What Is Mixer? A Guide to this Twitch Alternative

Video game streaming has become one of the largest competitive hobbies in the world. With millions of players streaming video games and watching content, it’s no wonder why eSports is the fastest growing sport in the world today. The new era of video games has also come to be dominated by streaming platforms as they are the gatekeepers of the streaming community. Companies such as Twitch and YouTube have streamed games for many years and are now joined by Microsoft’s very own streaming service called Mixer. Mixer is the Seattle based video game streaming service owned and operated by Microsoft. The service was released in 2016 and originally marketed as Beam before it was eventually named Mixer. The Microsoft streaming platform was started to create a more interactive and comfortable experience for streamers to allow them to connect with their followers. This specifically came in the form of a one-second latency in the stream compared to most streaming services with latencies of ten or even twenty seconds. In addition to short-latency, Mixer has a strong competitive advantage with its interactive aspects that are not found in other channels. 

Move Over, Twitch

Mixer has shaken up the competition for streaming services as a formidable player in the streaming community. However, Twitch is still the most prominent and well-known streaming service in the world. This is mostly because it was one of the first companies to offer the bandwidth to have thousands of streamers and high-quality content. Twitch was also the first streaming service to work exclusively on streaming in order to make their service the best in the industry. Both Mixer and Twitch are streaming services, but Mixer has a focus on their content providers more than Twitch does. Because of this focus, we have seen massive streaming names, such as Ninja and Shroud, make the move from Twitch to Mixer. 

Should I Make the Move to Mixer?

While the struggle for the top spot in the streaming community will continue, Mixer is making a compelling case for the transition to their platform. Mixer has recently unveiled that it is finding more options to monetize streams while giving streamers the best chance to make a living by streaming (these numbers have not been solidified, but we will keep you posted). Additionally, they have started a campaign to cut down on toxic streamers and focus on a positive image for the streaming service. Mixer also unveiled a co-streaming feature that will allow multiple streamers to stream together while also playing their single channel. Finally, the Microsoft streaming platform has introduced MixPlay which lets audience members play select games with the streamers themselves!

Let’s Compare

Twitch, on the other hand, provides a bigger platform with more exposure and a system that has been proven effective over the years. Recently they have struggled to deal with toxic players but have since acted to combat poor attitudes. Twitch at the base is the same streaming platform as Mixer. The biggest differences come from the fact that Mixer is a new service and can afford to make big changes without losing support. Twitch is well established and, because of this, they cannot make as many sweeping changes without upsetting their user base. To end, Twitch is not going away as the top streaming service soon, but, as Mixer begins growing while listening to its streamer base and signing name brands like Ninja, Mixer will be a formidable opponent in the future.