PC gaming platform Steam has added a new feature that lets users watch their friends’ games with just one press of a button.
The Valve-owned company said the new ‘Steam Broadcasting’ platform is free to use and gamers don’t need to own the game or install any additional apps to view the service.
Live streaming has boomed in recent years, led by Twitch, which was bought by Amazon for $1bn.
Twitch TV currently attracts around 45m regular viewers, with top channels showing major ‘eSports’ events and tutorials by the top professional players.
The new Steam rival platform is currently only available on the Steam Client Beta section, which users need to register for access.
In a statement, Valve said Steam Broadcasting was designed for “ease of use.” And indeed, it is simple. All you’ll need to do is click “Watch Game” on your friend’s profile to see their gameplay.
Valve cautions that “bandwidth may be limited” during the Steam Broadcast beta, suggesting you may run into a few technical snags here and there.
Watch this video from IGN explaining how the service works: