YouTube is planning to challenge Twitch with a website and mobile app dedicated entirely to gaming, and while that project still doesn’t have a confirmed release date, Android users can give it a test drive. A “Creator Preview” version of the mobile app is now available thanks to a leaked APK currently available for download.
The gaming app will feature videos from YouTube’s creative community as well as live streams of top e-sports events, Let’s Play videos, reviews, and other video game content. Significant streams will be featured at the top of the app, and users will also be able to browse through a list of “trending games.” A prominent chat window is clearly intended to mirror Twitch’s infamous chat, which has taken on a life of its own as the streaming video site has grown in popularity.
The current version of the app could still change, but the rough draft has impressed some people who have installed it so far. “I’m very impressed with how clean, simple and functional the app is, to the point where I think this is way better than Google’s actual YouTube app,” wrote Luke Plunkett of Kotaku. Plunkett also provided his readers with a video walkthrough in which he offers his first impressions of the app.
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YouTube first announced its dedicated gaming site and mobile app in June, ahead of the yearly E3 expo. While we still don’t know when the app will go public, it is expected to arrive sometime in “summer 2015.”
