How To Stream On Twitch With Obs, Ps4, Pc, Laptop, Xbox, Chromebook, Twitch Mobile – Practical Step-By-Step Guide

How To Stream On Twitch With Obs – Twitch is an indispensable part of the digital ecosystem. It came into existence as an offshoot of the live streaming precursor-Justin TV. Although Twitch is first a gaming platform, streaming on it is a common introduction to live broadcasting online. Even with the presence of YouTube, Mixlr etc. Twitch still had a market share of about 73% based on hours watched. To stream twitch, it is first advised to create a twitch account. The steps needed to create a Twitch account are listed as follows:

1. Download the Twitch app and click on the sign up button to register your details.
2. Log-in to your account and enable two factor authentication.

TO LIVESTREAM TWITCH FROM A DESKTOP COMPUTER THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE REQUIRED:

1. KNOW THE CONTENT YOU WANT TO STREAM: The type of content to be streamed determines the type of gear to be utilized e.g. creating a good ASMR content requires a specialized gear like the 3Dio free space binaural microphone or a high quality microphone at the least. It is expected to have the required gear ready before thinking of streaming.
2. CONNECT AND SET UP THE GEAR: Connect the webcam and microphone to your computer and get additional gadgets that would be connected to the computer ready.
3. INSTALL SOFTWARE AND CONNECT TO TWITCH: OBS studio is a preferred software to be used because it is free, opensource and has cross platform compatibility. After installation, OBS offers the opportunity to run the auto-configuration wizard or manual set up. A manual set up is a better option for beginners as it allows intimation with some aspects of the streaming. For beginners, it is best to click on File>Settings>Stream in OBS Studio. Select Twitch as service then connect your Twitch account to OBS Studio which requires the login information for your twitch account or connect Twitch using the stream key which is obtainable at Settings>Channels and videos. The stream key can thus be copied and pasted in OBS.
4. ADD ALL AUDIO/VIDEO SOURCES AND VISUALS TO BE USED: OBS Studio often recognizes all audio sources (microphone, game, webcam etc.) but in cases where the sources are not recognized, head to File>Settings>Audio and find devices.
5. DISCOVER THE STREAMING SETTINGS THAT SUITS BEST: This is dependent on the encoder, available bandwidth and type of content to be broadcasted.

STEPS TO LIVESTREAM TWITCH FROM PS4

1. SET UP PS4: To set up PS4, the first step is to ensure that HDCP in Settings>System is disabled then adjust levels for microphone or headset as PS4 is not compatible with any webcam except the PS camera. The option for adjusting audio levels can be found in Settings>Devices. The audio sharing can next be set up by pressing the ‘share’ button on the controller and then going to Broadcast Settings>Advanced Settings>Audio Sharing settings. This would enable the sound from the microphone to be broadcast.  In the Sharing and Broadcast Settings>Broadcast Settings>Advanced Settings, the “Display Messages to Spectators and Spectators’ Comments’’ can be checked to enable chat.
2. CONNECT PS4 TO TWITCH ACCOUNT: PS4 provides the option of broadcast game play when the “share” button on controller is clicked. The console can be connected to the account by scanning a QR code that appears on the screen or by going to twitch.tv/activate from a computer/smartphone and entering the code on the screen.
3. HAVE A FINAL CHECK AND START STREAMING: After the console has been connected to Twitch, a stream title and output quality can be selected. This is the final step after which broadcasting to Twitch from PS4 can commence.

 

STEPS TO LIVESTREAM TWITCH FROM XBOX

1. INSTALL THE TWITCH APP: Check the Xbox store for the Twitch app and install it.
2. CONNECT TWITCH APP TO ACCOUNT: Run the app, after which a six-digit code appears to be entered manually at twitch.tv/activate from a desktop or smartphone.
3. CONNECT AND SET UP YOUR DEVICES: Regular webcams or external microphones can be used with an Xbox one. Connect these devices to Xbox and ensure they are enabled in settings. The “You can broadcast gameplay” and “You can share content made using Kinect or another camera” options can be fine-tuned at Settings>Account>Privacy and Online Safety>Xbox Live Privacy>View Details and Customize>Game Content.
4. CREATE A TITLE AND START BROADCASTING: Set a title, launch a game and start broadcasting.

 

STEPS TO STREAM TWITCH FROM MOBILE

1. DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL THE TWITCH APP: The Twitch app can be downloaded from the app store or play store.
2. LOG IN TO THE APP: Use the two-factor authentication process to log into the app.
3. PRESS YOUR PROFILE IMAGE BUTTON IN THE UPPER LEFT-HAND CORNER: This would bring you to the screen where you can notice the “go live” button.
4. PRESS THE “GO LIVE” BUTTON: You would have access to the camera and/or microphone before Twitch would be livestreamed via the app.
5. SET UP THE STREAM: Select a stream name and one of the content categories from the dropdown menu. Pick the camera to be used and share a link to the stream via apps on your phone.

STEPS TO STREAM TWITCH USING OPEN BROADCASTER SOFTWARE (OBS)

1. GET A TWITCH.TV STREAM KEY: Go to twitch.tv and create a free twitch account. After the account has been created, click your account name at the top-right corner of the Twitch homepage, select “dashboard” and click “stream key” then click the “show key” button to get your private key.
2. SET UP OBS: Download OBS and install it. OBS organizes screencast to “scenes” and “sources”. Right click on the sources box and select Add>Game Capture. Select “Create new”, name the capture and click OK. Under “Mode” choose “Capture any full screen applications” and OBS will detect and capture any full screen games played. If the game is a windowed game, select “Capture specific window” Click “OK” to leave this window. OBS captures your desktop audio by default and this can be changed using the Mixer panel at the bottom of the OBS window. A small video of the webcam can be added on top of the game stream by adding it as another source to the scene. Right-click inside the sourcebox and click Add>Video Capture Device.
3. SET UP TWITCH STREAMING: OBS can be connected to Twitch channel by clicking File>Settings>Stream. Select “Streaming Services” as Stream Type and “Twitch” as Service. Copy and paste your account stream key from the Twitch website to the “Stream key” box. Select the closest server to your location and then click “OK” to save your settings.
4. START STREAMING: Click the “Start Streaming” button at the bottom right corner of the OBS window.

STEPS TO STREAM TWITCH FROM A LAPTOP

1. Create your twitch.tv account.
2. Download OBS and head over to the stream tab. On the stream tab click Twitch as service, ensure your server is set to the nearest city to you. Paste your stream key from your twitch dashboard settings on the stream key tab on OBS.
3. Go to the output tab and set the “video bit rate” to 2000, then go the video tab and select video resolution to 1280 x 720
4. Create a scene in OBS by clicking the + sign on the bottom left of the page. After a scene has been created then click the + arrow on the sources block to create a block and select either window capture or game capture. Click on the + sign again on the block to add a webcam.
5. Click go live and the livestream can begin or for optimal performance go to streamlab.com, create an account and connect it to your Twitch account. Click on widget, chatbox then widget url on streamlab windows then copy and paste it in browser source on OBS source.
6. Go back to Twitch and update game channel at the broadcast options. Click start streaming on OBS

STEPS TO LIVESTREAM TWITCH FROM CHROMEBOOK

1. Go to https://golightstream.com on chromebook.
2. Select “Get Started” in the top right-hand corner and then select “Lightstream Studio”
3. Select the option to stream to Twitch and then login to your Twitch account and allow Lightstream access to your Twitch channel.
4. Create a new Lightstream project.
5. Set up a scene for your stream through screen share, webcam, images and external mic.
6. Set up your bandwidth at the top of the page. It is recommended that a low bandwidth is considered first.
7. After the stream is setup, select the “Go Live” button to go live on Twitch.