Microsoft hints at a native Xbox Game Pass app for Android TV and other smart TV platforms

Xbox Game Pass Streaming Gears 5 Hero
Xbox Game Pass Streaming Gears 5 Hero (Image credit: Android Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft plans to expand cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
  • It announced it has plans to build streaming devices to reach gamers on any TV.
  • Xbox is also working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into smart TVs.

In a blog post on Xbox Wire, Xbox head Phil Spencer and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella discussed the importance of gaming at the company, and how it plans to expand far beyond console. With Xbox Game Pass for Android, games are already being delivered to millions of people through the cloud on their mobile devices. Taking it a step further, Microsoft is working with TV manufacturers to embed that experience directly into smart TVs, hinting that a native Xbox Game Pass app could be on the way for some of the best Android TVs.

Xbox is working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions with no extra hardware required except a controller.Xbox is building its own streaming devices for cloud gaming to reach gamers on any TV or monitor without the need for a console at all.

"As a company, Microsoft is all-in on gaming," said Nadella. "Gaming is the most dynamic category in the entertainment industry. Three billion consumers look to gaming for entertainment, community, creation, as well as a real sense of achievement, and our ambition is to empower each of them, wherever they play."

This is a long term plan for Microsoft that should dramatically increase the amount of Xbox Game Pass subscribers it has, which was around 18 million by January 2021.

Jennifer Locke
Games Editor - PlayStation, Android, VR

Jennifer Locke has been playing video games nearly her entire life. You can find her posting pictures of her dog and obsessing over PlayStation and Xbox, Star Wars, and other geeky things.