Twitch updates: Vertical video and dual streaming

Twitch just announced some major updates at its European conference.

One is dual-format streaming and vertical viewing, so streams look better when watched on a phone. Streamers will be able to use both a horizontal and vertical layout at the same time, and the viewing will be optimized whether someone is holding their phone either way.

"The new vertical layout makes it easier for viewers to participate in events like Hype Trains and support you by subbing, gifting, and cheering while watching your stream in full screen," Twitch announced in a blog post following the keynote address at TwitchCon Rotterdam, which is today and tomorrow. "They'll also be able to customize chat to have more control over how much chat they see on screen."

Twitch will test dual-format and vertical streaming with a few channels this summer before expanding it later this year. It also plans to test 2K (or 1440p) streaming with a small number of channels.

Amazon's streaming platform will also introduce some features to "make sure streaming is a viable career for as many creators as possible." These include Combos, a monetizing feature currently in beta, and streamer-led gifted subscription promotions. Twitch is also developing a new tool to suggest Clips for streamers' best moments, a Clip Leaderboard, and the ability to react to Clips.

Twitch is lagging behind TikTok and YouTube in terms of live streaming hours, so the platform is likely trying to capture some of that time. We'll see if these feature rollouts in the next few months put Twitch on top.