Xbox One Streaming Guide: How to stream on your Xbox
Content
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at streaming games on Xbox One using the Twitch app. We will go through all the steps necessary to install the app on your xbox for the first time and explain all the settings within the Twitch app. At the end you will find a troubleshooting guide.
Downloading the Twitch-App Get it from the Xbox Store
You can download the Twitch-App in the Xbox-Store for free. Just search for “Twitch” and install it. The app offers you the following features:
- Easy start of a broadcast with the Kinect voice command “Xbox, Broadcast!”
- Use of the Kinect-camera as facecam
- Display of the twitch chat
- Invite your viewers to join your game
During the game, all functions can be accessed directly via an overlay on the side of the screen.
First-time-Installation of the Twitch-App Setup your Xbox One
First, log in to your Twitch account on your PC or smartphone. Don’t worry, this process is only necessary once during the first installation of the app, later you can start a Twitch stream from every game with the voice command “Xbox, Broadcast! Then launch the Twitch app on your Xbox One and select “Log In”.
Now you have to visit the website twitch.tv/activate on your PC or smartphone and enter the there located six-digit code on your Xbox One to link the Xbox Live gamertag to your Twitch account.
Next, you’ll need to check some settings:
- Make sure that your profile is set to “show as online”
- In your privacy settings, you can set that everyone can see when you’re online
- Check that broadcasts from games are set to “Allowed”
- Under settings check if “Allow Broadcasts and DVR Uploads” is enabled
- For the microphone and camera via Kinect, check whether you can share the content created with Kinect in the settings under “Kinect”
Now you are ready to stream your first game. Make sure that the game has already loaded up to the menu before you start the app, otherwise the Xbox One could crash. When the Twitch app is launched for the first time, it automatically performs a network check to select the ideal bitrate for your internet connection. You can repeat the test at any time or manually choose another quality.
Settings within the Twitch-App How to stream with your Xbox
When the Twitch app is started for the first time, some preferences still have to be set. These include:
Kinect camera
You can set whether the video of the facecam should be shown on the screen and if so, where. Depending on the game, the UI is in different locations, so make sure that you don’t cover important elements with your camera image.
Kinect microphone
Select whether your users can hear you by enabling “Enable microphone”. Also adjust the volume of the microphone in relation to the in-game sound so that it does not drown out your voice completely.
Twitch overlay
Finally, you can decide whether you want to use the twitch overlay as a permanently displayed sidebar or in a minimized version. In the minimized version, you can access the functions of the app using the snap function of the home menu.
Stream settings
Now you only have to give your stream a name and select the game you want to stream. In the future, you can also start your stream outside of the app by simply using the Kinect command “Xbox, Broadcast!” On your mark, get set, stream!
Troubleshooting Problems with streaming on your Xbox?
Everybody knows it: You have followed the instructions step by step and still something doesn’t work as it should. If the Xbox One app doesn’t work as planned, you can check the following checklist to see if everything is configured correctly. If you want to start all over again, you will find a tutorial on how to reinstall the Twitch app and other ways to get help below. If you have a problem with video or audio broadcasting content to twitch that is not mentioned here, as a last resort, you can reach the Twitch support at https://help.twitch.tv/ with “Send us an e-mail”.
Check settings before streaming
Make sure that the above-mentioned privacy settings are set to public (All) and that the broadcast can also definitely be sent from your device. The following settings should be checked in case of problems:
- Profile -> online status must be set to “online”
- In the privacy settings, the online status must be visible to “all” and the broadcast of game content must be set to allowed
- Furthermore broadcasts and DVR uploads must be allowed
In order to use the Kinect camera and microphone, the following settings must be made:
- In the privacy settings the sharing of Kinect content must be allowed
- In the Kinect settings you must enable the use of the Kinect microphone for chat and Kinect itself
Reinstalling the Twitch-App
As a last resort, reinstalling the app may help. To do this, the following steps must be taken:
- Go to twitch.tv/settings/connections and disconnect the connection between your gamer tag and your Twitch account
- Then select your Twitch app on the Xbox One, press the menu button and select “Manage app”
- On the right side under “Stored data” you select your gamer tag, press the menu button again and select “Delete saved data”.
- Reopen the app menu, uninstall the app and then download it again from the App store
- Follow the instructions above under “First-time setup of the Twitch app” and “Settings within the Twitch app”.
Further tips and Hints
If the problems persist, the following tips and hints may help you:
- It is not possible to stream game demos or apps
- To start a stream, a game must be started
- If you have problems with the network, it is helpful to use a cable connection instead of WiFi
- Disable all parental control settings
- If necessary log out from other logged in accounts on Xbox One
