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Game-Streaming Platform Twitch Launches First Desktop App for Mac

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Popular game-streaming platform Twitch officially launched its first desktop app on Thursday, allowing Mac users to enjoy all the features of the existing web-based platform within a standalone native application.

Based on the CurseForge platform acquired last year, the Twitch Desktop App lets users watch live streams, clips, and video on demand, all while chatting with fellow gamers. Plus there's a new Friend Sync feature that promises to help users find friends "across the creator-verse".

Twitch-Mac-800x457.jpg

In addition to private messaging, Twitch on Mac supports voice and video calls, indicating a clear bid to compete with rival platform Discord, which began testing a new video chat feature yesterday. The app also supports thousands of game add-ons made by the modding community, as well as in-game overlays so users can manage calls without needing to switch between windows.

The desktop app also includes the Dark Mode recently introduced in the mobile version, making watching streams in low light environments easier on the eyes. Amazon-owned Twitch is also promising a cloud storage feature in the near future that will allow users to access their data remotely.

In addition to established features, the Twitch desktop app introduces Servers, a new virtual home for gaming communities where users can watch video, play, and chat together even when a game stream is offline.

The Twitch desktop app for macOS is available now and can be downloaded for free directly from the Twitch website.

Article Link: Game-Streaming Platform Twitch Launches First Desktop App for Mac
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/08/11/twitch-launches-desktop-app-for-mac/
How cool! Now we can watch people play PC games. Someday maybe we can see someone play a Mac game.
 
This desktop application is really flawed. It's just the Cure Client with the Twitch-logo strapped to it. You can't even access older videos / vod's using the desktop client. You can only watch live, and only from the channels that have specificly enabled the use of Twitch Desktop App Server. It's a real mess.

Was really looking forward for a desktop app as I love to have a standalone app that I can resize to what ever size I want etc.. But it's next to useless when it does give you half the features you have on Twitch.tv.
 
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I for one wouldn't even think about running this on my Mac, it's Fugly and looks like it's made for Windows and just cheaply ported over to macOS, I bet it asks you if you really-Really-REALLY want to quit upon App close.
 
Bit odd to think they want to spend all this money on something that doesn't go much further than the web interface, have to check it out.

Abazigal said:
When can I get an Apple TV app? Or would the interface be too limited for monetisation purposes?
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You have to get Amazon to do that, they own Twitch. In the mean time there are 4 private twitch apps for you to choose from with 2 of them being actively developed (they both seem to work very well).
 
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Yay, now I can do all the same things that I can do via web, but with no way of blocking ads!
 
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4jasontv said:
How cool! Now we can watch people play PC games. Someday maybe we can see someone play a Mac game.
Click to expand...

Totally got you covered Jason. The world championship for what is one of the most played games on Steam - Dota 2 - (Mac and Linux versions available - and the game itself is free, the author - Valve - just makes money off selling skins) has been going on all this week. Top team takes $10 million. And the game's requirements are (for a game) easy on the hardware so the Mac world where gaming means mobile versions of GPU's, actually work.

https://www.twitch.tv/dota2ti_newcomer

Broadcasting starts around 11am CST'ish. The final is tomorrow (Saturday) but they have a bunch of stuff today for this rather complicated but fun to watch game:

https://www.dotabuff.com/esports/leagues/5401/schedule

A little background on the game (Dota 2):

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017...onal-is-upon-us-with-23-million-up-for-grabs/
 
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mac user watching a PC user..... interesting.
[doublepost=1502454739][/doublepost]
Sasparilla said:
Totally got you covered Jason. The world championship for what is one of the most played games on Steam (Mac and Linux versions available - and the game itself is free, the author - Valve - just make money off selling skins) has been going on all this week. Top team takes $10 million. And the game's requirements are easy on the hardware so the Mac world where gaming means mobile versions of GPU's, actually work.

https://www.twitch.tv/dota2ti_newcomer

Broadcasting starts around 11am CST'ish. The final is tomorrow (Saturday) but they have a bunch of stuff today for this rather complicated but fun to watch game:

https://www.dotabuff.com/esports/leagues/5401/schedule

A little background on the game (Dota 2):

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017...onal-is-upon-us-with-23-million-up-for-grabs/
Click to expand...

when teams start using macs, Linux or mac support means little in the gaming industry , and they are not going to using macs, as they will need to boot camp, so what is the point..... :)
 
MH01 said:
mac user watching a PC user..... interesting.
[doublepost=1502454739][/doublepost]

when teams start using macs, Linux or mac support means little in the gaming industry , and they are not going to using macs, as they will need to boot camp, so what is the point..... :)
Click to expand...

Um, because its not a boot-camped game, its native in OS X / Mac and the original guy wanted to see a native Mac game. Just because Apple doesn't make top of the line gaming rigs that are used in the current broadcast championship doesn't change that. Mac users can play this game natively and watch this huge game live on twitch.

Now as for a Mac only game, your moving the yardstick...although with all the channels on twitch I wouldn't be surprised if there was something - if its actually important to you, you should go look. Cheers...
 
iKrivetko said:
Yay, now I can do all the same things that I can do via web, but with no way of blocking ads!
Click to expand...

no, it doesn't offer even the functionality of the web app + as you said, it won't likely be possible to block one of the most annoying ads implementation ever .. better to use web iface where you can block that super-annoying crap or ios app on jailbroken device. I'm paying 2 subscriptions and still getting this ads crap on other channels .. "you have to pay more to get rid of them" .. sure, in such case you won't get anything! :) I lost my patience a long time ago ..
 
I was so excited until I realized this is just a wrapper aka not native mac OS code. :( Their website is good enough for my lunch-break viewing.
 
Abazigal said:
When can I get an Apple TV app? Or would the interface be too limited for monetisation purposes?
Click to expand...
There are actually a few third party apps for the Apple TV that work pretty well for viewing Twitch streams. I think the one I've been using is called Twitchy, and it works pretty well.
 
Quit the app, after a while my fans kicks in very loudly. A process called "Twitch" maxes the CPU even though I quit the app o_O
 
Sasparilla said:
Um, because its not a boot-camped game, its native in OS X / Mac and the original guy wanted to see a native Mac game. Just because Apple doesn't make top of the line gaming rigs that are used in the current broadcast championship doesn't change that. Mac users can play this game natively and watch this huge game live on twitch.

Now as for a Mac only game, your moving the yardstick...although with all the channels on twitch I wouldn't be surprised if there was something - if its actually important to you, you should go look. Cheers...
Click to expand...

You are correct , though as popular as the game is, it would be interesting to see what % are mac gamers .
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dannys1 said:
I'm too old now to ever understand "Twitch".
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It's simple. Imagine you like drinking beer, you can watch people drinkimg beer on a TV channel......yeah I'm too old too..... :( pub for me....so old school
 
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Sasparilla said:
You have to get Amazon to do that, they own Twitch. In the mean time there are 4 private twitch apps for you to choose from with 2 of them being actively developed (they both seem to work very well).
Click to expand...
GeneralChang said:
There are actually a few third party apps for the Apple TV that work pretty well for viewing Twitch streams. I think the one I've been using is called Twitchy, and it works pretty well.
Click to expand...
Is there a decent one that doesn't require logging in? The one or two I looked at asked me to log in first thing. I'm not a fan of putting site logins into 3rd-party apps I've never heard of before. I'll have to take another look.

Hmm, given that they're from Amazon, maybe we'll see an official app at the same time as the Amazon Video app this fall.
 
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