Twitch Starts Rolling Out Support For 1080p/60fps Streams

Twitch users will be able to enjoy detail-rich streams because the Amazon subsidiary and live streaming video platform is supporting 1080p/60fps video content from now on. This would make the user experience when playing demanding games and watching high quality content worthwhile.

On Thursday, Noreen McInnis, who is in charge of product marketing at Twitch, announced via Twitch’s blog that support for 1080p/60fps streams is being rolled out. As part of this rollout, Twitch has increased its bitrate for most streams to 3–6 megabits. In addition, Twitch has added new quality options to expand the choices of users when viewing content. McInnis stated that clients now have an easier means of streaming high quality content.

Despite the addition of 1080p support, McInnis reminded everyone that the higher resolution and framerate shouldn’t always be the main choice of players, especially when they are having problems with internet connection. “Just because you can stream at 1080p and higher bitrates doesn’t necessarily mean you should,” McInnis wrote. “It’s better to have a stable stream at a lower resolution or bitrate than a higher quality stream that makes you drop frames.”

The rollout of 1080p/60fps video support comes at an opportune time, according to VentureBeat. This is because more and more people are adopting larger 4K monitors. As such, 1080p would gradually be the resolution of choice for most users since it only eats up a quarter of the screen and most people prefer to access chat and other services simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Twitch has already confirmed its plan of selling PC games and other in-game content as it moves forward to becoming a video game retailer. Part of this change is the introduction of incentives called Twitch Crates to encourage users to buy games directly from the site.

At launch, the Twitch store will be offering up to 50 titles, including “The Walking Dead,” “Firewatch,” “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands,” “Minecraft: Story Mode” and “Jackbox Party Pack 3,” among others.