Samsung’s next-generation TVs will offer Nvidia GeForce Now and Google Stadia. At CES 2022, Samsung is unveiling a new smart TV range, including features as unusual as radio-wave powered remote controls and support for NFTs — and they’re also the first Samsung TVs in a long time to enable you to play triple-A video games from the cloud rather than your Xbox, PlayStation or PC. Samsung has now confirmed that “select” 2022 models will include access to Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Google Stadia, and the Utomik cloud gaming service as part of a new “Samsung Gaming Hub,” which users will be able to use to discover and play games from various providers.
The Samsung Gaming Hub isn’t only compatible with cloud gaming. The firm also claims that your HDMI-connected video game consoles will be included in the platform, complete with pass-through controller connections. This could mean that you’ll be able to play cloud games and console games with the same controller at launch, rather than having to maintain separate controllers or pair back and forth between both PlayStation and Xbox controllers. It’s also a promising “AI Gaming technology” that will generate curated game recommendations on your TV’s home screen.
Nvidia GeForce Now and Google Stadia on Samsung TVs is not ready for now
It’s unclear whether Samsung’s TVs will provide the best picture and sound quality for cloud gaming yet because of neither GeForce Now nor Google Stadia Streaming 4K available. “We are collaborating with partners to deliver their finest levels of service on our platform,” reads part of a statement from Samsung gaming product director Mike Lucero to The Verge. “Details will be announced as we get closer to launch.”
It’s also possible that you won’t be able to access any of these features if you have an earlier Samsung Smart TV. “We’re starting with our 2022 models, and we’ll continue working to make the Gaming Hub accessible to even more Samsung customers,” Lucero adds.
It’s strange to me that Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming, also known as xCloud, isn’t included in this launch. In February 2020, Microsoft and Samsung collaborated on cloud gaming extensively, with the debut of xCloud on a smart fridge and some Samsung Android phones. However, the Xbox app for smart TVs that Phil Spencer said we’d see in November 2020 has yet to appear. It received just a passing remark last June before — instead of during — the E3 2021 video game exhibition.
Although Samsung Smart TVs have had a Steam Link app for a long time, Lucero confirms to The Verge that it will not be included in the Gaming Hub.
