The Xbox TV App Lets You Play Games on Your TV Without a Console

Who says you need expensive hardware to play AAA games? Microsoft’s Xbox TV app bakes cloud gaming right into your smart TV.

Image Credit: Xbox Wire

For the longest time, video games as a hobby had a steep barrier to entry in the form of expensive gaming hardware. Cloud gaming solutions such as Google’s Stadia provided a low-cost alternative, but the experience wasn’t up to scratch.

Microsoft’s June 2022 Xbox TV app aims to make gaming accessible by bringing more than 100 cloud-enabled games to smart TV owners. Let’s take a look at the new TV app that promises console-free gaming.

What Is the Xbox TV App and What Does It Do?

In an Xbox Wire post, Microsoft announced its intention to take the Xbox gaming ecosystem beyond traditional mediums, such as consoles and gaming PCs.

The Xbox TV app will be coming to 2022 versions of Samsung smart TVs by the end of June 2022, with plans to expand the partnership to other TV manufacturers in the future. Unlike traditional smart TV gaming apps, Microsoft’s offering promises console-quality gaming without the need to purchase a console.

Image Credit: Samsung Newsroom

The app integrates the Xbox Cloud Gaming service to offer existing members of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate access to 100 “high-quality” games. Users can also play Xbox Game Studios titles through the integrated cloud gaming service right on the day they are released. The Xbox TV app has been specifically designed to work in conjunction with the latency mitigation and motion enhancement features baked into the Samsung 2022 Tizen TV OS.

In addition to a 2022 Samsung smart TV, you’ll also need an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and at least one Bluetooth-enabled controller for console-less cloud gaming. Access is further subject to the fact that the Xbox Cloud Gaming service is restricted to 27 countries at the time of writing. However, the list continues to grow with the service being expanded to Argentina and New Zealand in early June 2022.

Cloud Gaming on Xbox TV App: What's Needed?

The Xbox TV app seems to be targeted at the casual gaming demographic that isn’t too keen on spending a fortune on a gaming PC or console.

Not surprisingly, using the app is no different from any other streaming app found on Samsung’s smart TV platform. Simply access the Xbox TV app from the Samsung Gaming Hub on any 2022 smart TV. Thereafter, the app requires a one-time login to an existing Microsoft account.

Image Credit: Samsung Newsroom

Playing AAA games without console or PC hardware, however, requires a paid subscription to the highest Ultimate tier of the Xbox Game Pass service. Throw in a Bluetooth-enabled wireless controller, such as the Xbox Wireless Controller, Xbox Adaptive Controller, Elite Series 2 Controller, or even Sony’s DualSense controller, and you can play more than 100 games available on the cloud gaming service without the need for additional downloads.

The streaming versions of games playable on Samsung TVs are no different from their console and PC counterparts. Users have access to the same multiplayer aspects of Xbox and all community features therein. We have even compiled a list of devices that support Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Xbox TV App: Console Gaming for Casual Gamers

The Xbox TV app conveniently fits into Microsoft’s wider strategy to transcend from pushing gaming hardware to consumers to selling gaming as a service. Not surprisingly, Microsoft has increasingly distanced itself from the concept of platform exclusives. The Xbox TV app is yet another example of platform agnosticism underpinning the company’s approach to serving video games to customers.

All things said, owners of the 2022 Samsung smart TVs won’t necessarily be locked into the Xbox TV app for their cloud gaming fix. The Samsung Gaming Hub introduced with the 2022 smart TV line-up also integrates support for rival cloud gaming services such as Google Stadia, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, and Utomik. This casts a wider net in terms of supported regions between these four cloud gaming rivals.

Microsoft Must Forge Similar Deals With All TV Makers

Although Microsoft is working on a separate USB dongle to bring Xbox Cloud Gaming to virtually anything with a display and USB port, the Xbox TV app is the best way to introduce casual gamers to proper console-quality games.

For a demographic that’s averse to spending large sums of money on video games, a cloud gaming app that’s already baked into television sets serves as the perfect gateway to serious gaming. However, this approach won’t really succeed until Microsoft forges a similar tie-in with the rest of the TV manufacturers.