Mixer.com (formerly Beam.pro) is Microsoft's streaming service, competing head on with Amazon's Twitch. Mixer differentiates itself with extremely low latency between streamer and viewer, in addition to its interactive API allowing viewers to trigger events within live streams.
Today, Microsoft announced that Mixer hit 10 million monthly active users, and while that pales in comparison to Twitch, which has over 100 million, Mixer has definitely experienced growth since becoming integrated with Xbox and Windows 10.
Additionally, Microsoft announced that Mixer viewers will soon be able to purchase games for Xbox and Windows 10 directly from the live stream they're watching, and partnered Mixer streamers will receive a cut of the profit. Microsoft also announced that it hopes to expand the system, dubbed the Mixer Direct Purchase program, to other storefronts in the future, perhaps including the likes of Steam.
Soon, Mixer will also bring in a donation system, allowing viewers to donate to Mixer streamers directly without having to go through a third-party service, such as StreamTip. Although Mixer will, of course, continue to support third-party systems.
Microsoft's investment in Mixer is far from over, with the site seeing regular stability improvements and new features. It remains to be seen whether Mixer can avoid the fate of Groove Music, Lumia, Kinect, Microsoft Band, and all of the other great products Microsoft has killed in recent years, but Mixer forms a core pillar of Xbox's overall strategy to engage gamers wherever they are and regardless of what they're doing. Hopefully, Mixer will be one Microsoft service that manages to stick around.
Remember to subscribe to our own Mixer channel using the link below!
Expect new content for Age of Empires 2 and 3 Definitive Editions soon
Microsoft and its studio partners aren't letting Age of Empires fade away. New content for Age of Empires 2 and 3 DE is planned, some sooner than later.
Age of Empires 4 devs talk about their vision of a true Age 2 successor
We now have a whole lot more information about Age of Empires 4, and we sat down with three developers to further discuss some of the details about the next big RTS game.
Review: HP ENVY 14 brings premium features to a fantastic creator's laptop
For creative professionals who want a Windows 10 PC, you have the choice of 13-inch Ultrabooks with no NVIDIA GPU or honking big 15-inch laptops that are not so fun to use on planes or to carry. The new HP ENVY 14 looks to solve that, and it does so with outstanding results. This $1,260 laptop should be on your short list.
Want accessories for your Secretlab gaming chair? Here are our top choices.
Secretlab gaming chairs are fantastic, but they're even more enjoyable when paired with some accessories. Here are our favorite ones.