Microsoft’s Xbox gaming division has seen a massive overhaul in the past few years, going from a gaming console maker with a handful of exclusives to a platform that includes
23 in-house gaming studios and a cloud game streaming service
that is ever-expanding. Today, in
a blog post touting the various benefits of its Xbox Game Pass subscription, the firm also detailed some of the work it is doing to further expand the reach of its cloud gaming service.
First of the announcements is that the Redmond firm is working with TV manufacturers to integrate the “Xbox experience” natively into smart TVs and “internet-connected” TVs, allowing users to leverage their Game Pass subscriptions for cloud gaming on their TV without dedicated streaming hardware, likely by hooking the television up to an Xbox controller.
However, the more interesting announcement – though vague and incomplete – is that the firm is working on dedicated streaming devices for use on TVs and monitors, negating the need for those displays to be smart displays. This will expand the reach of the firm’s Game Pass Ultimate subscription to users that do not own gaming PCs or consoles but would want to experience their games on displays larger
than that of a smartphone.
