TECHNOLOGY

What Do You Need to Stream PC Games?

These days, Twitch streaming is more popular than ever before. It grew in popularity during the COVID19 pandemic when gamers stuck at home in lockdown decided to try and make the most from their hobby by getting online and streaming their games. But even if you are late to the game and didn’t do any streaming during lockdown, you can still start at any time. If you want to start streaming popular PC games, then there are a few things that you are going to need to get set up successfully. 

Gaming PC

First and foremost, you’ll need a gaming PC to play on. If you already have a PC, then make sure that its components including the processor, RAM, and storage space are ideal for gaming and streaming at the same time. If your PC is lagging when you’re trying to stream or things are loading very slowly, then it might be time to think about making some upgrades. Common components that need upgrading when you start streaming your PC games include the CPU, GPU, RAM, and internal storage. 

Webcam

It’s important to look at gaming webcams to add to your setup before you start streaming. While you are playing and streaming a game, your viewers will usually expect to be able to see you and interact with you at the same time as watching your gameplay. Because of this, a webcam that offers a clear and high-quality picture is ideal. While there are lots of webcams that are designed for general use that can achieve this quite well, it’s worth looking into one that’s specifically designed for gamers. 

Headset

If you do not already have one, then a good gaming headset is going to be essential for streaming your PC games. You’ll be using your headset to not only listen to your games but also speak into the microphone to communicate with your viewers and engage with your audience while you are playing. Streaming games is just as much about communicating and engaging with your viewers as it is about entertaining them, so make sure that you have a good headset that provides clear sound on both sides. 

Dual Monitor

Finally, you may want to consider getting a dual monitor setup before you start streaming your games. You will use one monitor to play the game and another to track performance stats, chats, and more on Twitch or any other streaming platform that you use. A dual monitor setup makes it much easier to keep track of everything, and all you need to do is plug both monitors into your PC and set them up. If you are going to use dual monitors, you may also want to get some accessories to improve your setup such as a dual monitor stand or wall mounts. 

PC gaming is more popular than ever and lots of people will watch you playing interesting games. Streaming can be fun to do as a hobby or you could even turn it into a side hustle if you are committed to it.