Maybe it’s time to take Microsoft’s quiet war against Twitch a bit more seriously, as newly-minted Mixer debuts new split-screen tech and promises to stream Xbox’s E3 press conference in 4K.<\/b>
\nMaybe it\u2019s time to start paying attention to Microsoft\u2019s livestreaming play. After acquiring fledgling service Beam last August, then integrating Beam into Windows 10 and the Xbox One, today Microsoft announced a whole raft of changes to make the service more appealing\u2014starting with a new name, Mixer.
Well…not the best start. Sounds like a bad dating site.
The name change is really the least interesting of today\u2019s changes though. \u201cMore than just the name, we\u2019 re launching several of the features that you all have been asking for. Features that will unlock a whole new world of possibilities for social streaming, and help viewers find the content they\u2019 re looking for across the service, \u201d wrote Mixer\/Beam co-founder Matt Salsamendi in today\u2019s announcement.
Social streaming is the key phrase. Beam distinguished itself by touting \u201clivestreaming that\u2019s actually live, \u201d a.k.a. with minimal one or two second latency, a huge advantage over Twitch\u2019s 10 to 15 seconds for non-partners. With low latency, conversations between streamer and audience can be a lot more natural.
It also allows the audience to participate in the game\u2014for instance, voting on choices in Telltale games or judging entries in Jackbox Party Pack, effectively becoming part of the stream. These interactions are possible on YouTube and on Twitch, especially for partners who are given lower-latency streams, but there\u2019s no beating the immediacy of one-second latency.
\u201cStarting today, we\u2019 re launching the first built-in cooperative streaming experience on a streaming platform where up to 4 streamers can combine their streams into a single viewer experience. Co-streaming enables multiple channel streams to be displayed on a single Mixer page. You and up to three other friends can deliver a stream that combines separate stream sources into one shared \u2018split-screen\u2019 view, including a centralized chat experience.\u201d
And then there are the smaller changes. \u201cMixer Create\u201d goes into beta today, a mobile app that allows for streaming on the go. Streaming of mobile games is apparently also on the way in the near future. There\u2019s also a new Xbox One Mixer page, as you might expect.
I don\u2019 t know if it\u2019s enough to take on Twitch\u2019s entrenched position, but it\u2019s a solid play by Microsoft. Check out the new homepage, or read more about today\u2019s changes here. It sounds like Mixer\u2019s created an excellent toolset\u2014now it just needs an audience, and to get the audience it needs streamers, and to get the streamers it needs an audience. The ol\u2019 chicken-and-egg problem.
Perhaps Microsoft will get a boost from Mixer\u2019s ubiquity in the Windows 10\/Xbox ecosystem though. The company\u2019s already promised to stream its E3 press conference over Mixer next month, in 4K no less, which could introduce more people to the service.<\/p>\n

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