So, I was able to stream on the XB1 a few times, but it’s been a grade fucking A hassle. Some initial thoughts via twitter:

So far I’ve found A LOT about the XB1 really frustrating and counter intuitive, regarding usability etc. Especially streaming. First I have to let everyone see I am online in privacy settings otherwise Twitch won’t let me stream b/c it flags as under 18? This has only happened on the XB1, no such setting tweak required when streaming from PC or PS4. Then the Twitch UI on the XB1 is docked to the right side, unless I “unsnap” it.

It’s sluggish to respond to the dbl tap required to go from the Twitch side bar to the game. This double tap of the middle X button also pauses the stream, which is a nuisance. Its brief but annoying It’s also another UX/button mapping fail. That should be a one button press, not a double tap that pauses game or stream. But I digress.

My other gripe is at least on XB1, I can’t sign out of the Twitch profile I first signed in on. I hit log out and nothing happens. The whole point of getting the XB1 for as for us to have more content to work with. If I can’t log into that Twitch account (we have one for ) it’s frustrating and adds content to my personal Twitch meant for INDG

So right now I’m feeling a kind of way about functionality on the XB1.

Now that it basically reboots when I try to stream Rise of the Tomb Raider, I’m trying to uninstall and totally reinstall the Twitch app on the XB1.

Clearly the XB1 was designed with a focus on voice-activated functionality, assuming most people would have a Kinect. Early adopters of the XB1 do, since the only model available was a $499 model bundled with a Kinect at launch. That’s great and all, but what about people who got the system later?

I don’t really have the room for a Kinect in my living room, nor do I want one to be honest. I shouldn’t have to sacrifice basic functionality for an assumption about the user base. I have a degree in user centered design and this is just aggravating. I’m unable to get the full functionality as designed unless I drop another $100 – $150 on a peripheral which negates the savings from getting the system over two years after release.

So for now I don’t know what else to do because other games stream just fine, such as FFXV: Episode Duscae, and Dragon Age Inquisition but for now I’m cut off from even logging out of one account and into another, or trying to stream RotTR without a forced reboot after an unpleasant grindy noise, and a lot of cussing.

Here’s a Twitch and XB1 UI wishlist if anyone from either company happens across this post:

Twitch: 

  • Ability to log into multiple accounts (assuming you can authenticate you own said accounts and aren’t a scammer)
  • Ability to get help from the Twitch app, from Twitch
  • Ability to get a log file when something goes wrong when streaming on console. (one of the things I kept getting was an error about an ‘authorized game required to stream’ when trying to stream RotTR before it caused reboots.
  • Ability to upload directly to YT from console

XB1 UI:

  • Ability to move sections around to suit user preference
  • Ability to have a dedicated games section, app section etc without having to pin a bunch of things to the home screen
  • Ability to remap the controller buttons including how you take screenshots, go in and out of apps, etc
  • One button screenshot
  • One button recording/one long button press to start recording
  • Less reliance on voice commands since not everyone has a Kinect

Published by cypheroftyr

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers, attendance at the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make the industry better and more inclusive for everyone. She’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics online, at conventions and as a public speaker.. She’s also contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games and is the co-developer for the Fifth Season RPG based on N.K. Jemisin’s three time Hugo award winning Broken Earth trilogy. She’s the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a Twitch supported RPG and Actual Play stream, airing weekly on her channel, twitch.tv/cypheroftyr. Additionally, she is a Senior Annenberg labs Civic Media Fellow at USC. She’s also the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sci fi afro-futurist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators; live streamed on her twitch channel, /cypheroftyr. She’s named as one of The Game Awards Future Class 2020, a diverse group of builders, thinkers and dreamers whose voices elevate and diversify our artform. It recognizes individuals around the world who represent the bright, bold and inclusive future for video games. She was also named as one of Gamers of the Year 2020 by Kotaku along with three of her contemporaries. She was also invited to the Xbox MVP program in February 2021. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021. Tanya is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She also serves on the Board of Directors for OrcaCon and was named the Chair for Take This in January 2023. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press) Writer Bio for pubs: Tanya is the Founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago. She’s part of Rivals of Waterdeep, an actual play D&D show on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep; the programming coordinator for OrcaCon & GaymerX; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. She’s on the Board of Take This as well as a Stream Ambassador, and was part of the inaugural cohort of The Game Awards Future Class. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.