Twitch brings video calls to its game communication app

Twitch wants to move beyond live streaming to cover your game communications, and to that end it bought Curse back in August. Just what is it doing with its newly acquired app, though? Well, now we know: Curse is rolling out desktop support for both video calls and screen sharing on top of its existing voice and social features. You and four other people can now see each other while you play, and share what's on your display if you want to brag about a victory or show vital info to your teammates.

The Twitch crew tells us that the video call features will initially be available on the Mac, Windows and Chrome, but mobile support is in the works. It's also quick to stress that these are server-based calls, not peer-to-peer, so you're not exposing your internet connection details to viewers when you invite them to a match. Will the Curse upgrade be enough to stop you from using rivals like Discord or Teamspeak? Not necessarily (your friends' tastes will likely dictate what you use), but it could make Curse your preferred comms app if you regularly broadcast play sessions with friends.