Twitch declares war on Discord with the full launch of the Twitch Desktop App

The Twitch Desktop App, which was revealed to the world back in March, is now in full release. The app covers all things Twitch "from streams to memes," as well as a number of features not available through the web, including voice and video calls, servers, and "Dark Mode." 

Twitch described community servers as "a place to call home 24/7 with text and voice rooms," where followers of streamers can hang out and socialize even when the streamers themselves are offline. If that has any sort of familiar ring to it, you might be thinking of Discord, which already does basically the same thing. In a fun bit of coincidental timing, Discord began testing a new video chat feature today, something that's also present (and fully operational) in the Twitch Desktop App. 

The Twitch Desktop App also features support for game modes and addons through the CurseForge modding community, the new Friend Sync function "will help you find all your friends from across the creator-verse," and of course there's that Dark Mode, which isn't nearly as ominous as it sounds: It's basically a low-intensity screen mode intended to make late-night streaming easier on your eyes. 

The app sounds like must-have software for Twitch users, but what's especially interesting here is the increasing amount of crossover between services: Discord is clearly maneuvering for a slice of the Skype pie, and Twitch is just as clearly gunning for Discord. Is a shakeout that leaves one or more of them in the dust inevitable? Fans of individual streamers will follow them wherever they may be, but in the bigger picture I have to wonder how long less dedicated gamers will want to stick with multiple pieces of software that do basically the same thing. And as those apps continue to expand their offerings, they're bound to become increasingly indistinct—not a good place to be when you're trying to stand out from the crowd. 

The Twitch Desktop App is available for download at app.twitch.tv.