Samsung has announced a new lineup of smart TVs at CES 2022. While gaming on a large TV is predominantly done via a console such as the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, cloud gaming is quickly developing. Samsung is continuing this by adding cloud gaming services like Stadia to its TVs via a new feature called the Gaming Hub. The new services will be featured at CES 2022.
The Gaming Hub is Samsung’s smart TV menu dedicated to games which will launch on compatible Samsung TVs later this year. As part of its CES announcements, Samsung revealed that several services will be available in the Gaming Hub. Cloud gaming from Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Utomik will be accessible at launch. The company has also promised that more services will be added in the future. This is a huge announcement as gamers will not require a console or other hardware to play. Gamers will simply be able to pair their controllers to the TV. Additionally, Samsung Gaming Hub will make YouTube gaming available so players can follow their favorite streamers.
The Samsung Gaming Hub will not only be optimized for cloud gaming. The company has also said HDMI-connected consoles such as a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S will be integrated into the system and enable passthrough controller inputs. Players will be able to switch between cloud gaming and console gaming with ease, making it unnecessary to switch controllers. Samsung has promised that both PlayStation and Xbox controllers will be compatible at launch. The company also announced “AI Gaming technology” which will learn users’ interests and create a list of game recommendations on the TV’s home screen.
Cloud gaming is a steadily growing technology with both Samsung and LG competing in the space. Both companies fought for the rights to stream games from Gaikai and OnLive in 2012, while select Samsung TVs were granted the rights to Sony’s PlayStation Now streaming service from 2015-2017.
While picture and audio quality are still unable to consistently match console or PC gaming, there’s no doubt that cloud gaming is becoming a bigger part of the industry’s future.
