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Microsoft has been talking about bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming to TVs for quite some time, and this year, the company will finally begin the rollout. To start off with, Microsoft is partnering with Samsung to allow Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to stream games directly to Samsung's 2022 Smart TVs and future TVs. However, more excitingly, Microsoft has also confirmed plans to allow Xbox users to stream the digital games they already own over the cloud too, even if they aren't included in Xbox Game Pass.
The Xbox TV app will launch for Samsung's 2022 Smart TVs at the end of this month through the Samsung Gaming Hub, starting on the 30th of June. The app will support streaming in 27 countries, all you'll need to do is log in with your Microsoft account and if you are an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you'll have instant access to over 100 games to stream, including major first-party games and back catalogue hits from Bethesda.
As reported by The Verge, Microsoft and Samsung will support a large number of controllers for the Xbox app. This list naturally includes all modern Xbox controllers with Bluetooth, but it also includes Sony's DualSense controller and others. In theory, most Bluetooth gamepads should work.
The only real downside is that despite Xbox Cloud Gaming being powered by Xbox Series X hardware, capable of running games at 4K, Microsoft is keeping streaming resolution limited to 1080p and up to 60 frames per second. This is likely to keep network requirements down and to ensure stable streams for the millions of Game Pass subscribers that could log in at any one time.
Aside from the TV streaming app, Xbox also confirmed plans to allow Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to access their owned digital games through xCloud. The feature will go into testing soon for Xbox Insiders with a handful of supported titles, before a wider rollout in the months to come.
We can expect more major Xbox Game Pass announcements later this week, as part of the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, which goes live at 6PM BST on Sunday, 12th of June.
KitGuru Says: Unfortunately, the new Xbox streaming app will be limited to those who purchased a brand-new Samsung TV within the last few months, which is a pretty small sample size to start off with. Hopefully the app will make its way to more TVs, including Smart TVs produced prior to 2022, later down the line.
