The Xbox TV app will be available on newer Samsung Smart TVs and for the first time, users don’t need a console to enjoy Xbox gaming.
Samsung and Microsoft have announced a partnership which will see the TV manufacturing giant introducing the new Xbox TV App to their 2022 models. This requires gamers to play games without using a console, which could revolutionise the gaming industry.
Think of it as like Netflix for games (although Netflix is also now doing games). Users will be able to pick from more than 100 games. The app will be available from Samsung’s gaming hub from June 30, for those with a compatible TV. It will be available in 27 countries. All you need is the TV, the app, a subscription and a controller.
“We are excited to deepen our partnership with Xbox by adding the Xbox app to Samsung Gaming Hub, which now gives Samsung Smart TV users access to hundreds of Xbox Game Pass games. With the same ease that our customers watch live sports and stream movies on Samsung Neo QLEDs and QLEDs, they can now play their favorite games” said Won-Jin Lee, President and Head of the Service Business Team at Samsung Electronics in a statement.
Xbox already has their Xbox Game Pass, a cloud-based gaming library, but it still requires the subscriber to have a console, some of which are difficult to purchase at the moment. The TV app would probably increase the amount of gamers who could enjoy these games without the latest console, making gaming more inclusive.
Ashley McKissick, Xbox’s Corporate Vice President, Gaming Experiences & Platforms reflected this in a blog post yesterday: “Our mission at Xbox is to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet. We are committed to achieving this vision by delivering great games and services and enabling more people to play than ever before.”
But inclusivity still comes at a price. The app is only available on the 2022 Samsung TVs, which are still on the pricier side, so if you have a perfectly working TV, Samsung or not, this might still be out of your price range. The newer models average between £2000 – £5000 these days. You also have to subscribe to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in order to access the games.
While it’s only speculation, it’s safe to say that Sony might be also now considering a partnership with a TV manufacturer to keep up with the times. Playstation has historically been slow to accept change, being the last major console manufacturer to allow crossplay – that is, multiplayer games across consoles – on its games. Only time will tell whether the partnership between Microsoft and Samsung will become the new normal for the gaming industry.
