The fact that TwitchCon 2015 even exists is testament to the huge place that streaming services are making for themselves in the gaming world — and Razer has made it clear that it’s keen to get in on that action. At last weekends event, they announced a whole heap of new gaming products and services, which were for the most part they were targeted at streamers who want to take their game to the next level.
“Razer has supported game broadcasters from the very beginning of the live video gaming scene,” said Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. “Gamers were using our products from as far back as when they were still streaming on Justin.TV and, today, countless top streaming pros get the unfair advantage during their game broadcasts on Twitch with the Razer Seiren digital microphone. We’re excited about our range of broadcaster-focused products and services that give gamers the edge in their stream entertainment capabilities.”
This starts — perhaps most excitingly for all of Twitch’s would-be superstars — with the Razer Sponsored Streamer Program, an initiative that aims to help ‘budding and established streamers alike’ achieve their goals in the rapidly growing streaming landscape. This may simply mean sponsoring a channel with new Razer gear, but can also lead all the way up to financial sponsorships and more involved partnership opportunities. “Razer currently supports over 12 thousand streamers and is looking to bring-on the next Twitch rock star,” Razer’s release claims.
A yet-to-be-named game capture card known only as ‘Project Sheena’ has also been unveiled at the streaming convention. This is a 1080p60 capable device — although whether your average Australian internet connection can support that kind of video quality is another question entirely — designed to be compatible with the popular Open Broadcaster Software and other software used by game streamers. While it still lacks an official name, you’ll definitely be able to get your hands on Project Sheena from early 2016. Another unnamed piece of tech, Project Winona is a PC and VR-enabled camera, which will work perfectly together with Project Sheena to deliver the best customised broadcasting experience. Greenscreens are a thing of the past with automatic background removal, and gesture recognition and 3D face mapping are a must for VR gamers.
Razer showcased both Project Winona and Project Sheena to attendees at TwitchCon 2015, along with old favourites the Razer Seirēn and Razer Seirēn Pro microphones. Released last year and early this year respectively, both microphones are available to buy now.