Twitch Broadcast Option On Xbox One Postponed Until 2014

Although the Twitch application will feature on the Xbox One’s dashboard upon launch, users will be unable to take advantage of the gameplay streaming feature until the early stages of 2014, Microsoft confirmed earlier today. Nevertheless, the dedicated app, which requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription to operate, will allow gamers to access the Twitch catalog to view content and, through the use of the Xbox One’s Snap feature, play games simultaneously from the get-go this Friday.

In a post over on the company’s blog, Twitch explained the reason behind the delay:

“We know that the ability to broadcast your Xbox One gameplay direct to Twitch is something you’re all very excited about. So are we! Microsoft is working hard to ensure that the Twitch broadcasting experience meets all of your expectations, and we’re looking forward to sharing more details with you all in the future.”

Moreover, Microsoft reiterated these sentiments, stating that it wants to “ensure the initial Twitch on Xbox One broadcasting experience meets the expectations of the Twitch community.” As a means of compensation, the company outlined a series of media achievements that will be up for grabs. The awards, which are tailored more towards spectatorship in light of today’s news, are aimed towards Twitch’s heaviest users; with Around The Clock and Best Viewer being the challenging standouts.

Here’s a collection of the awards that you can unlock through the service:

• Newcomer: watch one hour of live video
• Competitive: watch 10 hours of live video
• Best Viewer: watch 100 hours of live video
• Hipster: watch one hour of live video on Twitch channels that have less than 10 viewers
• Talent Scout: watch 10 hours of live video on Twitch channels that have less than 10 viewers
• Max Bandwidth: watch a single channel for more than eight hours consecutively
• Around The Clock: watch at least one minute of live video in each hour of a full day
• Prime Time: watch 10 hours of live video between 19:30 and 23:30 on weekdays.
• Night Owl: watch content throughout the nighttime.
• Standing Room Only: join a broadcast being watched by at least 100,000 viewers.

Although Twitch’s streaming option is currently available on the PlayStation 4, it seems Microsoft’s platform won’t support live broadcasting until the “first part of 2014.” Tell us, are you disappointed by the delay? Or are you glad that the company is taking the time to better the app’s streaming feature for Xbox One? Give us your thoughts in the comments.