Microsoft has made video games one of its priorities. In order to strengthen this sector, the Redmond firm is betting on its on-demand games service, the Xbox Game Pass, and on the Xbox Cloud Gaming. In June 2021, the company announced the arrival of its services on connected televisions. A year later, the Xbox ecosystem will actually land on the latest Samsung televisions, allowing you to play the latest titles, without having to own a console.
Over a hundred games playable without an Xbox console
Microsoft unveiled via its official website that from the end of June, recent models of connected TVs sold by Samsung will integrate an Xbox application. This includes the Korean brand’s Neo QLED models released in 2022. This application will allow subscribers to the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offer, billed at € 12.99 per month, to play more than a hundred games via the service. of cloud gaming from Microsoft. This proposal is part of the current strategy of the American company to strengthen its position in the video game sector.
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When starting a compatible Samsung television, the user must connect a wireless controller via Bluetooth to access the service. No restriction on this side, since even the PlayStation 4 and 5 controllers will be compatible, alongside traditional Xbox peripherals. The application has an interface similar to that of Xbox Game Pass, that is to say a catalog of games that can be launched instantly, like a Netflix of video games.
With this feature, you no longer need a console to play. The Xbox Series X, Microsoft’s latest machine, currently costs 500 euros and is difficult to find due to the shortage of components. This offer is a real advantage for people who have a good internet connection and a connected television.
The end of consoles with the advent of cloud gaming?
Unfortunately, Microsoft hasn’t mentioned other compatible TV brands at this time. However, its catalog of games could become accessible via a multimedia box like Google’s Chromecast. This would make it possible to take advantage of Microsoft’s cloud service on any screen.
The competition is more advanced on these broadcasting issues. Google’s Stadia and Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming offers are accessible via the respective boxes of the two tech giants. However, Microsoft has a much richer catalog of games. Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming service is still in full development. It is available in 28 countries, including Argentina and New Zealand which have just received access.
Microsoft video game division head Phil Spencer has confirmed that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will have access to even more games through the cloud by the end of the year. Concretely, this means that Xbox Cloud Gaming will no longer be limited to games linked to on-demand gaming services, but will include all games that can be purchased individually from the Microsoft store.
Sony, Microsoft’s main competitor in video games, does not have such an aggressive cloud gaming strategy. Its offer, the PlayStation Plus, allows you to play a limited selection of console or PC games, while the Redmond company also offers its service on all smartphones. With such an effort being put into the cloud, the very existence of consoles is in question.