Samsung has announced that it is developing a new cloud gaming platform for its Smart TVs.
Revealed as part of Samsung’s SDC21 keynote presentation, the platform will work on Samsung Smart TVs powered by Tizen, a Linux-based operating system that currently supports over 200 million Samsung devices.
The new platform was only quickly mentioned as part of the presentation, and so very little is known about it currently. “To diversify your game selection on Samsung Smart TVs, we are developing a new Cloud Game Platform,” said Yongjae Kim, Samsung’s Senior Vice President of Visual Display Software R&D. “This means that soon 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.”
No examples of game developers were provided, but the mention of the platform being an alternative to “high-end hardware” suggests that it is more in the realm of Stadia-style game offerings rather than Android game ports.
This won’t be the first time that Samsung has attempted cloud gaming; back in 2012 it worked with Gaikai to create Samsung Cloud Gaming for its earlier generations of Smart TVs, with advertisements featuring Darksiders 2. For reference, Gaikai is the service that powers PlayStation Now, and is now owned by Sony.
With its new platform, Samsung will enter the increasingly competitive world of cloud gaming. GeForce Now has a new subscription tier that offers the power of an RTX 3080, which truly is “high-end hardware”. Xbox is moving beyond consoles and will soon be built into TVs and streaming sticks as support for its cloud gaming option grows. Meanwhile, Google’s Stadia may be down but it’s not out, and now offers its technology as a white label product for other companies to use, including AT&T.
Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.