A little while ago, we covered Beam, the new kid on the streaming block with a heavier influence on interactive features and streamer-chat interaction. Recently, Beam has released a HUGE update for streamers and viewers alike to vastly improve the site and make a huge push towards the future. Dubbed #December, it’s a game changer in the future of the site.

Site Design

Beam has worked hard to make the website into a slicker, more visually appealing site. Gone are the rough edges and the basic blues. Replacing them are dynamic corners, smooth sides, and a silky feel to the general site. First thing you see when you load up the site is the 4 featured streamers for the timeslot. Slide down, the site lists your followed channels first in order of viewership numbers by default, then by the unfollowed channels with the viewer counts. It’s a really smooth transition and loads extremely fast. 60 FPS is what the site is pushing right now and it can be seen site wide.

Bit Rate Limits Lifted

Gone are the days of bit limits. Now, streamers can push up to 10 mbps streams out. What does this mean? 1440p, 60 fps is now a thing. Can most people run that or even view it? Not often but still means that it is an option for the future and god it looks beautiful.

Making Chat Easier

Emoticons are HUGE for stream chats. They usually appear in 50-70% of the chat lines used. Sometimes, it’s hard finding that right emote or the right command for it. Not anymore. Chat now allows you to preview the emoticon IN the chat box before sending the message, even finishing the emoticon for you. Along with that, moderators have a new “Drag” option that will make controlling chat a lot easier. Mods can click on a user’s name and drag it in the direction of the action needed. Need to timeout a chatter due to problems? Click, drag up, done. Makes Mod’s jobs so much easier.

Improvements in FTL

The FTL system (faster than light for short) is a system Beam has designed to reduce the time between viewer and streamer. With the new update, the delay is practically non-existent. I personally tested this and WOW! The moment someone typed a message to me, I was able to instantly respond to it. It makes viewer games so much easier to participate in and makes the action more reliable as real time statistics happen.

Xbox Logins

Working with Microsoft has given Beam a real push towards making a difference in the streaming industry. Now, they are pushing the envelope by adding Xbox Logins into the mix! Are you an avid Xbox Live member and love your profile? You can now import and use your account on Beam with as little as one click. In the future, Xbox Live will feature Beam as the streaming website on the main page. A HUGE opportunity for streamers on Beam!

Currently, these features are available to test for Pro users but will be released to everyone shortly!

The future of Beam is very bright and a lot of streamers are starting to test out the site! If you’re a new streamer looking for a different site or a current streamer looking for a new place to hang your hat, try Beam and see for yourself why Microsoft was so inclined to grab them up!

For more information on the #December updates, check out the Beam blog.