Mixer streamers

Microsoft’s surprise closure of Mixer sees the company working with Facebook Gaming to transition streaming partners over to Facebook. It sounds like an easy win for Facebook Gaming, letting it obtain streamers who will help boost its streaming service, but it’s difficult to find many Mixer streamers who are willing to move to Facebook instead of Amazon-owned Twitch.I spent three hours last night hopping into a variety of Mixer partners’ streams, from ones broadcasting to thousands to those who have just started out streaming to a handful of loyal fans. After speaking with at least 30 Mixer partners, I only found a single person who has committed to switching to Facebook Gaming.The vast majority of Mixer streamers I spoke to are planning to switch to Twitch, and they were unhappy with the way Microsoft handled the announcement. “I found out about this happening literally when I was live,” says PumpkinKitty, who was streaming live to hundreds of people while trying to understand the news. A viewer alerted him to the Mixer closure. He said he was “leaning towards Twitch” before making it official hours later. Mixer’s biggest streamer, Ninja, even stopped by PumpkinKitty’s chat to donate $250 and briefly hosted his stream to boost viewers.Ninja hosting PumpkinKitty’s stream.Microsoft’s Mixer announcement caught the majority of partners by surprise, with many finding out through Twitter or in their own live streams about the fate of their channels. That surprise has morphed into both anger and despair from Mixer streamers.Lindsy Wood, a Mixer partner from Minneapolis, Minnesota, was visibly distraught during a stream last night. “All of the amazing things that Mixer has allowed me to do and participate in, I’m not going to have that anymore,” said Wood, while crying at the news of the Mixer shutdown. In a message to The Verge, Wood says she isn’t considering Twitch and isn’t sure what she’s going to do. “My life feels like it’s shattered.”That sadness is mirrored across the Mixer community. “I’m trying to pick up the pieces and move on with some positivity,” says ConcealedBones, a Mixer and Discord partner. “It sucks. I’m upset, it’s pretty devastating, but it’ll take a couple of days to figure out where I’m going to go.”Facebook’s legacy of privacy issues is one of the big turnoffs that seems to be keeping many Mixer streamers away.“Facebook is archaic,” says Mixer partner DM21Constellation. “Their desire for all the data from their users is absolutely absurd. A lot of people don’t want to have to create a brand new page just so they can chat on a stream. The interface is absolutely terrible. It’s kind of like the same thing when it comes to YouTube, they don’t care about their streaming platform and I really don’t get the feeling Facebook cares about their streaming platform at all.”Most Mixer partners I spoke to had decided to move to Twitch or were leaning that way, despite Facebook reportedly offering a one-time $2,500 sign-up bonus to Mixer partners who choose to move.

Most simply feel like Twitch is the bigger platform and that Facebook is too personal, with a lack of anonymity for viewers or streamers.Johnny and Heidi, a husband and wife singer and songwriter duo, say they’re still weighing up a decision on a move. “We’re still looking into everything,” says Johnny. “Twitch is obviously one of the places we’re leaning heavily towards. We’ve been in similar situations in the past, and we’re trying not to do knee jerk decisions.” After the news hit, Joel Zimmerman, better known as DJ Deadmau5, dropped into their chat to discuss Mixer closing.Husband and wife singer and songwriter duo Johnny and Heidi are weighing up their streaming future.Some in the Mixer community are branding the closure as the “Twitchover” as hundreds of streamers have started promoting their Twitch links and are actively moving to Amazon’s streaming service. For others, there’s a real unease about moving to Twitch after years of inconsistent action against sexism, racism, and sexual harassment.Variety streamer ChicaDeAwesome is one of the few Mixer partners I spoke to who is leaning toward Facebook Gaming. “As a victim and survivor of sexual assault and rape, it chills me to my core that I will be among predators [at Twitch],” says ChicaDeAwesome. “I don’t feel safe, so that’s my number one concern. I feel like that Twitch ain’t home to me, I don’t wanna go to Twitch.”Twitch CEO Emmett Shear has said Twitch is looking into a number of sexual harassment and assault allegations against Twitch-affiliated individuals that emerged recently. Twitch may ban or remove partnership status for those involved, but the company is refusing to “share details of everything we’re doing out of respect for the privacy of the individuals involved.” Shear says Twitch is taking the allegations “very seriously,” but some have claimed Twitch has laughed these matters off previously.Mixer was also facing calls to investigate claims that a Mixer manager referred to partners as “slaves,” branding themselves as a “slave master.” Milan Lee, a former community acquisition manager at Mixer, went public with concerns over the Mixer manager just days before Microsoft’s big announcement. Microsoft’s gaming chief, Phil Spencer, scheduled a call with Lee yesterday, but the company’s partnership with Facebook has left many wondering if the underlying issues will even be resolved as some Mixer employees will remain at Microsoft.While many smaller Mixer partners contemplate their future, Microsoft’s big Mixer streamers haven’t fully committed just yet. Microsoft signed stars like Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Cory “King Gothalion” Michael, and Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek over the past year. Blevins even left Twitch for a contract reportedly worth between $20 and $30 million. Facebook Gaming isn’t offering up exclusive contracts to these stars, meaning the top Mixer streamers are free to return to Twitch. Gothalion has committed to Facebook Gaming, but the rest of the Mixer stars haven’t announced their plans.Microsoft’s big Mixer experiment might be over, but Facebook Gaming now faces a battle to convince existing Mixer partners that it has a solid platform

A Mixer streamer convinces you to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass (a fantastic way to play exciting new games every month), that streamer gets some compensation. You can also subscribe to individual channels, although unlike Twitch, channel subscriptions on Mixer only have one tier at $5.99 per month.Discovering StreamsWhile Twitch and especially Caffeine are branching more into general entertainment and real-life streams, Mixer remains strictly game-focused. On the main menu, clicking the categories tab brings you to a list of different video games to browse and follow. Don’t worry, these aren’t just Microsoft games. Of course, you can watch Halo and Gears of War gameplay, but you can also watch streams of Apex Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Valorant. Some games are definitely more prominent than others, but the library runs deep.On a technical level, the viewing experience feels suited for gamers. You can broadcast and watch streams in 1080p at 60 frames per second if your machine can handle it. Microsoft also boasts about its “Faster Than Light” streaming protocol for reducing video latency. I once saw a very impressive demo of this feature, but the results may not be the same from home compared to Microsoft’s fancy, highly controlled New York store/esports arena. Like a wealthy sports team hungry for free agents, Microsoft is also sparing no expense luring top-tier streaming talent to Mixer. If you’ve heard of any professional video game streamers, the most likely is Tyler “Ninja” Blevins. In 2019, Microsoft paid Blevins a substantial amount of money to dramatically leave his Twitch channel, the most popular channel on the service, to stream exclusively on Mixer. Other streamers who made this move include Shroud and King Gothalion. When these big names transition to a new service, they bring their audience with them and strengthen the community overall. Thanks to Mixer’s Discord integration, streamers can maintain access to their fans regardless of platform. You can also become a Mixer partner yourself after fulfilling requirements for follower numbers and broadcast frequency. Active ViewingRemember how I said Mixer has experience points? That’s because the coolest aspect of the service is the way it turns watching video game streams into their own kind of video game. Watching streams and broadcasting on your own earns you experience points, which are mostly for bragging rights. However, leveling up also earns you a currency called Sparks, which does have real value. Give enough Sparks to a streamer as patronage to hit certain milestones and they get paid real money. Alternatively, you can spend real money on a different currency called Ember to drop special GIFs and emojis in the chat that help support a channel. While the two different names may make things seem convoluted, collectively this is basically the same system Twitch uses with its Bits currency, with Sparks as the free version and Ember as the paid version. Ember prices start at $1.99 for a pack of 140. Mixer even uses these currencies to reward players for fostering a positive

For streamers and podcasters, it is an equally good boon for musicians who need to haul their gear around.The Bluetooth receiver means you can wirelessly stream everything to your headphones and is a most welcome addition that more mixers could do to support. There are plenty of built-in effects (sixteen in total), and there’s also a built-in three-band EQ. 48V phantom power for your condenser mics is controlled by two buttons for each of the XLR channels, with a red LED to let you know when it’s active.Unusually, the device supports MP3 files, so you can stop, start and shuffle MP3s if you connect your player via a USB port. While not essential, it’s another nice-to-have. LED meters make it easy to keep your gain at a good level.Overall, the Pyle Professional audio mixer is a great little device, and at a cost that won’t be beyond most people’s reach, whether you’re a beginner or more experienced.SpecsPrice: $99.99Connectivity: USB-C, BluetoothPhantom Power: Yes, 48VSample Rate: 48kHzNumber of Channels: 4Own Software: NoProsBluetooth connectivity for wireless headphones.Great noise level reduction.MP3 playback control which can be easily accessed via USB-A socket for flash drive reading.Rugged enough to be taken on the road as well as used at home.Flexible enough to work for musical instruments as well as streamers and podcasters.ConsNot the most configurable device compared to some.Slightly dated look could do with a refresh.8. AVerMedia Live Streamer NexusA clean, uncluttered look greets you when the AverMedia Live Streamer is removed from its box. This audio mixer looks like a fusion between the GoXLR and the Elgato Stream Deck.The IPS screen takes up the largest part of the device and can be fully customized by the software that ships with it. The screen is one of the best features of the mixer, in fact — it adds a huge versatility to the mixer, and makes navigating tasks and functions extremely easy.And it’s a touchscreen, so it’s not just for displaying information; it’s actually adding to the functionality.The device integrates easily with other apps, such as Discord, YouTube, and Spotify, which means getting up and running is very speedy. There’s also a built-in noise gate, as well as compression, reverb, and an equalizer.The software lets you add hotkeys and assign uses to any of the function buttons, and the six audio dials allow control over the channels. Each channel can be activated or deactivated simply by