Samsung unveils Samsung Gaming Hub, coming to select 2022 Samsung TVs, to add built-in support for Google Stadia, Nvidia's GeForce Now, and Utomik cloud gaming

Plus a mysterious way to pass through your game console's controller signals — Samsung is revealing a new lineup of smart TVs …

The Verge 2022-01-03 Sean Hollister

Context & Ripple Effects

Samsung is entering a TV-based cloud-gaming race that LG had already joined through its planned Stadia and GeForce Now support on newer TVs. Gaming Hub makes Samsung the interface layer for several services rather than tying the TV to one game provider.

The hub later broadened with Amazon Luna on Samsung’s 2022 TVs, while Samsung-specific controller accessories followed. That progression makes the initial multi-service integration more consequential than a single app launch.

First-order effects

Owners of select 2022 Samsung TVs gain built-in access to Stadia, GeForce Now, and Utomik through Gaming Hub, giving those services a new TV distribution surface.
Samsung takes responsibility for the gaming entry point on compatible TVs, while Nvidia, Google, and Utomik gain placement inside Samsung’s interface.

Second-order effects

LG’s earlier service integrations mean Samsung must compete on the breadth and usability of its TV gaming layer, not simply on whether cloud gaming is available.
A shared hub gives additional streaming services a clearer route onto Samsung screens, as Luna’s later addition to Gaming Hub demonstrates.

Third-order effects

If TV makers continue aggregating competing game services, the smart-TV operating system becomes a strategic gatekeeper between cloud platforms and living-room players.
The later emergence of Gaming Hub-specific accessories suggests that controller compatibility and certification can become part of the TV platform’s ecosystem, alongside service integrations.

The trend: Cloud gaming is shifting from standalone apps toward smart-TV platforms that aggregate services and organize the controller experience.

Discussion

Pure Xbox Pure Xbox on x
Samsung TV ‘Gaming Hub’ To Launch In 2022, But No Sign Of Xbox Cloud Support Yet
@alex_dreyfus Alexandre Dreyfus on x
NFT Management directly in your @Samsung TV. That's cool. https://news.samsung.com/...
@chriswelch Chris Welch on x
@StarFire2258 And the latest Eco Remote can keep itself charged by harvesting radio frequencies from your router, which seems cool as hell. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@iwriteok Robert Evans on x
finally, crude ape drawings can be seen as they were always meant to be seen: as an interruption of something I actually want to watch https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
some of Samsung's 2022 TVs also include variable refresh rates up to 144Hz — up from 120Hz. They'll be among the first TVs to support AMD's FreeSync Premium Pro, too https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@tante @tante on x
You know the Smart TV features that make your TV crash or force you to update it when you just want to watch a thing or that forces Ads down your throat? Samsung has ideas to make it even worse while also destroying the planet! https://twitter.com/...
@chriswelch Chris Welch on x
Because Samsung is Samsung, it had to get out ahead of everyone else by announcing its 2022 TV lineup before CES even starts. This year the story with its upper-range TVs is more about software changes and new features than hardware upgrades: https://www.theverge.com/...
@virtualcloud_ Virtual Cloud on x
Always good to see more support on ways to play in the cloud gaming space, curious to see how long it'll take Xbox to show up, after all they did have a partnership with Samsung for mobile phones and tablets originally 🤔 also stadia sponsored ads are worth noting too! https://twi…
@mercurialblonde Sarah Horrocks on x
Smart TVs are a mistake. Just give me a dummy TV that has a place to plug in my Playstation. https://twitter.com/...
@mmasnick Mike Masnick on x
No. Guys. No. https://twitter.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
Samsung's new 2022 lineup of smart TVs include a Gaming Hub that has access to GeForce Now, Google Stadia, and Utomik cloud gaming services. Surprisingly, Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) isn't part of this Gaming Hub yet https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@russellholly Russell Holly on x
The lack of Xbox Game Pass here is loud. Would love to know what the hurdles are there, and on which end. https://twitter.com/...
@jsneedles Jeff Needles on x
Remember when everyone added 3D to everything. Sometimes being an early adopter is not a good thing. At least this time it's just software. https://twitter.com/...
@martinsfp Martin Sfp Bryant on x
People are far too keen to push emerging technologies into the mainstream way before they're ready for anything more than niche, experimental use cases. The pace of change brought about by social media and smartphones has got us craving that pace for everything. https://twitter.c…
@nischalshetty Nischal on x
And so begin innovative business model experiments using Web3 Being able to buy and sell NFTs through your TV 🚀 #NFT #Web3 https://www.coindesk.com/...
@mikarv Michael Veale on x
vertically integrated speculative NFT integrated DRM bullshit seems to be already coming to further stop you running code you want and media that copyright law may allow you to view on devices you bought https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...

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