The Game Awards are a strange beast. On one hand, it attempts to legitimize the medium of video games by recognizing talent in the industry and rewarding their efforts.
On the other hand, it can sometimes be a crass cavalcade of AAA studios patting themselves on the back and endless Doritos ads - though, admittedly, that aspect has toned down a tad in recent years.
Like or loathe it, The Game Awards does offer something that brings us back every year: the reveals. Tonight, we're in for even more as The Game Awards 2016 take center stage, and for the first time, in 4K.
From new projects seen for the first time to franchises the world thought would never see the light of day again, The Game Awards can be like a miniature E3 when it comes to announcements.
But enough talk - here's how to tune in.
When are The Game Awards 2016?
The Game Awards 2016 starts tonight, December 1 at 9pm EST/6pm PST.
A pre-show is expected to go live half an hour before the event begins, which makes for a good way to test your connection before the festivities commence.
Past shows have run between two to three hours long, and we expect this year's show to last about that time.
Where can I watch The Game Awards 2016?
The Game Awards airs on multiple platforms, including Twitch, Facebook Live, Twitter, and even Snapchat.
Xbox Live, PSN, and Steam will also be streaming the event, with Steam also hosting a flash sale discounting many of tonight's nominees.
You can also stream the show live on The Game Awards' official YouTube page, which is notable as it's the only place where you can stream the evening's proceedings in 4K resolution.
Wait, did you say 4K?
What makes this year's Game Awards more remarkable than past performances is YouTube's announcement this week that it can now livestream 4K resolution and 360-degree video.
Thought to be dark magic in a world where we still have trouble with HD live streams, The Game Awards 2016 is setting out to be among the first-ever live event filmed and streamed in 4K over YouTube.
So, if you're an avid player looking to test your shiny new 4K television or monitor, this is a great time to do so.
What you need is:
- A 4K-capable display, (check out our guide of the 10 best 4K TVs for more!)
- Access to YouTube via a web browser or YouTube app
- A great internet connection
Why does the internet connection matter? Well, you're going be streaming over 8 million pixels per frame, anywhere from 24 to 60 frames per second, so a wimpy bandwidth shared with four other roomies simply won't cut it.
From there, just click on the gear icon on the lower-righthand side of the video once the show starts to air. Go to "Quality" and crank it all the way up to "4K" for maximum resolution.
If you find that the feed is lagging too much, you may not have speedy enough internet to go full-blast, so just turn things down a notch (720p and 1080p will still look great, let's be honest) so that you don't miss any of the trailers!
- More a movie buff? Here are the best 4K UHD Blu-rays around
