OBS Studio is now available on Steam, meaning you can stream games to Twitch using Valve’s popular storefront. While there’s nothing inherently different about this new instance of the open-source broadcasting tool, its presence on the platform could simplify streaming on gaming PCs and could potentially lead to improved Steam Deck compatibility.
Downloading OBS the old fashioned way isn’t complicated by any means, but Steam features like automatic updates could entice some streamers to give it go. That said, if Twitch is your full-time job, you might not want to give OBS free reign in terms of updates, as your next streaming session could be hampered by any unintended quirks.
If you have OBS already installed on your SSD or hard drive, the Steam version should fetch all your settings from the relevant folder, but its developers say it won’t feature cloud saves for the time being. Steam Cards for the software also won’t be a thing, which is perhaps to be expected considering it’s both free and not a game.
OBS for Steam isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but it could make streaming games easier on the Steam Deck. The team behind the software says it’s looking into providing a Linux version of the tool, which could transform Valve’s portable powerhouse into a viable stream machine.