Broadcasting behemoth Twitch has just unveiled Twitch Studio, the company's own first-party streaming software. 

Prior to this, streamers needed to use a third party company to power their broadcasts, such as OBS and XSplit. Streamers need to use broadcasting to configure their set up, making sure their microphones, cameras and other hardware are working correctly. 

Twitch Studio means that every step to go live can be done with Twitch's own tools and software. It's currently in closed beta on PC. 

“We’ve been listening to our users give us feedback, talk about their experience, how they started streaming, how they progress,” said Cheng Cheng, lead product manager at Twitch.

“And one really consistent pain point was that multiplayer entertainment is really fun, it’s really engaging, but the bar to really get started is quite high.”

Accessible streaming

Cheng also stated that Twitch Studio aims to mask the difficulties that come with configuring hardware and setting up a stream. That way, streaming becomes even more accessible to newcomers, encouraging those who are unfamiliar to give streaming a go without all of the tech hurdles. 

Twitch Studio is primarily aimed at new or hobbyist streamers, or those looking to give it a try. Competing platforms such as StreamLabs and OBS still offer more complex setups for experienced creators. 

“It’s about interacting with your audiences, and being able to have that magical relationship building,” Cheng added.

“And that’s something that we really want to make easy as well, because I think that’s really where that live format kind of shines.”

Streamers can apply to access the closed Twitch Studio beta here.