James Martin/CNET
Samsung believes the next way to prove the power of its phones is with the Microsoft Xbox. The tech giant said it’s working with Microsoft to bring streaming game technology to its phones and tablets, starting with the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Tab S7.
The new devices are designed to “work like a computer and play like a gaming console together,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung, when announcing the new devices at Samsung’s livestreamed Unpacked event Wednesday.
The company will also sell a special “gaming bundle” of its Galaxy devices, including a new controller and three pre-paid months of Microsoft’s $14.99 per month Xbox Games Pass Ultimate subscription, which will offer people to stream over 100 games for free to their phone over cellular or WiFi connections when it launches September 15.
The new partnership marks Samsung’s latest effort to help its phones stand out amid competition against Apple’s iPhones, and other devices powered by Google’s Android software too. It’s also one of the first high profile partnerships for Microsoft’s new Xbox streaming service, previously called Project xCloud.
Samsung’s sought to highlight the graphical capabilities of its devices through games before, striking an exclusive partnership with game maker Epic to bring its popular Fortnite online battle game to Samsung’s mobile devices ahead of other Google-powered phones.
CNET’s Shara Tibken and Roger Cheng contributed to this report.