Steam has just gotten a new beta update, and with it, a new feature. Steam Broadcasting allows you to “watch friends play, with the click of a button”, and is Valve’s attempt at getting into the streaming scene, whilst also having the added benefit of allowing you to dictate who can watch you play.
You can set your account so only friends you invite can watch your games, friends can ask you for permission to watch your games, and finally a toggle between friends, and any user being able to watch your games whenever you are playing. If you have access to watch another friends game, you can do so by right clicking on them on your friends list, and selecting “Watch Game” from the drop down menu, or by selecting the same option when you are on their Steam profile.
The announcement page also states that if you allow anyone to watch your games, then your stream will appear on the “community hub” for that game, and that your broadcast won’t start until someone starts watching, and won’t end until you exit the game.
I think this is another nice addition to Steam, and many people will welcome it, but I can see that some people may not like it. Also don’t forget that it is only a beta, so there may well be bugs and other issues if and when you try to use it, so try turning it off if you suddenly encounter any issues after you download the new Steam Beta Update. But what do you think? Good idea or an annoyance? Let us know.
You can check out the announcement page here.
