Microsoft has launched its own Xbox TV app, allowing owners of 2022 Samsung smart TVs and monitors to play Xbox games without a game console.
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will have access to more than 100 games through their 2022 Samsung Smart TVs, streamed to the cloud powered by dedicated Xbox Series X consoles. Fortnite is available to stream for free if you are not a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber.
The Xbox TV app will work much like Netflix does on TVs and will be available from the Samsung Game Center on June 30 in 27 countries.
You can simply sign into your Microsoft account in the app and play Xbox games just as you would with Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Microsoft and Samsung will support a large number of controllers for the Xbox app, including the Xbox range of controllers, Sony’s DualSense, and more.
All you have to do is connect the controller via bluetooth. Unfortunately, Microsoft isn’t increasing streaming resolutions to 4K, so games will be limited to streaming at 1080p at 60fps.
Microsoft has partnered with Samsung here for the initial launch of the Xbox app, but it’s not clear when the app will be available on other TVs or even older Samsung models.
“We are bringing the Xbox app to Samsung Smart TVs first, and we aim to explore other TV partnerships as part of this next development in our vision,” explains Ashley McKissick, corporate vice president of Xbox gaming experiences and platforms.
This latest Samsung partnership follows similar marketing deals for Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming on Android as well as other partnerships related to Android and Windows.
The Xbox TV app, originally announced last year, is a major achievement of Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming and Game Pass ambitions.
Microsoft is gradually expanding Xbox Cloud gaming, bringing the service to iOS devices through the browser and even on the web, Xbox One consoles, and computers.
Microsoft also has plans for separate Xbox streaming devices that can connect to monitors or TVs and stream games much like this Xbox TV app.
The software maker recently revealed that it’s reworking its game-streaming device, codenamed Keystone, so this tweak-like device isn’t coming out anytime soon.
