcements and put users under a spotlight.

Twitch comparisons and mobile apps

Comparing YouTube Gaming to Twitch, the services have almost the same features, but there are, of course, some differences.

Unlike Twitch, YouTube Gaming lets you rewind and go back during live streams. This means if you want a replay, you can watch it right away, and not have to wait until the live feed ends and is converted into a regular video.

Additionally, YouTube Gaming will store recorded feeds forever, a department where Twitch is seriously behind, storing streams only for 14 days for normal users, and 60 days for paid accounts.

On the other side, Twitch already has a dedicated gaming community on its side, and if you know gaming communities, then you know they're dedicated to a fault. Unless YouTube Gaming manages to wow them with its features from the get-go, it will have a hard time staying relevant.

Besides the Web portal, there are also dedicated YouTube Gaming Android and iOS apps. The apps cannot be used to live stream from your smartphone. Not yet at least.

So before you dive in and start recording yourself while you mindlessly kill zombies, slay orcs, or whatever floats your boat, make sure to properly set up your YouTube Gaming profile.