Not only can you watch Halo on a smart TV, you can now play it too, with Microsoft unveiling a new Xbox app that–for now, anyway–is exclusive to Samsung.
Slated to arrive on June 30, the aptly named Xbox App is free, and it’ll let you play more than 100 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate titles via the cloud, including Forza Horizon 5, Sea of Thieves, and Halo Infinite.
You’ll have to be a paying Game Pass Ultimate subscriber (your first month is $1, then it costs $14.99 after that) to stream the likes of Halo and Forza on your Samsung set. But if you’d rather not pony up a subscription fee, you can stream the ubiquitous Fortnite for free.
The new app will be available on the Samsung Gaming Hub or Media Hub starting at the end of the month, and you’ll be able to play once you log into your Microsoft account and connect a Bluetooth controller, such as an Xbox Wireless Controller or a PlayStation DualSense controller. You’ll also need a 2022 Samsung smart TV.
The Xbox App is exclusive to Samsung for now, but Microsoft says its “intent is to explore other TV partnerships as part of this next evolution in our vision.”
Xbox Cloud Gaming is already available on PCs, consoles, phones, and tablets. However, this will mark the first time that Microsoft’s streaming game service is available on smart TVs. There’s also been chatter about a streaming box for Xbox Cloud Gaming, but it has yet to materialize.
While Samsung has first dibs on Microsoft’s Xbox App, LG smart TV users got apps for GeForce Now and Google Stadia late last year. Meanwhile, Sony offers its competing PlayStation Now cloud gaming service, which is only available on PCs and PlayStation 4 and 5 consoles.
Author: Ben Patterson, Senior Writer, TechHive
Ben has been writing about technology and consumer electronics for more than 20 years. A PCWorld contributor since 2014, Ben joined TechHive in 2019, where he has covered everything from smart speakers and soundbars to smart lights and security cameras. Ben's articles have also appeared in PC Magazine, TIME, Wired, CNET, Men's Fitness, Mobile Magazine, and more. Ben holds a master's degree in English literature.