Cloud technologies are spreading. This is also true for gaming. Due to them, gaming platforms and their creators now can run strategies different from traditional ones. In this regard, a year and a half ago, Microsoft’s Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said that “in the next 12 months” users will be able to stream Xbox games to their TVs. In June of 2021, the Redmond-based company confirmed that it would be offering a Smart TV app as well as an Xbox streaming stick soon. Both will be launched simultaneously.
Recently, Venture Beat reported that Microsoft is going to release an Xbox cloud-gaming streaming device. It should appear in stores sometime in the next 12 months. As the source claims, the information comes our way from “people familiar with the matter”. It seems everything is ready and it should hit the stores much earlier but because of the supply chain constraints caused by major disruptions in Ukraine and in China due to lockdowns, the launch date has been pushed back.
If nothing accidental, the Microsoft Xbox cloud-gaming streaming device will come in the same form factor as the Amazon Fire TV Stick or the Roku-like puck. It will allow you not only to stream from movie and TV apps but also to enable access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
In fact, this is part of the company’s Xbox Everywhere initiative. Due to it, users will not only stream games from the cloud to their phone or PC but also through room television.
Samsung has been reported to be working with Microsoft on a streaming app that should allow the Samsung Smart TV owners to stream Xbox games. So we guess at the launch, Samsung will have an exclusive offer for the Samsung Smart TV users. We mean they wouldn’t have to buy a separate device for streaming Xbox games.
Once again, this is not surprising because Microsoft has never cared about how you get into the Xbox ecosystem. But if previously, Xbox has been the main way of getting into this, now, due to 5G and faster connectivity options, gaming hardware is not the only way to reach potential Game Pass subscribers.
