Samsung is building a cloud gaming system for its TVs – a system that could one day give Google's Stadia, Amazon's Luna, Microsoft's xCloud and Nvidia's GeForce Now a run for their money.
Samsung teased plans for its "Cloud Game Platform" during the company's recent SDC21 developer conference. The platform will let users stream games on Tizen-based smart TVs without a console.
"You will be able to enjoy games without purchasing high-end hardware, and developers can easily apply Samsung Smart TV's seamless, immersive experience to new games," said Yongjae Kim, SVP of Visual Display Software R&D at Samsung.
Details are thin on the ground, but Samsung let slip that it's working with "partners" to get the service up and running. Neither Google Stadia nor Nvidia GeForce Now, two of the most popular cloud gaming platforms, are currently available on Samsung TVs. But it's interesting to note that Google is expected to begin licensing its Stadia streaming platform to "industry partners" this year.
There's even talk of Samsung teaming up with Netflix. The video streaming giant recently announced plans to "push into gaming" through the launch of two Stranger Things titles. Gaining access to Tizen on over 200 million Samsung devices could certainly kick Netflix's gaming ambitions up a notch or two.
The cloud gaming market has exploded in the last few years as average (fixed) broadband speeds have rocketed to over 40Mbps in the US and over 50Mbps in the UK. The launch of 5G, meanwhile, has enabled speedy gaming on the go.
Just last month, Amazon unveiled Luna, a new cloud gaming service that lets you stream games straight to your phone, tablet or TV (including some in 4K at 60fps). And earlier this year, Microsoft rolled out Xbox Cloud Gaming to iPhones and iPads.
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