If you’re streaming your gameplay to a bunch of associates and/or household, there’s a brand new possibility on the town: Microsoft Teams. Yes, you learn that proper. Microsoft has added a brand new integration for the Xbox Game Bar that enables livestreaming to the corporate’s business-focused chat and video-calling app.

As reported by The Verge, a brand new “Microsoft Teams Play Together” widget allows the combination in Windows. Once you put in it by way of the Microsoft Store app, you’ll be able to share your desktop to Teams, permitting your folks to observe your sport. You may be a part of video calls whereas enjoying, which helps you to see family and friends as an overlay in your sport. Up to twenty folks might be in a name at one time.

You would possibly assume this characteristic was initially supposed for work functions, nevertheless it’s really meant to have a gaming bent. Microsoft says this integration allows “a place to hang out while watching and playing games.” As you would possibly recall, rumors circulated again in 2021 about Microsoft potentially acquiring Discord, however a buyout by no means occurred. Instead, it seems Microsoft crafted its personal tackle Discord’s hottest options.

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But sadly for Microsoft, the preliminary launch seems to fall in need of rival providers—when The Verge tried out the brand new Teams integration, the body charges ran at 30fps or decrease. Meanwhile, Twitch caps at 1080p/60fps, YouTube permits 4K/60fps, and although Discord’s free streaming is restricted to 720p/30fps, its paid Nitro subscribers can go as much as 4K/60fps. The video overlay characteristic additionally didn’t appear to work correctly but. 

The integration doesn’t presently enable streaming from simply particular apps, both. Your entire desktop (or not less than, a complete show, in case you have multiple monitor) will get transmitted for everybody to see. You’ll must watch out to keep away from unintentionally exhibiting what you’ve obtained open in your home windows, if it’s a priority.

Microsoft could also be going through an uphill battle in wooing players and their associates from Discord and different providers. It’d be a special story if the characteristic was in Skype as a substitute. Only these caught utilizing Teams will discover this worthwhile, and that’s possible simply folks at work on locked-down company PCs. But even then, work-issued tools for private use is all the time a dicey proposition. While tech giants maintain including shopper options to their enterprise apps, these of us within the trenches are normally beneath strict command by IT departments to by no means combine the 2 functions.