Source: Samsung
Samsung first unveiled its plan to bring cloud gaming to its Smart TVs last year. The company officially announced the Gaming Hub platform at CES 2022 and later confirmed that it would be available on select Smart TVs in the coming months. It seems that the moment is finally here as Samsung has announced that it is rolling out the cloud Gaming Hub to all 2022 Smart TV models.
What is Samsung Gaming Hub?
Samsung Gaming Hub is an app that lets you play high-quality games directly on your Smart TV. There is no involvement of gaming consoles or any other device. Instead, you stream games to your device. All the processing of games takes place on a server, and then the game is streamed to your Samsung Smart TV. Of course, the service requires a fast and reliable internet connection to work; otherwise, you won’t be able to stream games.
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Since keeping track of AAA titles and the service they’re available on is tough, Samsung Gaming Hub acts as a central hub that allows users to access multiple gaming services from just a single app. Currently, the Samsung Gaming Hub supports cloud gaming services such as GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Streaming, Google Stadia, and Utomik. The company says that Amazon’s cloud gaming service, Luna, will also be available on the platform very soon.
Samsung Gaming Hub is also supported on the 2022 Smart Monitor Series. Source: Samsung
To use the Smart Gaming Hub, users need to pair a gaming controller with their Samsung Smart TV. Samsung says that the service “supports all the most popular gaming controllers,” so if you have a PlayStation or an Xbox compatible game controller lying around, it should be pairable with the Samsung Gaming Hub.
In addition to offering cloud gaming, Samsung Gaming Hub also integrates music and streaming services to provide users with entrainment options during gaming sessions. Twitch, YouTube, and Spotify are directly on the Gaming Hub. Not only does it enable users to watch tutorials and trailers of their favorite games, but it also enables them to get curated recommendations and information about new and upcoming gaming titles.
The Gaming Hub also makes use of the technology available on Samsung Smart TVs to improve the user experience. Samsung says that its TV’s advanced motion enhancements, latency-reducing technology, faster decoding, and optimized buffer control reduce the lag by up to 30%. Moreover, the service also makes use of 8K and 4K upscaling to optimize the game’s color accuracy and sharpness.
How to use Samsung Gaming Hub to play cloud games on your Smart TV?
Source: Samsung
To play cloud games on your Samsung Smart TV, you will first need to make sure that you have a compatible Smart TV. Currently, Gaming Hub supports only Samsung’s 2022 Smart TV lineup, Neo QLED 8K, Neo QLED 4K, and the rest of its QLED TVs. If you have a Samsung TV that’s released prior to 2022, you won’t be able to play games via the Gaming Hub. However, it’s worth noting that the Gaming Hub also supports the 2022 Smart Monitor Series.
Next, you will need to update your Smart TV to the latest version. To install the latest update on your Samsung TV, head over to Settings → Support and then select Software Update. After updating your TV, the Samsung Gaming Hub app should automatically be installed on your TV. If you don’t see the Gaming Hub app on your Samsung Smart TV after updating, make sure that the service is available in your region. Currently, Samsung Gaming Hub is available in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Korea, and Brazil.
Next, you need to connect your game controller to your smart TV. To pair the game controller with your Samsung Smart TV, put the controller into pairing mode, and then on your TV, go to Settings → Connection → External Device Manager → Input Device Manager → Bluetooth Device List and select your controller.
Now all you need to do is to fire up the Gaming Hub on your Smart TV. If you have successfully paired your Bluetooth controller with the TV, you can use it to navigate the Gaming Hub. Just click on any game you like, and it will start streaming to your Samsung Smart TV. Of course, you will need to subscribe to the respective service to play games.
Cloud Gaming is an easy way to play games on your device without downloading it. With Gaming Hub, Samsung is making it easier to play AAA titles on your smart TV using just an internet connection and a compatible controller. Have you tried the Gaming Hub on your Samsung Smart TV? Let us know about your experience in the comments section down below!