Microsoft announces you'll soon be able to play Xbox games on a telly without a console
Smart.
Xbox games are coming to TVs soon, Microsoft has confirmed.
Microsoft announced a deal with Samsung to bring the Xbox App to 2022 Smart TVs at the end of the month, so you can play cloud-enabled Game Pass Ultimate games without a console.
Microsoft said playing Xbox games on 2022 Samsung TVs will be a seamless experience, similar to using any other streaming app on your telly. It also means you can play Fortnite via Xbox Cloud Gaming for free and without a subscription on your telly.
The Xbox app goes live on 2022 Samsung TVs on 30th June. You can launch it from Samsung's new Gaming Hub, and, from there, connect your Bluetooth-enabled controller, log into your Game Pass Ultimate account and start playing.
Compatible controllers include the Xbox Wireless controller, Xbox Adaptive controller, Elite Series 2 controller, and Sony's DualSense controller.
It's a significant milestone for Microsoft's gaming ambitions, which revolve around reaching as many players as possible on as many devices as possible.
"[Xbox Cloud Gaming] should be part of you playing any game on any device, whether it's a game that you own, whether it's a free-to-play game: it is really about delivering great game content to any customer on any device through multiple business models," said Microsoft Gaming boss Phil Spencer in a video briefing shown to press this week.
"We're building a platform that can reach billions of players - whether it's on console, whether it's on PC, whether it's through Xbox cloud streaming - where players on any device they want to play on should be able to find the content they want to play. Whether it's on a web browser, whether it’s in an app or whether it's on a device that's dedicated to playing games. That's just fundamental to where Xbox is going: find as many players as we can, cultivate a community of amazing creators."
Microsoft added it's bringing the Xbox app to Samsung Smart TVs first, and its intent is to "explore" other TV partnerships in the future.
While Microsoft is going all-in on bringing the Xbox app to TVs, it recently confirmed it had decided to "pivot away" from its planned Xbox cloud streaming box.
While the device, codenamed Keystone, has never formally been shown, earlier leaks pointed to a mini box similar to a shrunk down Xbox Series S, which acted as a hub for Ethernet, USB and HDMI ports.
Xbox's plan - which still seems to be in place, albeit no longer in the immediate future - is to launch Keystone as a small gadget capable of streaming Xbox Game Pass titles to any monitor or TV screen with no extra console hardware required.
Microsoft made a raft of Xbox-related announcements today, including letting Game Pass subscribers bring their own games to Xbox Cloud Gaming later in 2022. Here's everything Microsoft announced for Xbox today in handy roundup form.