The Ultimate Guide to Stream PC Games Easily.
Are you looking for the best tips for streaming PC games online? Whether it’s for a big esports event or simply to show off your gaming skills, streaming PC games online can be a daunting task for many gamers. Luckily, streaming PC games online has become much easier over the past decade, and there are now plenty of resources and platforms available designed to help make streaming PC games a breeze.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll look at the essential elements of streaming PC games, including hardware, software and setup tips. We’ll also take a look at the best streaming platforms and services available, the pros and cons of each, and finally some essential requirements for professional PC game streaming.
What You’ll Need to Stream PC Games
The first step to streaming PC games is understanding the hardware and software required. Let’s take a look at the basic elements required to get started.
Mixer
Mixer, formerly known as Beam, is part of the Microsoft family and provides a comprehensive streaming platform for gaming. Mixer allows you to easily share your gaming sessions across most major gaming consoles and PC and offers low latency streaming and quick setup.
Hardware
In order to stream PC games online, the quality of your hardware, such as your graphics cards, your CPU, etc. will directly affect the performance of your streams. While streaming at max resolution may be possible with a low-end system, it is highly recommended that you invest in a more powerful system if you plan to stream PC games regularly.
Also, while an internet connection speed of 10 Mbps should provide adequate bandwidth for streaming, a higher speed connection will be necessary if you plan to stream multiple PC games at once.
Software
In addition to hardware, you’ll need to make sure you have the proper software installed in order to stream PC games online. Most streaming platforms offer their own software for streaming, such as Streamlabs or XSplit. These tools provide a wide range of features to help you make your stream more professional, including scene switching, face-tracking, broadcasting and much more.
Setup Tips
Now that you have an understanding of the hardware and software necessary for streaming PC games, let’s take a look at some essential setup tips.
Sampling rate
One of the most important aspects of PC game streaming is having the right sampling rate. Your sampling rate will directly affect the quality of your stream, so it’s important to make sure you have a sampling rate of at least 30 Hz, otherwise you may experience audio or video lag. In addition, the faster your connection is, the higher of a sampling rate you can use.
Audio
Another important element of streaming PC games is having the right audio setup. Depending on your setup, you may be able to use external audio sources, such as a microphone stand and headset with a field noise canceling mic. Investing in a good quality audio interface such as the Focusrite Scarlett series is also recommended.
Video
It is important to make sure the video portion of your stream is up to par. This includes making sure your graphics cards are up-to-date, that you have the proper display settings, etc. Your graphics card is one of the most important components for streaming PC games, as it will directly affect the performance of your streams, so it is essential that you have a good quality graphics card.
The Best Streaming Platforms and Services
Now that you understand what is required to stream PC games, let’s take a look at the best streaming platforms and services available today.
Twitch
Twitch is one of the most popular streaming platforms available and allows you to easily broadcast your gaming sessions to a wide audience. With the Twitch broadcast platform, you can easily customize your stream, track your followers and view live analytics. In addition, Twitch offers broadcasters the ability to make money with their streams, as well as earn bonuses such as game codes and discounts.
YouTube Gaming
YouTube Gaming is also a popular streaming platform, and it’s available for both streaming on the website and in the mobile app. YouTube Gaming allows you to easily broadcast your gaming sessions, send updates to subscribers and access various tools, including voice narration, slow-motion effects and more.
Facebook Gaming
Facebook Gaming is a relatively new streaming platform, and it provides gamers with the ability to easily broadcast, manage communities and interact live with viewers. With Facebook Gaming, you’ll be able to access various tools and features such as stream insights, game guides and more.
Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
CDNs can be extremely useful for streaming PC games, as these networks allow you to stream your gaming session to an audience located around the world. By using a CDN, you’ll be able to reach more viewers with lower latency and also reduce buffering by caching your content.
Requirements for Professional PC Game Streaming
Now that we’ve gone over the hardware, software and setup tips necessary for streaming PC games online, let’s take a look at the requirements for professional PC game streaming.
Stream Deck
If you plan on streaming PC games professionally, the Stream Deck is a must-have item. The Stream Deck is a powerful tool which allows streamers to easily manage their streams with the touch of a button. With your Stream Deck, you’ll be able to easily switch between scenes and video sources, adjust audio levels and save your streams.
PC Gear
When streaming PC games professionally, it is essential that you have the right PC gear. Investing in top-notch components such as an Intel Core i7-10710U processor, 16GB RAM and a GTX 1080 graphics card will greatly improve the quality of your stream. It’s also a good idea to invest in a dedicated streaming PC, as opposed to streaming from your gaming PC. This will ensure that the hardware on your streaming PC will be optimized for streaming and not for gaming.
OBS
OBS, or Open Broadcaster Software, is one of the most popular streaming applications available today, and it’s completely free. OBS allows you to easily customize your stream with overlays and widgets, add audio and video sources and even record your streams. Professional streamers often make use of OBS to help make their streams look more professional, so it’s certainly worth investing in.
Conclusion
Streaming PC games can be a difficult and daunting process, but with the right hardware, software and setup tips, anyone can become a professional PC game streamer. If you understand the software and hardware necessary to stream PC games, have the right PC gear and use a quality streaming platform, then you should have no problem streaming PC games successfully.
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