Twitch And Alexa Almost Make The Perfect Game Streaming Pair

Google may have dealt Amazon a big blow when it yanked YouTube from under the Echo Show's feet but gamers don't need to be too concerned. Amazon, after all, still owns the granddaddy of game and live streaming, Twitch.tv. Taking advantage of that inter-company relationship, Twitch has just announced new Alexa skills that would deliver an almost perfect hands-free game streaming experience. Well, almost. While it naturally works with any Alexa-enabled device, you'll probably want to have an Echo Show anyway.

Twitch.tv, formerly Justin.tv, can perhaps be considered the ancestor of today's live streaming craze. It started with streaming gameplays and soon evolved into anything and everything, including streaming the food people eat as they eat them. Other video streaming platforms have sought to replicate that magic, giving birth to YouTube Live, Facebook Live, and more.

Amazon may have lost access to YouTube on the Echo Show, but it's trying to make up for it with Twitch and Alexa integration. How does that work? Simply link your Twitch account in the Alexa app and enable notifications. Make sure to also enable notifications on your Twitch account. Once set up, you can ask Alexa to list the channels you follow, look for channels currently streaming a certain game, or even suggest channels about a certain category.

Alexa can also be a bit proactive by informing you when your favorite channels have gone live. And, perhaps most importantly, it will remind you when your Twitch Prime subscription is about to expire.

Of course, you can also ask Alexa to play a certain stream, but there's a catch. Unless you have an Alexa-enabled device with a screen, all you'll get is an audio stream. It would be like listening to a boxing match or basketball game over old-school radio. Really, you'll want an Amazon Echo Show for this.

SOURCE: Twitch