Microsoft is looking to release its long-awaited streaming only Xbox device in the next 12 months along with an app for smart TVs.
Multiple industry insiders such as Jeff Grubb of VentureBeat and The Verge’s Tom Warren have reported in recent days about the company’s Xbox Everywhere to make Xbox games available on a wider range of devices than just its home consoles.
In 2021, the company officially launched Xbox Cloud Gaming. This is a part of its Game Pass service, which allows players to access well over 300 games. Previously players would have to install these games to their consoles, but the integration of Cloud Gaming lets users stream the games instantly to not only their consoles but to their Android and iOS devices along with via the web on PC.
The latest murmerings echo comments made by Microsoft’s head of gaming experiences and platforms Liz Hamren in mid-2021, when she told reporters at a pre-E3 briefing: We’re working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Game Pass experience directly into internet-connected TVs so all you’ll need to play is a controller. We’re also developing standalone streaming devices that you can plug into a TV or monitor, so if you have a strong internet connection, you can stream your Xbox experience.”
In his report, Grubb claims that Xbox engineers are working closely with Samsung to develop an app for its smart TVs which should debut within the next year. He also states that the cloud-gaming streaming device will also be released in the same time frame, and would have a similar form factor to devices like Amazon’s Fire Sticks or Roku’s small dongles.
Xbox is already seeing plenty of success with cloud gaming, and recently achieved a major milestone of 10 million streaming users.