Yes, LiveSplit is the primary software that people use. It simply has the most features and integrations.

As for the window being distracting, not really. I can't speak for anyone else but when I'm focusing on a game window I tend to tunnel vision on that small area and just ignore everything else.

Features that I commonly use in LiveSplit, as can be seen in any of my VODs:

Number of finished runs/number of attempts Delta graph showing how behind/ahead I am visually Sum of best segments Total possible timesave (current split) Total time played

If I'm playing Sonic Adventure 2 specifically, I also have a secondary set of times up showing my IGT values for each stage, and use an autosplitter that does the splitting and timing for me.

There are other features but they obviously take up progressively more space, many people prefer a minimalist layout.

1)I don't know how many things you know, but imo neat features, especially for streamers is the possibility to show neat information like estimated run duration, the current WRs video, or other stuff like how many times you pressed a button.

2)for some games there's autosplitters, that use magic to determine what the game is currently doing, so they can time down to the frame, and stop the timer when there's a loadscreen happening, for games that don't have this there usually comes a muscle memory after a while, so the runner doesn't consciously split, but rather the body is doing it out of habit so the runner can fully concentrate on the run - you can see this sometimes at events like GDQ where at some points a runner stretches out his/her hand to split, only to hit the desk / air.

3)¯_(ツ)_/¯ they're named however it pleases the creator.

For the most part, a lot of features are more for aesthetic and neat value. Generally though, putting splits in the right place lets you know whether the run you are currently in is even worth continuing. I couldn't tell you whether I was 2 1/2 hours in or 3 hours into a game without at a timer, and 3 hours in might be way too slow to get a PB/WR. So you know to go ahead and reset without wasting the time finishing a losing run. Not useful in all games, but the sum of best times is pretty useful for giving you a baseline for an entire run by adding the sum of fastest times for individual segments. That can be pretty useful for identifying areas where long runs can be improved.

"LiveSplit" is the name of the software lots use. "WSplit" is another. "Splits" just refers to the in between markings in a full-game run. If you just started the clock at 0 and let it run for the whole game, there would be no splits. "Splits" are the moments in game-play use to split the time up into more manageable segments.

Does it get in the way visually? Depends on the game and stuff. One game I play on, I have to pretty careful not to click on it by mistake (as I haven't got my second screen set up yet, so my timer lays over the gameplay). The tiny amount of time lost pushing the split button during a run, if any at all, is usually so insignificant to not worry about, unless you literally need to shave every millisecond.

I like how Drakodan talked about a lot of different uses. Myself, I like to keep it minimal, and besides the splits of my PB and the timer, I've only got the Sum of Best Segments displayed. :) In some games you need to split at very obvious moments - like at the end or start of every level. That makes it easy to do. :) And if you do forget a split or split accidentally, you can move up or down in your splits using LiveSplit, or, if you're not comfortable doing that during a run, you could always fix the splits afterwards. The timer's the most important thing at all times, but splits can be very helpful as well!