Microsoft to Bring xBox Game Pass Cloud Streaming to Smart TVs

Tech giant Microsoft is bringing Xbox Game Pass cloud streaming to smart TVs so that users will not need a console.

The company is releasing an Xbox app for smart TVs, enabling consumers to stream Xbox video games even if they don’t own consoles.

The company said on Thursday that it will first bring the Xbox app to Samsung’s 2022 smart TV’s and then expand distribution to other manufacturers.

Xbox’s hardware revenue jumped 92% last year. The company said the app will be available starting June 30, in 27 countries.

With the rollout, Microsoft is focused on bringing its gaming services to people who don’t have consoles. Using Sony’s Bluetooth-connected DualSense controllers and Microsoft’s wireless Xbox controllers, gamers will be able to play the Xbox app.

The company said the app will be available starting June 30, in 27 countries.
Gaming is Microsoft’s fourth-largest major product category.

“We have taken share globally for two quarters in a row, and we are the market leader this quarter among next-gen consoles in the United States, Canada, U.K. and Western Europe,” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told analysts in April.

Ampere Analysis estimated that Microsoft sold 7.7 million Xbox Series S and X consoles in 2021, while Sony sold 12.5 million PlayStation 5 systems and Nintendo sold 24.3 million Switches.

“We have made the decision to pivot away from the current iteration” of a streaming device codenamed Keystone, a Microsoft spokesperson told CNBC in an email. “We will take our learnings and refocus our efforts on a new approach that will allow us to deliver Xbox Cloud Gaming to more players around the world in the future.”

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.