Microsoft announced it will shutter its Mixer streaming service on July 22 and start transitioning the service’s content producers and users to Facebook Gaming. When Mixer shuts down, all of Mixer’s sites and apps will redirect to their new homes on Facebook Gaming, the company said on Monday.
The surprise move comes as Microsoft’s Mixer failed to gain a footing in the increasingly crowded game-streaming business dominated by Amazon’s Twitch and YouTube. Microsoft said the agreement is “a key part of a broader effort that Xbox and Facebook Gaming are embarking on, bringing new experiences and opportunities to Facebook.”
But it may not only be Facebook Microsoft decides to partner within the coming months and years. The company was quick to note in its Monday blog post that as the Xbox Series X and its Project xCloud game-streaming service launch, it plans to be “working with different partners, platforms, and communities for years to come.”
Although Microsoft’s decision will be a shift for Mixer users, it could be a boon for the service’s creators. Microsoft said on Monday that Facebook Gaming has more than 700 million people who use Facebook Gaming to play games, watch videos, or in some way, interact with others each month. Microsoft didn’t say how many active users Mixer had leading up to this announcement, but a Mediakix survey last year estimated Mixer’s monthly active user count at 10 million people.
But not everyone is so sure they’ll be making the move to Facebook Gaming. Ninja, one of the most prominent game streamers who exclusively creates content on Mixer, tweeted on Monday that he has “some decisions to make” about Facebook Gaming and will be “thinking” about his community of users before he does so. Ninja has attracted more than 67 million views since joining Mixer in August.
Interestingly, Microsoft isn’t entirely shelving Mixer’s technology. The company said that it will utilize some of its underlying low-latency video streaming services, real-time interactivity, and other technology in its Microsoft Teams collaboration software. Microsoft said the features will ultimately create a better Teams product for companies and individuals.
To help its content creators make the transition to Facebook Gaming a bit easier, Microsoft published an FAQ page where it answers many of the questions they may have. Those generating revenue on Mixer, for instance, will be able to make money on their streams via Facebook Gaming’s Level Up Program. Microsoft also said that Mixer viewers who have Ember balances or subscriptions will get Xbox Gift Card credits for the amount on their balances.
“Thank you, Mixer community, for your engagement and passion on this journey,” Microsoft said in a statement. “We have accomplished so much together, and we want to thank you all — Partners, streamers, moderators, and viewers. And we hope to see your continued positive, welcoming, and inclusive ideals continue on at Facebook Gaming.”
Updated on June 22, 2020: Added more details on the Mixer move.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.