mixer.com
Mixer is a streaming platform that gamers may use to watch live streams. It has recently stepped up its game, with many more streamers moving to the website in recent years. While it is different from Twitch, it is in a good way.
In 2017, Beam partnered with Microsoft and rebranded the website to Mixer. The redesign made the website look more modern and incorporated features from Microsoft's products.
We are extremely proud to have landed a deal with Ninja, a highly-rated streamer who has a large following on Mixer. Since signing with us, he has streamed exclusively on our platform and his viewership has increased significantly.
Website Design
The simplicity of Mixer is beautiful. Its flow is directional and easy to navigate, making it a great streaming platform for video games.
One great thing about Mixer is its consistent design. The designs for its desktop platform versus mobile differed substantially, whereas Mixer looks very similar on both versions.
The organization of the page falls within the middle. The initial categories are fine. Scrolling to see more categories isn't bad and allows you to view a multitude of streamers. However, I prefer subcategories to filter through. This is mostly a personal preference though.
Content
The content on Mixer is varied. The primary focus of the platform is video games, though there are a few streamers who also do things like cosplay, play video games and show artwork in progress.
The platform offers e-commerce called "Ember" to support favorite creators. There are also subscriptions. A great feature of streaming sites like "Mixer" is that you can interact with your favorite internet personalities in real-time.
Desktop & Mobile Accessibility
The desktop website is excellent. It is easy to navigate, has a pleasing layout, and uses calming colors. The categories are viewed as you scroll down the page, and featured, partner spotlight, and up-and-coming categories are just a few of the options. If you're looking for your favorite games, the games tab is easy to find - it's organized by category. The browser feature offers a guide to the top streams in real time.
The mobile browsing experience is the same as the desktop browser. The application has been optimized for mobile use and does not lose the branding. The consistency of design between all versions is great! The set-up in the app asks viewers about their likes and makes recommendations based on them, which is another cool feature.
Positives
I also like the fact that you can search for specific games, channels, or players.
I think the website design is good and easy to navigate. The categories are simple and broken down in the Games tab. It is nice that you can search for specific games, channels, or players.
A great benefit of using Mixer is that there are no ads while watching your favorite streamers. It is a refreshing change from websites that frequently run ads. If the website continues to have this feature, it will be a major asset.
Streaming is a great way for anyone to get involved with the Mixer community. Itâs easy to set up an account and start broadcasting your content. There are a variety of genres and categories to choose from, so you can find the perfect stream for your interests. The Mixer community is warm and inviting, so you will be able to find support if you need it.
Mixer has a highlighted category in which partnered streamers have their own little section to browse. Instead of flipping through them playing their games, there is a professional headshot of them with their name. The profiles look very well put together, as well.
Subscribers can support content creators by purchasing a subscription. For $4.99 a viewer can unlock things like emoticons and other special ways to interact in chat.
Negatives
However, I have seen potential in Mixer that I think could be very beneficial to the site.
Despite Mixer's growing pains, there are a few features that are still in beta mode and it looks like they are still figuring out some things. However, there are also several potential benefits to using Mixer that I believe could be very beneficial for the site.
I think it would be helpful if the search bar on the landing page were more easily recognizable, as it is an issue for me. If you begin to scroll down the page, it will appear in the right-hand corner and hover. Another way to find the search by clicking on browse field or games category.
The variety of content on Twitch is a bit disappointing. Almost all categories are related to games. Unfortunately, even some of the more popular games are missing video content from streamers. It's mainly due to the growing popularity of the platform; if the company can get bigger name streamers on board, more viewers will convert. I'm hoping the diversity of streams will go up soon; I would like to see more artists, cosplayers, and crafters streaming, as well as more tabletop games.
I have one tiny complaint about the lack of censoring. I am not positive if all streams are like this or not, but on a couple of occasions, I saw some curse words show up in the chat. This is not a big deal for me, as I am an adult, but if the platform wants to market itself as a website for everyone, censoring to an extent is a must.
Improvements Needed
The website needs more traffic in order to outperform competitors. They are making progress, but it will take time for them to achieve their goal.
Signing with more big-name streamers would be an excellent improvement for Mixer. The company should not only rely on the few bigger names they have. Actively convincing other big-name streamers to use their site exclusively would be great. Again, since Mixer is growing this is a task that will take time. I am sure Mixer is already working on this and it is just a matter of time before we see the benefits.
Personally, I think that more variety in the content on Twitch would be great for the website. Games make up a significant portion of the streams on Twitch, but there's so much more to see. If artists, cosplayers, and DIYers were featured more often it would bring in a lot more traffic and viewers.
Summary
Overall, I think Mixer is a good streaming platform. There are plenty of positive features and only a few negative ones. The history behind Mixer is interesting. The company managed to snag one of the top gaming streamers in the world and continues to impress viewers.
Some of the positive aspects of Mixer's website design and consistency are its website's visual appeal and ease of navigation. The color scheme is easy on the eyes, and the brand is consistent across all versions, including desktop, mobile browser, and mobile app.
Some of the negative features about Mixer are that it does not have many categories other than video games and the placement of the search bar. The search bar hovering after scrolling is quite annoying, but it's not a deal-breaker. The diversity of the site is also forgivable. It will undoubtedly grow as the website does.
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