Twitch streamers are no strangers to DMCA music claims. Over the summer, the platform acknowledged a flood of takedown requests for older videos, which could’ve potentially put streamers in jeopardy of consequences under Twitch’s content policy. The company has offered a library of free-to-use tunes for years, but using a song from one of today’s popular artists could land you in hot water. Rapper (and streamer) Logic recently explained that several of his “gaming homies” have wanted to use his music on streams, but his label Universal Music Group (UMG) wouldn’t allow it. The song rights issue for Twitch changes a bit today as the company debuts Soundtrack by Twitch: a tool made specifically for the platform’s creators that should ease some anxiety about music choices.

Soundtrack by Twitch is in beta right now, but it offers over a million licensed tracks for use in streams. The library of available audio content includes songs from over 30 independent labels including Alpha Pup, Anjunabeats, Chillhop, DistroKid, EMPIRE, Future Classic, Monstercat, Nuclear Blast, SoundCloud and United Masters. While it’s unclear exactly which artists from these labels will be available on Twitch, their artists rosters include the likes of XXXtentacion, Young Dolph and Flume. Nuclear Blast is a big heavy metal label, with bands like Biohazard, Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Lamb of God, Meshuggah and more. SoundCloud has already been working with Twitch to help musicians earn money from livestreams during the COVID-19 pandemic, so its inclusion on the list isn’t much of a surprise. Of course, Twitch is also angling Soundtrack as a way for new artists to get discovered when they’re featured on a stream. DistroKid, for example, is a self-distribution service that helps artists get their music on streaming platforms, so there’s plenty of aspiring acts there.

Google wants more people to check out Stadia Pro, the subscription-based version of its video game streaming service. To that end, the company is adding six titles to its freebie lineup on October 1st, including Dead by Daylight. The asymmetric horror game, which is already available on other platforms, pits four survivors against another human-controlled menace. The Stadia version will support cross-play and Crowd Choice, a streamer-focused feature that allows viewers to vote on what happens next. “Select whether they play as the Killer or a Survivor in Dead by Daylight, then pick which Killer or Survivor they’ll become,” Google teased in a blog post.

Other Stadia Pro additions include Celeste, a critically-acclaimed indie platformer, Human: Fall Flat, a party game with intentionally-bad controls and physics, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, an isometric take on the franchise, Mind Control Delete, a time-bending expansion to Superhot, and Jotun, an action-adventure game about a deceased viking warrior. They’re not the biggest games — not in September 2020, anyway — but generally high quality and worth playing if you haven’t got around to them already.

They released a free browser app called Stadium, which you can download directly from the App Store. Once you enter a few settings and authenticate the browser with your Google account, the app brings up the Stadia landing page whenever you open it. Knox wrote that the app doesn’t have ads or tracking code.

Another user named /u/GrayBayPlay laid the groundwork to use an external controller in a full-screen iOS browser app. As such, you can play Stadia games on your iPhone with an Xbox One controller or Sony’s DualShock 4.

Based on some limited testing, Stadium works well enough. I played a multiplayer mission in Marvel’s Avengers and it ran smoothly with no noticeable controller lag. Downloading the app from the App Store means you sidestep some of the fiddlier aspects of other Stadia workarounds.

There’s a chance that Apple could pull Stadium from the App Store. However, the app isn’t explicitly designed to use Stadia — the App Store listing doesn’t mention the service at all.

It’s not clear if or when Stadia and xCloud will arrive on iOS devices in any official capacity. Microsoft said that Apple’s unwieldy game streaming rules would give xCloud players a “bad experience” on iPhone. However, the company recently started beta testing its remote play function on iOS. That feature allows people to play games from their Xbox One (and soon, Xbox Series X/S) remotely on their iPhone.

Amazon seems to have found a way around Apple’s rules, though. Its upcoming streaming service Luna will run on iOS as a progressive web app.

Meanwhile, Apple’s Safari browser added support for the Stadia controller last week in beta, but only for the macOS version of the browser.

First up, this whole “Android coming soon” business.

Amazon

Android availability

Initially, Luna will launch in early access on Fire TV, PC, Mac and iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads. Notably, it won’t be available on Android right away. The Android version should go live within “weeks” of the early access launch, according to Luna head Marc Whitten.

Whitten and other Luna executives don’t attribute the temporary iOS exclusivity to Amazon’s mysterious sweetheart deal with Apple, which allows Prime Video to sell media directly on the App Store without giving Apple 30 percent of its sales. The 30 percent cut is standard for essentially every other paid program on the iOS marketplace, and it’s one of the main reasons Epic Games is suing Apple this year. 

Executives also don’t attribute the iOS-first launch to xCloud’s provisional exclusivity on Android platforms. Microsoft’s game-streaming platform, xCloud, isn’t available on iOS because of that 30 percent fee and the fact that Apple “consistently treats gaming apps differently, applying more lenient rules to non-gaming apps,” according to Microsoft.

With Luna, Amazon has discovered another way to circumvent Apple’s App Store fees. Luna is a progressive web application (PWA), which means it’s actually a browser-based program masquerading as a native iOS app. You’ll download the PWA from the Luna website, and the resulting icon on your iPhone’s home screen will function like a shortcut to Amazon’s cloud gaming portal on the web. 

As a PWA, Luna is not involved in the App Store at all. 

“Just to be super transparent, on iOS, it is through the browser,” Whitten said. “So it’s not a native app in the App Store.”

Epic tried something similar when it sold Fortnite outside of Google Play starting in 2018. For 18 months, the only way for Android users to play Fortnite was to visit the game’s website and download a proprietary launcher from there, or get it through the Samsung-only app store. It was an inelegant solution, and in April of this year, Epic reluctantly added Fortnite to Google Play, accepting the 30 percent fee on all transactions. 

At the time, Epic told The Verge, “Google puts software downloadable outside of Google Play at a disadvantage, through technical and business measures such as scary, repetitive security pop-ups for downloaded and updated software, restrictive manufacturer and carrier agreements and dealings, Google public relations characterizing third party software sources as malware, and new efforts such as Google Play Protect to outright block software obtained outside the Google Play store.”

Epic didn’t even attempt to launch Fortnite outside of the App Store ecosystem, citing Apple’s ulta-restrictive policies on third-party marketplaces and its monopolistic control of the iOS platform. Both Epic and Microsoft are aware of the existence of PWA — Microsoft and Google are even collaborating on a project to improve PWA experiences on the Play Store — but they’ve been unwilling or unable to take this route for their mobile gaming services. 

And honestly, that’s not surprising. As the Fortnite experiment demonstrated, both Epic and Microsoft have faced regular roadblocks from Apple and Google, even when attempting to operate outside of the App or Play stores. On September 11th, Apple revised its App Store guidelines in a show of deference to game-streaming services like xCloud, but even these new rules are impractical. They require users to download a container for each game they want to play individually from the App Store, even when attempting to access them through a streaming service like xCloud. This mandate doesn’t apply to Luna.

Microsoft responded to the rule change that same day, saying, “This remains a bad experience for customers.” xCloud still isn’t on iOS, and Fortnite is no longer available on the App Store or Google Play as Epic is embroiled in lawsuits with Apple and Google. 

With the Luna PWA, Amazon is once again sidestepping a hurdle that has proven insurmountable for companies like Microsoft and Epic.

“We worked with the Safari team to ensure that some of the things that weren’t there are there, and that allowed us to kind of get to where we are today,” Luna head of engineering and technology George Tsipolitis said.

It’s unclear if Luna will remain a PWA after its stint in early access, or if it will eventually join the app stores under the standard 30 percent fee.

“We’ll continue working with Apple,” Whitten said. “We’d love to do a native experience. They’re evaluating what their policies are there, they keep talking about them. And when we can come up with a good experience there, we’ll ship that one, too.”

Amazon

Pricing

Luna will cost $5.99 — at least — in early access. That price unlocks access to Luna+, the baseline channel that will feature a mix of games, including Resident Evil 7, Control, Tacoma, Rez Infinite, Metro Exodus, The Sexy Brutale, Overcooked! 2 and others. Not all of the titles listed up there will be available on day one, but they’re all on the early access docket.

Luna will have more channels with curated content, each available at an additional, as-yet-unknown cost. The first confirmed channel comes from Ubisoft, and will include a broad selection of games from the publisher’s catalog, plus same-day releases of upcoming titles including Far Cry 6, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Immortals Fenyx Rising. 

Amazon is aiming to have about 100 games available during the early beta period, spread between Luna+ and the Ubisoft channel.

“So more than Stadia, less than Game Pass,” Luna business development manager Lisa Schwenke said. Microsoft recently integrated xCloud into its Game Pass Ultimate subscription service and offers more than 150 streamable titles, while Stadia has about 50, some of which are purchased individually. Schwenke continued, “The goal is to continue to have something for everyone, see what customers are enjoying and try to bring more of that. So definitely starting out a little bit smaller during early access, I think there’ll be about 50 titles in our Luna Plus channel and about 50 in the Ubisoft channel, and just growing that over time consistently.”

The channeled approach to game streaming was borrowed from Amazon’s Prime Video experience, which offers certain stations as paid additions. That said, Luna will evolve as early access carries on and the feedback rolls in.

“You may even see other types of channels like a genre-based channel,” said Marc Whitten, Amazon’s head of Luna. “Or other ways to think about specific pieces of content that might be very attractive to a certain set of customers.”

Amazon specifies that $5.99 a month is the price of a Luna+ subscription during early access, so this base price is likely to change with the launch of Luna 1.0.

The Xbox app, which is a beta release, has a design that matches the updated user interface on Xbox One and the Xbox Series X/S dashboard. It works in concert with the share button on the latest version of the Xbox Wireless Controller. When you capture a screenshot or clip, you’ll be able to select which social networks to which you want to share it from your phone or tablet. You’ll be able to share it on the Highlights section of your profile as well.

You’ll be able to use the app to set up an Xbox Series X or Series S, so while the console is downloading updates, you can configure your settings. On top of that, you’ll be able to manage your game library with the app or use it as a remote control.

The app includes access to profiles too, so you can see what your friends are playing and invite them to a party. There’s a unified search function that’ll display game titles and friends in results.

The Xbox app is available now from the Play Store. It’s not clear when Microsoft will roll out the app on iOS.

All good things must come to an end. Microsoft has confirmed that the PC version of Game Pass will soon cost $9.99 per month, rather than $4.99 per month. We knew this price hike was coming: Game Pass for PC is technically in beta at the moment, and the Xbox website has long stated that $4.99 is a “limited time price.” The higher cost of entry will go into effect on September 17th, the same day the service becomes “generally available” and sheds its beta label. The new pricing makes sense, given that the console version of Game Pass — which is functionally identical, but offers a tweaked library — also costs $9.99 per month at the moment.

We’re retiring the introductory price on the 17th, but if you’re already a member, you’ll pay the same rate through the next billing cycle. look out for a notification on the 17th to get more details

— Xbox Game Pass For PC (@XboxGamePassPC) September 9, 2020

Unlike the console version, though, Game Pass for PC will soon come with a basic EA Play subscription. That service usually costs $4.99 per month on its own, which arguably negates the price rise of Game Pass for PC, provided you’re interested in the third-party publisher’s back catalog. Regardless, Game Pass for PC still seems like a great deal. It still has a vast library, after all, that includes every Xbox Game Studio title on the day of its release. If you have some extra cash to burn, there’s also Game Pass Ultimate, a $14.99 per month service that bundles the console and PC offerings, as well as Xbox Live Gold on console, EA Play and, starting on September 15th, xCloud game streaming on Android phones and tablets.

Stadia now allows you to stream games over 4G and 5G connections, provided you’re willing to try the functionality out as part of Google’s latest experiment. You can enable the feature by launching the Stadia app on your phone, tapping on your avatar, and navigating to the Experiments section of the settings menu. Keep in mind Google is currently rolling out the feature to users, so you may not see the option right away. 

When Stadia launched in 2019, the only way to use the service over a cellular connection was to use tethering to trick the app into thinking it was connected to the internet over WiFi. By contrast, Microsoft’s competing Project xCloud service has offered cellular streaming since day one.   

She’s not alone. Featured streamers like RobotGiggles are going from having 47,545 followers on Mixer, to around 6,100 followers on Twitch. LenaAxios will have to walk away from her 122,423 Mixer followers for just 5,900 on Twitch. And for those few streamers who are making the leap to Facebook Gaming, it’ll still be a difficult journey regaining their clout. TimDubz, a pro level partner on Mixer with 25,141 followers currently only has 190 on his Facebook Gaming page.

Microsoft

Of course, these numbers will likely grow as these creators devote more time to their new gaming homes. But for many, it’ll likely take months, perhaps years, to regain their footing. That won’t be a huge deal for casual streamers, but anyone who was actually making a living off of the service will need to hustle for sponsorships and paying gigs.

No matter where they end up, Mixer streamers won’t be able to recreate the feeling of being part of an underdog streaming service. It started out as Beam and gained a reputation for incredibly fast streaming thanks to its “FTL” technology. After Microsoft acquired the company in 2016, it rebadged as Mixer and went to great lengths to compete with Twitch, the incumbent streaming leader. Last year, Microsoft paid leading personalities like Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and Soleil “Faze Ewok” Wheeler to move over to the service exclusively. 

Despite how much Microsoft tried, it couldn’t dent Twitch’s market lead. According to data from Streamlabs, Mixer only reached around 81.4 million streaming hours watched, compared to 3.1 billion from Twitch, a billion from YouTube gaming and 553.8 million from Facebook Gaming, the newest challenger. And even a streaming titan like Ninja could only attract 3 million followers on his Mixer account, even though he had amassed 14.7 million on Twitch. As compelling as these personalities are, it seems like many viewers would rather stick with the platform they already know.

Just before Microsoft announced that Mixer would be shutting down, former employee Milan Lee documented his experience with racism at the company on Twitter. After making a formal complaint against his manager for racist comments, the company ultimately decided not to punish her. Mixer responded with a seemingly earnest apology, but the only action the company took was announcing its shut down the following day. That made the move seem doubly disappointing to many fans.

Mixer’s small size also made it a more intimate home for streamers. “For a lot of people, Mixer was just a streaming platform, a way for them to try and make a bit of money on the side or a stepping stone in their streaming careers,” streamer JRMATRIX wrote in a farewell letter. “For the rest of us, Mixer was one thing and one thing only, it was a home. It was our home.”

When asked why he chose to jump to Twitch instead of Facebook Gaming, JRMatrix, whose real name is Nate Flynn, told us that he’s trying to keep the community he began building on Mixer. “When we heard about the merger with Facebook Gaming, and the manner in which we found out we all felt a little sold out,” he said. “And I think it really tainted a lot of people’s view of the Facebook Gaming platform, so the majority of us opted for what we felt was a more secure future with Twitch.”

He added, “The thing I’ll miss most about Mixer I think is the atmosphere of the platform as a whole. With it being much smaller it always felt like a much closer knit community to me, and that really came through in the way streamers helped each other out on the platform. I know that community ethic exists on Twitch too, but given the size of the platform it always felt a little out of reach to me as a relative newcomer to streaming. Having that with me now, the prospect of streaming on a larger platform seems less daunting. It feels like we’re bribing that community spirit with us over to Twitch.”

The Stadia library is seriously starting to take shape. Not only did Google just reveal that El Nino and indie smash hit Celeste are coming to the service, but during Ubisoft Forward this week, we learned more of that publisher’s titles are heading to Stadia too, including Far Cry 6. And guess what? There are even more games on the way to Google’s streaming platform.

You’ll learn about a bunch of them during the latest Stadia Connect, which is taking place today. You can expect to find out about some Stadia exclusives as well as some other third-party titles that’ll drop on the service in the near future. Google said back in January that it planned to add more than 120 games to Stadia this year, and we’ll learn more about its plans to round out that lineup during the Connect. You can watch it right here at 1PM ET.

It doesn’t take much to start streaming. Using open-source software like OBS, you can go live with just a laptop or a cell phone — but if you want to compete with your favorite streamers, you’ll need a few extra pieces of equipment. Here we’ve outlined the gear you’ll need to begin building your streaming empire, and in the interest of college-era budgets, we’ve kept most of the picks under $200. (Except for one. Try not to gasp when you see it.)

As a salute to the A/V clubs of yore, we’ve broken things into two categories: audio and visual. Let’s start with those sweet sounds.

Audio

Blue Yeti

Will Lipman Photography

This is the best option if you want a standalone mic. The Yeti by Blue is a longstanding favorite of streamers and podcasters, offering crisp sound with little fuss. The Blue is a USB microphone, so it plugs right into your computer and you’re good to go. One tip: Use the cardioid setting for streaming.

Buy Yeti mic at Best Buy – $130

Sony MDR-7506

If you opt for a mic like the Blue, you’ll need some headphones, too. Feel free to use whatever buds or cups you have on hand, but once those become maddeningly uncomfortable (because after hours of streaming, they will), invest in something like Sony’s MDR-7506. They’re built for professional audio folks and designed to be worn for long stretches of time.

Buy Sony MDR-7506 at Amazon – $95

Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless

Will Lipman Photography

For those less interested in adding pops of color to their streams, there’s always the Steelseries Arctis 1 Wireless headset. This is the only wireless option on our list, since wired is still the best way to ensure a consistent and clear connection. However, the Arctis 1 works well with PC, Mac, Android devices, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch (sorry, Xbox streamers).

Buy Arctis 1 at Best Buy – $82

Logitech G433

Or, get your headphones and microphone in one package with a headset like the Logitech G433. This baby is lightweight and strong, and offers clear audio output thanks to a noise-cancelling boom microphone and micro-pop filter. Plus, it comes in pretty colors.

Buy Logitech G433 at Amazon – $120

Visual

Razer Ripsaw HD

Will Lipman Photography

This is one of the pricier items on our list, but capture cards are necessary for serious streamers and the Razer Ripsaw HD is at the top of its game. The Ripsaw HD is essentially a plug-and-play device that works with PCs and consoles. It records and streams your gameplay at up to 1080p and 60FPS, while allowing you to play at 4K and 60FPS — handy for PS4 Pro and Xbox One X players in particular.

Buy Ripsaw HD at Best Buy – $160

Razer Kiyo

Will Lipman Photography

How about a camera c-c-c-combo deal? Razer’s Kiyo is an HD camera and a miniature light ring in one compact package, capable of streaming at 720p and 60FPS, or 1080p and 30FPS. The Kiyo is ideal for tight spaces with a lack of natural lighting, and bonus, it costs about as much as streaming cameras that don’t have added illumination features. Lighting is a key aspect of creating professional-looking videos, so just think of the Kiyo as real-world Photoshop.

Buy Razer Kiyo at Amazon – $197

Logitech C922 HD Camera

If you don’t need help in the lighting department, the Logitech C922 HD camera is a reliable, high-quality choice. This baby also streams at 720p and 60FPS, or 1080p and 30FPS, and it has a 78-degree field of view. That should fit two people in a single shot, so feel free to boot up some local co-op games. It also includes two microphones and promises to stream no-drop audio — but if you’re able to get a separate mic, that’s still your best bet.

Buy Logitech C922 Pro at Best Buy – $100

Fujifilm X-T3

OK, this one definitely isn’t what you’d call “budget-friendly,” but we thought it’d be good to include something in the “goals” category. The Fujifilm X-T3 is for folks looking to futureproof their streams, cost be damned — though it’s still priced well for a compact mirrorless rig. The X-T3 captures video at up to 4K and 60FPS, and it can hit Cinema 4K at 30FPS. Plus, it has fantastic autofocus and face detection features, keeping your face crisp as you play. The X-T3 is a beloved standby for photographers and videographers alike, and streamers could be its next big market.

However, if you go with a mirrorless or DSLR camera, you’ll need a few extra accessories, including a cam link and a tripod.

Buy Fujifilm X-T3 at Amazon – $1,200

Elgato Cam Link 4K

Once you land a mirrorless or DSLR camera, you’ll need a way to pipe that video into your stream — and that’s where the Elgato Cam Link 4K comes in. Most streamers nowadays cap their videos at 1080p or 720p, but Elgato’s Cam Link is prepared for a future where 4K is the norm. This should be the only camera-connecting device you’ll need over the coming years.

Buy Elgato Cam Link 4K at Amazon – $195

Fantaseal Magic Arm

It securely holds your camera. It’s unobtrusive. It’s kinda cute. What more do you need in a tripod?

Buy Fantaseal Magic Arm at Amazon – $30

Neewer Dimmable LED Light

And finally, lighting. Adjustable LED panels like Neewer’s Dimmable LED Light should work well for most streaming situations, offering crisp light in a portable package. This particular model sits right on your desk or attaches to a tripod, and it comes with a white diffuser for the perfect soft glow. Go for an LED panel especially if you wear glasses on-stream.

Buy Neewer LED light at Amazon – $72

Neewer Dimmable Ring Light

Let’s close it out with a classic. The Neewer Dimmable Ring Light is a solid, no-frills device that’ll light up your face in even the darkest of dorm rooms. This set comes with an 18-inch, dimmable ring light, and white and orange plastic filters. Plus, it’ll give you that iconic “circle of light in your irises” look.

Buy Neewer ring light at Amazon – $85