Xbox has announced a new strategic partnership with TCL, a television manufacturer, which will integrate the Xbox app directly into select TCL smart TV models. This move is designed to allow consumers to access Xbox's cloud gaming services without the need for a dedicated console.
By subscribing to Xbox Game Pass, users of compatible TCL TVs can stream games using a connected Xbox controller. This offering leverages Microsoft's cloud infrastructure, with Xbox streaming games utilizing Azure servers. Microsoft recently reported significant revenue from its Azure server sales, though Amazon Web Services still leads in this sector.
The integration provides access to a library of games included with Game Pass subscriptions. However, cloud streaming hours are capped based on the subscription tier. Game Pass Essential offers five hours, Game Pass Premium provides ten hours, and Game Pass Ultimate caps at fifteen hours per subscription period. Pricing for additional streaming hours has not yet been disclosed.
TCL televisions are generally positioned in the budget-to-mid-range market. This partnership could potentially expose Xbox's cloud gaming service to a wider audience of consumers who might not otherwise invest in purchasing an Xbox Series S or Series X console. Xbox is currently preparing for the release of its next major first-party title, Gears of War: E-Day, following a year that saw 75 day-one releases through its Game Pass subscription service. Additional titles, including Speedrunners 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, are scheduled to join Game Pass in September.