Following Microsoft’s earlier announcement for Xbox Game Pass on smart TVs, Samsung has begun rolling out its brand-new shiny Gaming Hub for 2022 Samsung displays complete with a whole range of cloud gaming goodness.
The new Samsung Gaming Hub is a new app designed to bring together various gaming services under one roof. For now, the Gaming Hub is slated for this year’s range of 2022 smart TVs from Samsung starting June 30, but Samsung teased me that they may discuss plans for older 2021 TVs too in the near future.
The Gaming Hub features apps and services from various cloud providers, including NVIDIA GeForce Now, Google Stadia, and of course, Xbox Game Pass cloud. The 2022 TV sets are also providing dedicated computing power to video encoding and have improved latency for Bluetooth Xbox controllers supposedly, which means they should outperform the apps running in sub-optimal conditions, such as through an iPad web browser. Samsung has also revealed that the service is also grabbing Amazon Luna and Twitch in the future too.
The Gaming Hub will of course be subject to regional availability, alongside the services contained therein. Amazon Luna is only available in the United States as of writing, for example. The Hub will also initially only be available on select 2022 TVs, including Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, QLEDs (above BU8000 models), and 2022 Smart Monitor Series products.
In a statement to press, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer hailed the partnership, emphasizing Xbox’s quest to bring gaming to more players, and broaden audiences for core game developers.
“We’re on a quest to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, and bringing the Xbox app to smart TVs is another step in making our vision a reality. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Samsung, a global leader in TVs, on bringing Xbox to more players. Working with Samsung has helped us provide more access to gaming and enabled us to welcome new players into our thriving community.”
