Microsoft has announced that it will make its Xbox Cloud Gaming service available via an Xbox app on 2022 Samsung TVs and monitors on June 30.
Cloud Gaming is already available on PCs, Xbox consoles and mobile devices, but this means that you’ll be able to play Xbox games on a TV without a console for the first time. Microsoft says it will pursue other TV partnerships for Cloud Gaming after launching on Samsung devices.
As on the other platforms, Cloud Gaming (which is still technically in beta) is available as part of the Game Pass Ultimate subscription service and provides streaming access to the Game Pass catalog of games, which includes all the major Xbox Studios releases such as Forza Horizon 5, Halo Infinite, Minecraft, and future Bethesda titles, along with a rolling lineup of games from third-party publishers and indie developers. You can also play Fortnite for free on Cloud Gaming without a Game Pass subscription.
The Xbox app for Samsung TVs will, Microsoft promises, “be a seamless experience, similar to using other streaming apps on your TV.” Of course, you will need to pair a game controller with the TV via Bluetooth as well, and the PlayStation DualSense and DualShock 4 controllers will be compatible with the app, as well as Microsoft’s own Xbox controller range. Bluetooth headsets will also be compatible for game audio and chat.
The Xbox app for Samsung smart TVs will be available in 27 countries. Microsoft didn’t list them, but we presume they are largely the same countries where Cloud Gaming is currently available (including the United States, Canada, many European countries, Japan and South Korea).
Microsoft also announced that Xbox Cloud Gaming is available from today in Argentina and New Zealand, and that game demos and the ability to use Cloud Gaming to stream games outside the Game Pass library are coming to Game Pass subscribers within the next year.
