Today, Google is launching its livestreaming competitor to Twitch. It's called YouTube Gaming.
Google is going whole hog on this one, with a robust, fully-featured service and companion app targeted toward gamers. The app will be coming to both iOS and Android devices later today.
Much like Twitch, you'll be able to hop on and watch any number of ongoing livestream gameplay videos. All you'll need to do is browse by title, filter by what's most popular, or search your favorite content creator. Additionally, YouTube is offering something that Twitch is not, a "DVR Mode" that captures the last four hours of a livestream, allowing users to rewind at their leisure.
Call me crazy, but I suspect the folks over at Twitch are shaking in their boots right now. Google is a serious force to be reckoned with. After all, YouTube is the number one destination for video content on the internet.
Do you think the launch of YouTube Gaming will ultimately bring about the end of Twitch? Could Google's new service never actually take off and Twitch ends up remaining top dog? Is there room for both? So many questions and so many possibilities to ponder. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
