This is the biggest Xbox One update to date, packed with more features our community has been asking for. This includes a more personal app experience, new directories for Xbox One games, and the debut of videos on demand (VODs)!
New, personalized homepage
The redesigned homepage puts the content you follow front and center. To curate your experience, hover over any Game or Channel, press the Menu button, and select Follow.
You read that right. Following Games is a big part of this update. In addition to following broadcasters, you can follow a game, allowing you to quickly get to the games you love, without scrolling through the directory.
Advanced directories for your favorite Xbox One games
Have you ever wanted to find the best Call of Duty player currently broadcasting? Now it’s possible. Twitch has teamed up with Xbox to make it easy to watch content most relevant to you.
When you navigate to the directory for any Xbox One game, you’ll see expanded filtering and sorting options. Depending on the game, you can drill down broadcasts by maps, game modes, progress, in-game activity, players stats, and skill level. The options are endless, with more Xbox One games being added over time.
It’s not just live – highlights and past broadcasts are available, too!
Xbox One is the first platform to bring you a full-featured app with Twitch video on demand (VODs). You’ll see VODs (i.e., highlights and past broadcasts) gradually added to channel pages, so you can watch even when the broadcaster is offline.
This represents the start of a new video service for Twitch, aimed at eventually delivering VODs everywhere. The rollout of this feature will be an ongoing process, with the majority of VOD content added to the program by early 2015.
This is one of the biggest Xbox One updates for Twitch ever. To help address any questions with the new features, Twitch put together a FAQ below.
Metadata FAQ
If you’re familiar with the experience on the web, you may have seen how Twitch used CS:GO metadata to enhance that game’s viewing experience. Twitch worked with Microsoft to bring this feature to console for all Xbox One games.
Q: What’s the difference between filtering and sorting?
A: Filtering lets you narrow down data by a specific criteria (i.e. show me broadcasts from this map only). Sorting lets you organize data in a certain order (i.e. show me broadcasts with the most minutes played).
Q: What games will have advanced directories?
A: All Xbox Games will automatically support the advanced directories at launch — the minimum bar for every single game is sorting via Hero Stats. In addition to Hero Stats, these games will get extra options for filtering and sorting: Minecraft, Halo MCC, Sunset Overdrive, Assassin’s Creed Unity, and Forza Horizon 2.
Some awesome examples:
- Find the best Call of Duty player currently broadcasting by sorting by their K/D Ratio.
- Find the best FIFA or Madden players by the number of matches won.
- Find live broadcasters who are currently riding a hog by filtering by activity.
VODs FAQ
I know you’ve been looking forward to VODs across all platforms. This service is in its initial stages and is being debuted on the Xbox One with an eye toward serving content across all platforms in 2015.
Q: When will VODs be available on [Channel]?
A: Twitch is gradually adding VODs to the platform throughout 2015. You will see a steady increase in VOD availability and storage every month, until all broadcasters are on the new system.
Q: I see some recent Past Broadcasts for [Channel], but don’t see any content from November. What’s broken?
A: Twitch has limited storage capacity and has decided to prioritize new content. Twitch’s long term goal is to have all VODs available on all platforms (if you can watch it on the website, you’ll be able to watch it on Xbox), and Twitch is actively working towards that end.
Q: Will VODs be available on other platforms?
A: Twitch is excited to debut VODs with Xbox One first, and in updates to iOS and Android apps next year.
