Microsoft Is Planning Xbox Game Pass On Your Television

If you're looking for a whole new way to play, Microsoft is reportedly plotting the future of the Xbox Game Pass - with the gaming subscription service soon set to be built into your television. With this year's E3 just days away, it looks like Microsoft's all-star showcase could be announcing more than just Xbox exclusives.

With questions already hanging over what the future of gaming involves and whether the traditional model of consoles will last much longer, Microsoft further adds fuel to the fire that cloud gaming is the industry's only way forward. If this is the case, the Xbox Series X/S could be the last console we see before Microsoft makes a move into the aether.

Is Xbox Game Pass coming to television?

Ahead of a full announcement, a press release confirmed (via TechRadar), “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". 

Looking at the bigger picture, smart TVs from the manufacturers like Samsung, LG, and Sony could include a native Xbox Game Pass app that nestles in alongside staples including YouTube, Netflix, and Disney+.

The Xbox Game Pass library already boasts over 300 games, and as the catalogue continues to grow, it would be a major addition to your television's base package. Importantly, as the first of the big three (Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony) to offer an in-built app, it could overhaul the way home gaming works.

When could we see Xbox Game Pass on your television?

Discussing what's next, Liz Hamren, CVP of Gaming Experiences & Platforms, told TechRadar how Xbox is "also developing standalone streaming devices that you can plug into a TV or monitor, so if you have a strong internet connection, you can stream your Xbox experience". 

For those who don't have a smart TV and don't fancy stumping up for a snazzy new system, the ability to plug in a streaming stick to your HDMI is a great workaround.  Teasing the future of Game Pass, Hamren added, "We're doing all this because Game Pass works.

"It works for consumers, and it works for publishers. With Game Pass, players spend 20% more time playing games. They play 30% more genres and play 40% more games overall, including games outside their Game Pass subscription. In a recent survey, we found that more than 90% of members said they played a game they would not have otherwise played without Game Pass". 

In terms of when we could see this tech, remember that Xbox boss Phil Spencer said late last year that an Xbox app would be available on TVs "in the next 12 months" - suggesting it's not far away. With an announcement expected at E3, an in-built Xbox Game Pass could outshine the rumoured announcement of a Nintendo Switch Pro and put Microsoft on top.

Images via Unsplash Wang John | Microsoft