Google Launches YouTube Gaming, Finally a Rival for Twitch and Steam Broadcasting

Google has made a surprise announcement today, unveiling YouTube Gaming, a solid rival for Twitch, that belongs to Amazon in case you didn’t know. The new Google product features pages for certain games, just like Twitch and these pages will list both live streams and previously recorder “Let’s Play” clips.
Popular gaming channels are listed here and users will get their own permanent live stream link so the fans can find the current broadcast without needing to search hard for it. Google will launch improved live stream tools, that will make everything more user friendly. A separate app will be released later this year, to enjoy all the content from the YouTube Gaming site.
YouTube doesn’t only compete with Twitch here, but also Valve’s Steam streaming system. The service will debut in USA and UK this summer and apparently the popularity is so big already, that the Coming soon page has crashed. Interestingly Twitch has already reacted on Twitter, saying “Welcome Player 2″ and recommending that YouTube Gaming add them on Google+.