Mixer - Interactive Streaming is a video game live-streaming platform owned by Microsoft that lets you interact with the streams you’re watching. Launched back in 2016, the multimedia website and its Android and iOS versions have integrated features that connect streamers and viewers in unique ways. Whatever your lifestyle, you can easily reach out to the crowd with lightning-fast chats and those cool interactive features that can even directly affect the stream’s game. 

Reach Out Creatively

Formerly known as Beam, Mixer is an online platform for streaming videos—more specifically video gaming, like playthroughs and live streams. However, what sets Mixer apart from its competitors like Twitch and YouTube is its special feature of allowing viewers to actually interact with the stream beyond just using the chat feature. With the feature “MixPlay,” Mixer gives you the power to play the game that the streamer is playing and even vote on things using the interactive buttons the screen will display. Mixer allows you to earn a virtual currency called Sparks when you watch and participate in streams, and you can spend these to activate the various interactive features Mixer offers. The mobile apps don’t skimp out on this, either—you can direct game choices, place objects, select sounds, and so much more.

See the Best of the Best

Mixer offers you the option to see the most exciting moments in a game with the feature called HypeZone. These kinds of moments are usually found after streams have ended and get compiled into a Best Moments video much later. However, because of Mixer’s integration with selected games, you can now quickly see streamers that are about to grab victory. It’s a great way to skip the boring parts and quickly get pumped for the game itself. Fortnite, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 are the top games in Mixer that allow this feature. 

Gotta Go Fast

Due to Mixer’s unique features, the platform and the app have to keep up with the thousands of viewers and live streams happening all at once. It doesn’t help that Mixer’s main appeal is its interactivity—and if hundreds of people are using those all at once, the stream might actually be bogged down. To solve this, Mixer has prepared a faster stream time in order to lessen the latency and delay. Mixer advertises that there is a latency of less than a second between the original broadcast and when it is received by users so everyone is encouraged to interact with each other in real-time. 

You Don’t Need to Just Watch and Chat

Mixer is already fierce competition in the streaming industry with its live interaction feature. The fact that it has mobile apps available that can make stream-watching even more convenient and the Mixer Create app that allows you to stream your mobile games just makes the platform look better for viewers. If you’re an XBox One user, you also benefit from Mixer being a Microsoft product and be able to stream directly on your console. This is definitely a great platform to experience gaming in a new light.