YouTube has offered playback at 60fps for a while, and the video network has now gone one better by adding the option to broadcast footage at this speed, Digital Spy reports.

The update will delight gamers who like to broadcast their play sessions online, allowing them to stream their exploits in real time.

The new frame rate is currently being trialled before it becomes the norm and will only work on HTML5-compatible browsers.

However YouTube will encode all streams in 720p60 and 1080p60 formats, and knock down the speed to 30fps for devices that can't keep up.

The update also includes HTML5 playback, allowing users to rewind live streams and play the footage back at twice the speed.

Meanwhile, YouTube is rumoured to be mounting a challenge to Twitch with the launch of a live-streaming network dedicated to gaming and eSports.