Xbox’s continued cloud climb: Samsung TVs, more nations, games outside Game Pass

Ahead of its annual summer "new games" presentation, Microsoft's team at Xbox pre-briefed members of the press with announcements that don't revolve around gameplay-filled reveal trailers. We thus picked through a 45-minute presentation full of corporate-speak to find news of actual interest, and the biggest announcements unsurprisingly come from the world of Xbox Cloud Gaming. From this year forward, every "smart TV" sold by Samsung will include built-in support for the Xbox Cloud Gaming app, installable directly on those TVs the same way owners might install video-streaming apps. A Samsung rep clarified to Ars Technica that this includes models already on sale in its "Neo QLED" line of 4K and 8K sets.

More places to play, more games to play

After installing the Xbox app, a compatible Samsung TV will enable Bluetooth device pairing and present step-by-step instructions for wirelessly connecting an official Xbox Wireless Controller, a Bluetooth-compatible PlayStation controller (both DualShock 4 and DualSense), Amazon's Luna controller, or other generic Bluetooth controllers. With at least one controller paired, users will then gain access to the same streamed-games interface used by Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers, which is currently available on Chrome and Edge web browsers and all Xbox consoles from the base Xbox One generation upward. We'd hoped to hear support for more smart TV platforms in this announcement, especially since Xbox Cloud Gaming is currently beaten handily in that department by game-streaming competitors like Google Stadia and Amazon Luna. And we learned last month that at least one other avenue toward easy Xbox Cloud Gaming on TVs, in the form of a Microsoft-produced streaming device, won't be out for some time. But Microsoft's announcement references a previous deal to bring the service to Samsung's proprietary smartphone app store last year, perhaps to imply that Samsung and Microsoft have an ongoing arrangement for early dibs. Microsoft then suggests that Xbox Cloud Gaming won't appear on other manufacturers' sets until "other TV partnerships" are established. The service's international reach also expands starting today, as Microsoft confirmed that Xbox Cloud Gaming servers are activated in Argentina and New Zealand. That brings the service's supported country count to 28. As a reminder, users in those nations don't necessarily need to pay for Game Pass Ultimate to access the service; Fortnite currently works as a free-to-play game via both the app and Xbox's web-based version of the service, and Xbox representatives have made it clear that they want to add more free-to-play, "zero money down" ways for interested gamers to test its cloud service in the future. In even better news, Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirms that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate users will be able to play more games on the cloud "later this year." Currently, subscribers can only access Game Pass games via the cloud, as opposed to games they've purchased a la carte. Once this update rolls out, some, but not all, of the full Xbox catalog will be available on the cloud for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Microsoft did not clarify what the defining holdup might be to differentiate between previously purchased games that will work on the cloud, and those that won't. (Personally, I can already think of dozens of older Xbox games I own that I'd love to play via cloud streaming on my phone—and future game purchases I'd pick on Xbox over other platforms for such a privilege.)

Don’t you people have phones?

Speaking of games on phones: Microsoft slipped a curious suggestion into a statement about its pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard. In addition to boasts about acquiring megaton game licenses like Call of Duty and Candy Crush, Microsoft described one way that the deal would contribute to Microsoft's bottom line:

Mobile is the largest segment in gaming, with nearly 95% of all players globally playing games on mobile. Through great teams and great technology, Microsoft and Activision Blizzard will empower players to enjoy the most-immersive franchises, like Halo and Warcraft, anywhere they want.

This quote stands out because of the two franchises mentioned. The Warcraft series' next launch will come in the form of Arclight Rumble, a smartphone-exclusive game that adds classic RTS principles to the Clash Royale formula. And the game maker doesn't appear to be anywhere near launching other Warcraft fare, including the MMO World of Warcraft or the failed remaster Warcraft III Reforged, in smartphone-friendly formats. Microsoft's choice to mention Warcraft, Halo, and smartphones in the same breath now leaves us wondering: Does this mean we should expect a smartphone-exclusive entry in the Halo series? If not, why wouldn't this blurb reference classic Halo FPS action played via Xbox Cloud Gaming? We're left without firm confirmation either way, as Microsoft representatives did not answer Ars Technica's clarifying questions as of this article's publication. In the meantime, yes, Microsoft is suggesting that its Activision Blizzard acquisition will, in one way or another, make Halo land on more smartphones in the years to come.

Free demos on Xbox—but in a different form than the 360 generation

And in a move that brings back some pointed Xbox nostalgia, Microsoft announced Project Moorcroft, a formal initiative to get prerelease game demos into Xbox players' hands "within the next year." Xbox VP Sarah Bond directly compares the initiative to brief demos presented at public game expos like "E3 or PAX," then describes the window for such events getting "smaller and smaller." Bond makes it clear that these demos will be exclusive to subscribers: "Why don't we take Game Pass, and make it like a show floor?" She also has good news for busy developers: Microsoft will financially compensate any participating devs who go to the trouble of chopping down their content and delivering a Moorcroft-compatible demo. Microsoft didn't clarify exactly how devs can sign up to get their games into such a program, however, nor did they indicate whether these demos may be available to XGPU subscribers via Xbox Cloud Gaming. It's a funny return for Microsoft to the world of try-before-you-buy demos, as the company previously competed during the Xbox 360 era by requiring all Xbox Live Arcade game makers to include completely free demos for their games. This initiative was scrapped during the Xbox One era in favor of occasional Xbox Live Gold-related promotions, where games were made available as limited-time free trials—a tactic that Sony will soon replicate in its own revised PlayStation Plus Deluxe subscription tier.