Following Mixer’s demise, Xbox head Phil Spencer wants to allow Xbox gamers to stream to other places

Witch Microsoft announcing yesterday that it would pull the plug on Mixer next month, it’s safe to say that Xbox gamers are quite confused about how to stream games on the console going forward. Microsoft is currently recommending Xbox streamers to switch to Twitch, which is the only Xbox One app that lets you stream games while providing a limited amount of technical settings.

Still, using the Twitch app to stream games on Xbox consoles is not as convenient as using Mixer, which has the advantage of being built into the OS. But now that Mixer is going away, could Microsoft make it easier to stream to other game streaming platforms in the future? It does seem like it, according to what Xbox head Phil Spencer said on Twitter today.

In a reply to a tweet about streaming options on Xbox consoles, Phil Spencer said today that “we absolutely want to give gamers the choice of where to stream from Xbox.” It’s not clear yet if Spencer was referring to third-party apps or something more integrated, but with the Xbox Series X controller coming with a dedicated Share button, it does make sense to offer more game streaming options at the system level.

Yes, we absolutely want to give gamers choice of where to stream from Xbox.

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) June 23, 2020

As you may know, Sony’s PlayStation 4 consoles offer the ability to stream to Twitch and YouTube right of the box, with everything being built in the OS. Sony’s PS4 controllers also already come with a dedicated Share button, making it really easy to start streaming your game. Hopefully, Microsoft took some inspiration from that for future Xbox One OS updates.

Microsoft announced a new partnership with Facebook Gaming yesterday, but some details are still unclear, including the ability to stream to Facebook from Xbox One consoles. Perhaps, more Importantly, Spencer also told VentureBeat yesterday that Xbox’s partnership with Facebook Gaming wasn’t an exclusive one, and that Microsoft is free to team up with other streaming platforms if deemed necessary.