PlayStation 4 stealth killer app: Live game broadcastingForget the high-end graphics and motion controls; easy gameplay streaming is the most revolutionary thing about the PS4.Much of the talk about next-gen consoles, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, has been about how they don't really do much that's different from their predecessors. Sure, the game graphics are nicer, and the social media hooks are baked in from the start, rather than shoehorned in years later, but is that really revolutionary?
After spending some time with both new systems, I've realized there actually is a killer app, a feature that's compelling enough that it can actually sell systems. No, it's not the HDMI pass-through of your cable TV signal to the Xbox One (although that's the most forward-looking feature of either console), nor is it the ability to start playing downloadable games while they're still downloading.
No,
the killer app for next-gen consoles is the live gameplay streaming any gamer can set up and broadcast around the world. The PlayStation 4 partners with streaming game video provider Twitch for this, with Ustream as an option as well. Microsoft recently announced an Xbox One Twitch app, but the ability to stream your gameplay live won't be available until early in 2014.
Plug-and-playThe mechanics of setting yourself up as a broadcaster on the PS4 are covered in this how-to article, but
the takeaway is that it's incredibly easy, which is what makes it so compelling. Even signing up for a Twitch account can be done with a few button presses from the PS4. Gameplay streaming has been around for a long time, with Twitch as a prime example (or the huge category of watch-me-play videos on YouTube), but what turns this into a killer app is that it's built in and set up for you from Day One, with no additional hardware or cables required....