YouTube Gaming app goes live in India

YouTube Gaming is available from today in India, Philippines and Malaysia. The service is Google’s foray into the live game-streaming space, currently dominated by Twitch. While the desktop version of the site was live for a while, the YouTube Gaming app is now available for Android and iOS. The app offers easy switching between live streams of games as well as recorded sessions. One feature not available on Twitch, but available on the YouTube Gaming is the ability to rewind and catch up to the stream while it is still live. On Android devices only, the app allows gamers to record and stream their sessions live using the front facing camera and the microphone. Another feature exclusive to the Android version, is pop out playback, which overlays the playback of the video in the corner of the screen. There are some refreshing and gamer specific changes from the default YouTube experience. The side bar is gone, replaced with a top bar for navigation. You can browse live streams, channels or popular games. Suggestions for watching are based on the user’s activity on the site. Live chat is available on the streams. It is also easy to support the gamers you track with sponsorships, which is in the beta phase. There are publisher channels available, and the whole experience is curated. This means that people at Google ensure that only the most interesting videos and streams show up on top.