How to use any USB webcam with Mixer for Xbox One

Mixer Logo (Image credit: Matt Brown / Windows Central)

Support for webcams recently rolled out to Xbox One owners, allowing nearly any USB-based camera to be used on the console. While up until now, the console has relied on the Kinect sensor as the sole compatible camera, the update significantly widens the range of devices that can be used.

Kicking off its arrival, Microsoft is pushing webcam support for streamers – specifically through the company's own live streaming service, Mixer. With the service now built directly into the "Broadcasting" tab of Guide menu, setting up a webcam to stream proves to be relatively simple and integrates into the existing streaming tools of the console. Here are the steps to configure your webcam for live streaming use.

How to use a USB webcam with your Xbox One

A clear effort has been made to streamline the process for using webcams on Xbox One, with no advanced steps to set up a new device. By hooking up a webcam (we tested with a Logitech C922), the Xbox One will automatically set up the device for use across various apps. To get started, simply connect a webcam to your console's USB port. No notification of any kind will be displayed to confirm its detection.

In a move to maintain quality across the platform, the only shortcoming of webcams in their current implementation is a lack of microphone support. Microsoft cited a lack of echo cancellation on many devices as the main reason for its exclusion, however, it's unclear if this will change later down the line. For now, you'll need to use an Xbox One headset, or an external microphone like the Turtle Beach Stream Mic (opens in new tab) to broadcast your voice on streams.

How to use a webcam on Mixer for Xbox One

Once your webcam has been connected, you'll need to enable your camera for it to be displayed as a part of your live stream. When initializing a broadcast from the Guide menu, your webcam should be automatically detected, enabling the ability to turn your camera on.

Press the Xbox button to open the Guide menu.
Scroll right to the Broadcast & capture tab.
Select Broadcast to open your broadcasting options.
Enable the switch labeled Turn on Camera.

Your camera overlay can also be configured to your liking, with options to change the positioning and zoom of your camera feed on-stream. These options, alongside a preview of your camera, can be found on the Broadcast tab under "Change camera settings."

After turning on your camera, tweak all other streaming settings ahead of starting a broadcast. You'll now be free to stream on Mixer as usual, with your camera embedded as a part of your stream. Have you used a USB camera on Xbox One yet? How does it hold up for streaming? Make sure to let us know in the comments section below.

Matt Brown is Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.

5 Comments

It'd be nice if you could use 2-3 cameras and switch between them
First Mixer and Twitch will need to support that feature at software level and then MS can implemented in the XONE OS.
For that kind of advanced feature, I'm sure you're likely to need to use XSplit or OBS for the most foreseeable future. The broadcasting features built into the Xbox One are pretty basic for a reason.
Yes, I have used it and its a really great feature to add and the zooming in and out is good, BUT it needs more customisation like turning the brightness up and down as my room is quite dark and its hard to see me. Also the cam is just too small! You should be able to change the size of your camera on screen, because at the moment its too small and too be honest not much point in having a face cam.
Does anybody know if this can be achieved with a Kinect 2.0?

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