As far as I’m concerned, Twitch basically “won” Dark Souls when it beat Orstein and Smough a couple of weeks back. Since then I’ve tuned out of the playthrough, because nothing really compares to that encounter. That’s the peak of the game’s difficulty, and it’s a relatively easy descent from there. Continue reading Twitch has beaten Dark Souls
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Fully-featured Twitch apps are coming to PlayStation platforms
Twitch announced today at its first ever TwitchCon conference that it’s launching an improved suite of apps for Sony’s PlayStation platforms. PlayStation 4 users have been able to record directly to Twitch’s game-streaming platform using the console’s share features, as well as watch other PS4 content. But there hasn’t yet been an app that lets you watch any Twitch channel regardless of platform and enjoy the full features of the desktop website or mobile app. Twitch is launching its new PS4 app alongside versions for the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita handheld, and the PlayStation TV micro-console this fall.
The launch of a PlayStation 4 app that mimics the web-based Twitch.tv is long overdue considering competing platforms like the Xbox One, iOS, Android, and even Roku all have Twitch apps. It won’t change much for broadcasters, as the PS4 launched with Twitch functionality built in allowing players to stream with the touch of a button. But if you’re someone who likes to enjoy Twitch streams of all kinds on the big screen instead of your computer monitor, the Twitch app might be your best bet.
TwitchCon 2015 Keynote: Product Round-Up
Missed Emmett Shear’s TwitchCon 2015 keynote address? We’ve got you covered.
These are the upcoming features, products, and improvements that were announced today.
Twitch App for PlayStation
This fall we’ll be launching a full-featured Twitch app for you on PlayStation. You can use our new apps to access all the games and broadcasters you love, across Vita, PS3 and PS4.
Whispers 2.0
This October, your whisper conversations are getting a makeover! No need to worry that your whisper was lost in global chat. Whispers now live in their own individual docked windows alongside a comprehensive list of all your whisper conversations. And it gets better. Whisper conversation history will be saved forever. Stop and start your whisper conversations whenever you please.
Create a Video Playlist
Coming soon: Create a playlist featuring your favorite past broadcasts and highlights. Turn your channel into a 24/7 viewing experience where your fans can watch and chat about your content whether you’re live or offline.
New and Improved Video Experience
And that’s not all. We have even more improvements to video coming your way!
- Customizable thumbnails for your past broadcasts and highlights
- A full HTML5 video player
- The ability to upload your own videos directly to Twitch
Watch the full keynote here.
We wouldn’t be able to do this without you, our viewers and broadcasters. THANK YOU for helping us take Twitch to the next level.
Twitch Is Adding A Bunch Of New Features
Twitch is far-and-away the biggest video game streaming service on the planet, but it’s definitely not perfect.
As part of a kick-off keynote for TwitchCon today, Twitch announced a handful of new features that are coming to the streaming platform in early 2016.
Biggest on the list is video uploads—sans streaming. If you decided to play something but didn’t feel like having the Eyes Of The World looking over your shoulder, Twitch will still host your video. On top of that, you’ll be able to give them custom thumbnail art and arrange them in playlists.
Twitch is also (thank all that is sleek, streamlined, and not an unholy eyesore) upgrading its video player, which will hopefully result in something that’s sleek, streamlined, and not an unholy eyesore. They’re moving from Flash to HTML5 (currently it’s part-Flash, part-HTML5, which is why it taxes PCs way more than it should), but here’s hoping they’re also moving from “ugly and clunky” to “not those two things.”
There’s some other stuff on the way (a dedicated PlayStation app, improved whisper functionality), but the above things suggest—at least, to me—that Twitch is really feeling pressure from YouTube and their new game streaming features. It’s not that YouTube is the heir apparent to the streaming throne yet (YouTube Gaming hasn’t gained much traction at all, despite a solid interface), but Twitch is clearly aware that they’re now tussling with the biggest online video platform on Earth. They’re doing everything they can to shore up their defenses and patch up their leaks—to keep people from even thinking about leaving. After all, once upon a time Twitch was adamantly against hosting video, to the point that stream archives still disappear after a little while. Now they want people to upload pre-recorded stuff and customize it.
It’ll be interesting to see if this stuff is any good when it launches next year. In the meantime, what do you think Twitch still needs to work on? What should they add? Aside from a large man who comes to people’s houses every time they use Twitch chat and hits them for being a dick-weasels, I mean.
Twitch Beats Dark Souls’ Hardest Boss: Ornstein and Smough
It took the Internet 28 days, eight hours, seven minutes, and 14 seconds to beat the game’s nastiest pairing.
Twitch Plays Dark Souls received lots of attention when it first started, as morbidly curious onlookers watched thousands try to collectively play one of gaming’s most notorious challenges. The key word is “try” because Twitch Plays Dark Souls was, at first, not going anywhere. They stumbled into the first boss room once or twice, but that was about it. Eventually, the group decided the only way to move forward was by modifying the game (some might call that cheating) by forcing the game to briefly pause and give chat a moment to input the right action. In essence, they turnedDark Souls into a turn-based game.
Whatever you think of the move, it’s what allowed Twitch Plays Dark Soulsto keep going. If this hadn’t happened, there’s a good chance it would have died on the vine, a handful of people still trying to figure out how to climb a ladder.
But in the weeks since, Twitch Plays Dark Souls has been marching through From Software’s classic. They beat the Asylum Demon. Later, more impressively, the Belfry Gargoyles were defeated, and the first bell was rung.
The real challenge for Twitch Plays Dark Souls was always going to be Ornstein and Smough, though. It’s one of the few times Dark Souls throwstwo bosses at you, and it’s a moment that’s broken many a Dark Souls fan. One of them is fast, the other is slow. One can pluck away at your health, the other can stomp you into dust. It’s a potent and difficult combo even when you’re fully in control of the character, and there’s a reason it’s the spot many people give up on.
But even with the world betting against them, Twitch Plays Dark Soulspersevered, as they managed to defeat Ornstein and Smough last night. It didn’t happen on their first try, obviously. Hours and hours were spent trying to slay the beasts before they were able to put together the right set of strategies.
But they did it, which is something not every Dark Souls player can say.
Folks have been editing real-time versions of the fights as the playthrough goes along, so rather than having to suffer through all the pauses, take a look at this:
If they can beat Orstein and Smough, I’m not sure what’s stopping Twitch Plays Dark Souls from finishing the game. Bed of Chaos requires some precision jumping (or happy accidents), so that might prove a problem, and the Four Kings are a handful. That said, in a few weeks, I expect them to see the credits.