Xbox One players will have more options than ever before in the form of a first party service called Beam live streaming. The ability to interact with one’s viewers is something that has become increasingly important as streaming grows in gaming video culture, and being able to do so with little latency is a welcome function on any platform. The service was acquired by Micorsoft last year and made its way into the latest update for the Xbox One and Windows 10, allowing players to give their audience the ability to interact with the stream itself in near-real time.

After some testing within Microsoft’s Insider program, Beam live streaming is now available for the general public, though the full functionality isn’t quite available yet. Thankfully, Microsoft has never been shy about talking about current projects and looking to the future, as seen most recently with Phil Spencer teasing plans for E3. For Beam live streaming, Chad Gibson, Partner Group Manager of Microsoft sat down with GameSpot to discuss the details:

[Starting today] you’ll be able to stream your Xbox gameplay on Beam directly from the Guide on your Xbox One, with the ability to manage your Beam broadcasts and interact with fellow gamers on chat overlays that appear on your screen. You’ll also be able to watch, interact, and chat with streamers using the Beam viewing app on Xbox One. We’ve also added Beam functionality right into Windows 10 at a system level, and starting April 11, you’ll be able to start a broadcast almost instantly using the Game bar–no extra software is required.

The full functionality of the Beam streaming service will be available on April 11th allowing for players to broadcast near instantaneously from the Game Bar, which will be an excellent and simple addition to streaming on the Xbox One. Having a first party overlay will reduce the latency between streamers and followers quite a bit. This also allows for some interesting interactivity potential. Imagine a viewer challenging or helping a player during the stream or possibly being rewarded for that help or winning a challenge. Gibson later explained that he hopes the service will bring new innovation potential for gamers and developers, allowing the audience to actively participate in each session.

Beam will be a place where streamers and viewers can grow a bit more as a community, to interact and engage with one another more so than other streaming services. As expected, this brings concern over whether or not Beam will take over streaming on the Xbox One and Windows 10.  The Beam streaming service will continue to grow and evolve and thankfully streaming services like Twitch will maintain their functionality within the Microsoft platforms. In a recent interview, Team Xbox had this to say:

Gamers on Xbox One will still be able to broadcast to Twitch–they’ll be no changes there. The game video space is growing rapidly and we believe there is an opportunity for multiple broadcast providers to participate and give gamers more choice over their gaming experiences. We’re really excited about Beam and its differentiators like low latency and interactivity, and we’ll continue to listen to our fans to make Beam a place where broadcasters and viewers want to go to watch game streams, interact, and engage with one another.

What does Beam live streaming mean for the future of Microsoft 10 and the Xbox One? Will it become a titan for streaming services like Twitch or become something more niche? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. As always, don’t forget to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter for 24/7 coverage of all things gaming and entertainment.

• Phil Spencer Sheds More Light on Xbox Game Pass – Hopes For Original Content on Platform
• Xboss Phil Spencer Wants Titles Ready to Go for Project Scorpio Launch – “Crucial”
• E3 Plans Teased for Microsoft’s Conference