Twitch has become a household name for gamers over the last few years, as watching gamers stream becomes a more popular form of entertainment. Kids aspire to be Twitch or YouTube stars just like they do famous actors or athletes and there's a booming industry of tournaments, sponsorships, and affiliations built around the popularity of streamers. Despite all of that, knowledge about Mixer still isn't quite as prevalent.

The Microsoft-owned streaming service isn't all that different from Twitch, but it has always been off in the shadows while Twitch stole the spotlight. Ninja's recent announcement to switch over to Mixer is shifting that paradigm and many Fortnite fans and gamers are flocking to Mixer to continue following the all-star.

RELATED: How Much is Mixer Paying Ninja to Stream?

As consumers start to consider taking their viewership over to Mixer, it seems like a good time to offer a crash course on the service and what exactly it has to offer.

Ninja free Mixer sub

What is Mixer?

At its core, Mixer is a streaming service, just like Twitch. That's just the start though. Mixer attempts to stand out from the crowd by incorporating features designed to allow viewers to interact with streams. These unique features can be integrated into games to allow users to affect gameplay or vote on elements using buttons displayed alongside the stream. These are optional though, and streamers can opt for the more traditional, uninterrupted Let's Plays.

Where can I watch Mixer?

Like most streaming services at this point, users can watch Mixer pretty much anywhere with a screen and an internet connection.

Xbox One users can watch Mixer using the official Mixer app for the Xbox One console family.

PS4 owners do not get a Mixer app. That said, they can still watch Mixer by using the console web browser and navigating to Mixer.com.

PC and Mac users should watch Mixer by visiting the website, just like on the PS4. The PC Mixer app is meant for hosting streams, not for watching Mixer.

There is a Mixer viewing app available for both Android and iOS.

RELATED: The Room Star Tommy Wiseau Follows Ninja to Mixer

Is Mixer different from Twitch?

Yes. Both services allow streamers to share their gameplay with audiences, but they are two unique platforms. Usually individual streamers will stick to one platform or the other, so many viewers tend to prefer whichever platform hosts their favorite personalities.

Is Mixer free to watch?

Yep! Tuning in to Mixer does not cost viewers any money.

Does Mixer have ads/commercials?

Yes. Mixer does feature ads, just like Twitch and YouTube, but some channels disable ads for paying subscribers. For example, the advertisement for Ninja's channel subscription confirms that there will be no ads for subscribers.

When does Ninja stream on Mixer?

Ninja has already started streaming on Mixer. Viewers can tune in almost every day to watch him play:

Daily Stream - 9:30 AM CST to 6 PM CST

Time are subject to change.

ninja profile mixer announcement

That crash course should provide most users with all of the basic information they need to get started with Mixer. Now that Ninja is taking a large portion of his enormous following with him to the service, it will be very interesting to see how much growth it sees in the coming months.

If Ninja finds more success at Mixer than he did at Twitch (if that's even possible), then it's possible other popular streamers could make the change, as well. Competition is definitely a healthy thing, so we'll be keeping an eye out to see how Twitch responds and continues to try and entice up and coming streamers to join its ranks.

Be sure to check back in the near future for more updates on Mixer, Fortnite, and Ninja.

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