Ok so you have finally decided where to stream, and want to get to the nitty gritty of the setup. If you are a PC streamer, we’ll get into the setup in a later episode, as this section is focused on our console streamers. The first big question to ask yourself is whether you want to stream directly from the console or from a PC? Direct from console saves a lot of setup time and financial stress, but limits you to a very basic stream. Streaming via PC add’s a lot of benefits, but involves a lot of extra cash on peripherals, and extra technical setup this guide will take you through. Below are the pro’s & con’s for streaming from either.
DIRECT FROM CONSOLE
+ Only requires ethernet connection to router (wifi streaming = bad)
+ Apps allow for easy route to streaming on your account
- No FacebookGaming & Youtube app on Xbox
- No Mixer option on PS4
- No access to overlays/alerts
- Limited audio/video settings
VIA PC
+ Flexibility of multi-channel audio & video controls
+ Access to Alerts & Streaming widgets
+ Scene building allows for a nicer viewer experience with branded overlays
- Peripherals are expensive
- Setup can be complicated and confusing
STREAMING DIRECTLY FROM XBOX
TWITCH
1. Go onto console marketplace and download the Twitch app.
2. Login to your account
3. Activate your device
4. Open your game
5. Double tap the Home button and open the Twitch app
6. Select Broadcast, and name it
7. Start your Broadcast
MIXER
1. Go to the Mixer website and login
2. Click on your avatar in the top right and click on account
3. Click on Link your Microsoft Account and follow the steps.
4. Open your game
5. Double tap the home button, and scroll down to the Broadcast icon
6. Select Broadcast your game
7. Enter title, turn on required options, and click on Start Broadcast
STREAMING DIRECTLY FROM PS4
1. From the dashboard go to Settings>Sharing and Broadcast>Link with other Services
2. Link the services you want to use; Twitch, Twitter, Youtube & Facebook are your options
3. Go to Sharing and Broadcast>Audio Sharing Settings and include the settings you want
4. Go to Sharing and Broadcast>Broadcast Settings>Advanced Settings>Camera Settings choose your camera settings, and if you have a Green Screen, select the Chroma Key setting in Background and adjust the levels to your needs.
5. Open your game
6. Press your Share button then Broadcast Gameplay followed by the platform you want to stream on
7. Select all the options you require, your Title & Description and Start Broadcast
The broadcast software on consoles already do all the work to optimise your stream depending on your chosen settings, the only thing you should worry about is your network & internet. Due to the amount of potential interference available in your home, gaming on Wi-Fi is generally a bad idea. Make sure your console is connected via Ethernet, have at least 15-20mbps line, minimum 8mbps upload to make sure the stream stays stable, and it doesn’t affect your game.
STREAMING VIA CONSOLE TO PC
Twitch recommends using this list as your minimum guidelines for streaming
CPU- Intel Core i5-4670 or better (~3.4ghz quad-core)
RAM- 8GB DDR3 SDRAM
GPU- Nvidia GT 630 or any card with a built-in encoder (click here for list)
OS- Windows 7+ or MacOS 10.10 or later
If you already have a PC, you’ll need 2 vital things to stream any console gameplay via PC; a Capture Card & Microphone. Assuming all hardware & driver setup that can be found in your capture card & microphones setup manual is done, let's get straight into this.
OBS/SLOBS/OBS.Live
As SLOBS is based on OBS source code, their UI is the same, and so will combine their setup.
1. Download OBS , Streamlabs OBS or OBS.Live
2. Install and startup the software
3. Login online to find your stream key (Twitch , Youtube, Mixer, Facebook)
4. Go to File>Settings>Stream and insert your stream key
5. Alternatively, you can now login via OBS & SLOBS to skip steps 3 & 4
The next part requires knowledge of your system and internet. You can either encode via CPU or GPU. If you don’t have the best CPU, but have a compatible Nvenc Card, we would recommend you use the NVENC encoder as the quality for power trade off is better, leaving more CPU power for running extras for the stream. The only problem is that Nvenc requires a minimum bitrate of 4000kbps to be usable, while x264 can look nicer with smaller bitrates.
For Nvenc or GPU encoding -
6. Go to Settings>Output and set the following settings;
Output Mode = Simple
Video Bitrate= 4000kbps
Encoder = Hardware(NVENC)
Audio Bitrate= 160
Enable Advanced Encoder Settings = Yes
Encoder Preset = Max Performance
For x.264 or Software/CPU encoding
7. Go to Settings>Output and set the following settings
Output Mode = Simple
Video Bitrate= 4000kbps
Encoder =Software(x264)
Audio Bitrate= 160
Enable Advanced Encoder Settings = Yes
Encoder Preset = Superfast (if you get frame drops, put this on Ultrafast)
The following section depends on your capture cards capacity. To avoid any unnecessary power being used, set this according to what your capture card can output. Change resolution and fps values according. As you’re in the basic guide, I will assume you aren’t fully partnered and don’t have access to transcoding features.
8. Go to Settings>Video and set the following settings
Base (Canvas) Resolution = 1920x1080
Output (Scaled) Resolution= 1600x900 (if you have no option, just type it)
Downscale Filter= Lanczos (Sharpened scaling, 36 samples)
Common FPS Value= 60 (Switch to 30fps, if your game is only 30fps)
9. Click Apply then OK to close the settings tab
10. Right Click on Sources>Video Capture Device
11. Name it Capture Card and click OK
12. Choose your Capture card in the Device dropdown list and press OK
13. Add your microphone via Sources>Audio input device
14. Add any overlays you want via Sources>Image or Media
15. Add webcam via Sources>Video Capture device
16. Click on start streaming to test it all out.
XSPLIT
1. Download Xsplit
2. Login to your desired platform
3. Follow the steps to link your Xsplit account to your [Platform] account (create a new account if you don’t already have one)
4. Go to Broadcast>[Platform]-Click to configure, and follow the wizard.
5. In the main dashboard go to Add Source>Devices>Video>Select your capture card
6. Add a webcam via Add Source>Devices>Video
7. Add a microphone via Add Source>Devices>Audio
8. Add Overlays via Add Source>Media
9. Click on Broadcast>[Platform] to start streaming
Streaming from console can be a great place to start and gives you a low cost way to get into the world of content creation. Find your feet, start to build your community and when it's time, start to invest in the quality of your broadcast. But always bear in mind that path will lead you into the world of PC streaming which gives you significantly more options when it comes to creating a professional broadcast. Join us next time as we take a dive into PC streaming and how it can really take your content to the next level.
Article written by Etski
Edited by AN00BISGaming