How To Stream Live On Your PS4 To Twitch (Step-by-step guide) – CareerGamers
Thinking about joining the Twitch bandwagon but don’t really have enough budget for high-end PCs, 4k cameras, and video capture cards?
Fortunately, you don’t need a beast of a PC to start your Twitch Journey.
All you need is a humble console, such as the PS4, to get you started.
But that raises a very interesting question:
How do you start live streaming on Playstation 4 to Twitch?
In this article, I’ll look to answer that question so you can start streaming today.
We’ll cover:
- What resources you’ll need to stream from your Playstation 4
- How to download the Twitch PS4 app
- How to connect your Playstation account to Twitch
- How to adjust your stream’s quality and settings from your PS4
- A few tips to help you get started
- A look at what you should do next.
Mục lục
What You’ll Need To Stream From Your PS4
Before we look at how to start streaming from your PS4 to Twitch, we need to look at what resources you’ll need.
For starters, I’m going to assume you have a PlayStation 4 console, a controller, and a TV.
And don’t worry if you don’t have a PS4 Pro. A regular PS4 console will work just fine.
Another thing you’ll need is a microphone. Fortunately, a very basic microphone comes packed with the PS4. But you’ll want to consider upgrading as soon as possible to something that’ll offer better sound quality for your viewers.
Also, if you wish to include footage of yourself playing in the corner of your stream, then you’ll also need a camera.
Now, you could use the PS4 camera.
It’s an ok choice as it can capture video footage and voice recordings.
The downside with the PS4 camera, however, is that the sound quality is shockingly bad. Plus the video footage from the camera is not the highest of quality. But, for the new streamer, the PS4 Camera is just fine.
Unfortunately, PS4 cameras are hard to get hold of these days, unless you buy one as part of a PS VR bundle.
And, to be honest, the camera is not good enough to warrant that kind of expense.
Your best bet is to buy a 3rd party camera. Lasllaves offers a basic low-cost Web camera that’s compatible with the PS4 for streaming. But it comes with all the features you need to get started, and it’s way high quality than a PS4 camera. It offers, 1080p video and 30fps and has a microphone built-in. It’s also got a load of 5-star reviews and it’s cheap.
Check it out here.
And finally, you need to download the official PlayStation 4 Twitch app.
How To Stream On Twitch From Your PS4
1: Download Your Twitch PlayStation 4 App
To download the app directly on your PlayStation 4, open the PlayStation Store on your console, search for “Twitch, and then install it.
2: Connect Your Twitch And Playstation Account
Step 1: Press the “Share” button on your PlayStation controller. Afterwhich, you’ll be shown a list of options.
Step 2: Click “Broadcast Gameplay” and then choose “Twitch”.
Step 3: Select “Sign-in”, and after you’ve done that, you’ll see a unique series of numbers displayed on your TV screen.
Step 4: Copy the code and open up a browser on your computer. Next, sign-in on this Twitch page and paste the copied code to confirm your identity.
Step 5: A new option should appear on your PS4 after you’ve entered the code. Press “Ok” on your console, and voila, your PlayStation and Twitch accounts have now been successfully linked!
3: Fine Tune Your Stream
Before you start your first Twitch stream on your PS4, there are still a few settings that need tweaking before everything runs smoothly and your stream looks the way you want it too.
You’ll want to set up both your camera and your microphone so your viewers can both hear and see you play.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Press the “Share” button on your controller and then click on “Twitch”.
Step 2: After doing so, a new screen will appear displaying the “Start Broadcasting” button, a preview of your stream, and several other options as shown in the image below:
Step 3: Make sure that your PlayStation camera and microphone are both connected to your console if you want to use them.
Connect the PS4 camera to the back of the console in the proprietary Camera socket. If you’re using a 3rd party camera, plug the USB into any available USB slot.
Connect your microphone to the Earphone socket at the bottom of your PS4 controller.
Now, to enable both devices, simply click the first two boxes under “Communication Settings”. You also have the option to display messages from your viewers during your stream by ticking the third box.
Step 4: Now think of a catchy but appropriate title for your stream, and don’t forget to include the name of the game you’ll be playing. Next, type in the name of your stream on the “Title” field.
Step 5: You can adjust the image resolution of your streaming video to your liking in the “Quality” field. The higher the resolution is, the better the quality of your video, however, you also need to have a high internet speed for your stream to function properly. Although in most cases, the 720p option will do just fine.
Step 6: Once you’re done adjusting your settings, it’s finally time to start broadcasting! If you want to end your Twitch stream, just press the “Share” button again on your controller.
Basic Tips For Newbie Streamers
Get Into The Twitch Culture
When you’re just starting out your Twitch streaming career, pay attention to how other streamers work their magic.
What words do they use? How do they engage with their audience? What system, processes, or other interesting features do they use that you can replicate?
Watch other streamers and learn from them.
Make Friends And Network
Twitch is an awesome platform where you can watch some of the world’s best players stream your favorite video games. But apart from that, it’s also a great place to make a friend or two.
Follow other streamers, talk to them, and make friends with them.
If you’ve found a streamer whose content you enjoy watching, don’t hesitate to jump on their chat.
The idea here is that making friends with other streamers will help you build a community through a network of friends who offer mutual benefits. For example, shouting out your channel.
Play What You Want But Play Smart
While there’s nothing wrong with playing and streaming Fortnite on a daily basis, you might want to pay attention to which games are topping the browse page.
Regularly streaming popular games like Fortnite or Minecraft might not be the best idea since there could be thousands of streamers broadcasting the same game
This means that you have a lot of competition and you won’t rack in that much views in the process especially if you’re just starting out.
Pro tip: Go through the top 30-50 games on the browse page and trying picking one of these games.
Be Consistent
Keeping a consistent schedule can be hard if you’re not a full-time streamer.
There’s a lot of things to consider. There’s school, work, family, relationships or whatever it is you have going on.
However, it’s important that you develop a regular streaming schedule that you can follow through.
But why?
Creating a schedule and sharing it with your viewers not only promotes trust but you’re also encouraging regular viewing. It also shows your professionalism and that you take your streaming seriously.
Your audience will see it, and it makes them feel that their time matters to you.
I’m not saying that you should always stick to your schedule. If you have important matters to attend to, then just let your viewers know ahead of time.
Social Media Is Your Friend
If there’s one easy way of getting the word out there about your Twitch streams, then it has to be through social media.
Follow other streamers and their accounts, post clips of your games on Facebook, promote your channel on Instagram, or Tweet your streams. Whatever your platform of choice is, use it to your advantage.
Always remember that social media is your friend.
However, don’t go overboard with the promotions. Nobody likes to see the same post over and over again.
Summary
The main points to take away from this article are:
- You need very little basic hardware to start a Twitch stream on your PS4 other than what you’d usually use to play games online
- You’ll need to sign up to Twitch account
- You must download the Twitch app onto PS4
- The Twitch setting will need fine tunning
- You should engage with twitch streamers and viewers to grow a community and beneficial friendships
- Consistently stream
- Stream games people want to watch
- Promote your channel on a website and social media
What Next?
I’ve lost the little microphone that came with my PS4. What’s the best cheap microphone I can buy?
It all depends on what you want.
If you want a good but low-cost headset microphone, then this 5-star headset from Beexcellent is a great option. For less than $20, you really can’t go wrong. Check it out here.
If you’d prefer a more traditional microphone, then you should take a look at this desktop condenser mic from Fifine. This full metal-bodied mic has over 2500 5-star reviews and costs just under $30 at the time of writing. Check it out here.
I want better sound quality. Is there a good microphone I can buy?
If you’re really after better sound quality, then you’ll have to pay for it.
And if you’re willing to pay, there is no better microphone than the HyperX QuadCast. This is the best microphone you can currently buy for streaming. And, if you do buy it, you’ll never need to buy another microphone for streaming again. It’s honestly that good.
The microphone has 5-stars out of 5 on Amazon with over 1000 reviews to its name. Don’t take my word. Just take a look here on Amazon. You won’t be disappointed.
Nick Sinclair
Having played games since the golden age of the Commodore 64, Nick finally took the plunge and studied Creative Game Design in university. After 3 years of “Study”, Nick co-founded a games company where he soon discovered his true calling: writing about games. 11 years later Nick writes about a tower of topics, but gaming is always stacked neatly at the top.
