Xbox Cloud Gaming drops support for older Samsung TVs

• Microsoft will end Xbox Cloud Gaming support on 2020 Samsung smart TVs starting November 3rd.
• Users need a 2021 or newer Samsung TV, or another device, to keep playing through the service.
• Older Samsung TVs cannot support the required software updates behind Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.

Microsoft has informed users that Xbox Cloud Gaming will no longer be available on some devices.

In an email, Microsoft said that Samsung smart television sets from 2020 will lose access to the cloud gaming service starting November 3rd.

“You’re receiving this email because your account previously accessed the XBOX app on a 2020 Samsung Smart TV,” the email reads.

Owners of these TVs will no longer be able to use the service because “updates to the technology that powers Xbox Cloud Gaming are no longer compatible with the operating system version available on these models,” reported Windows Central.

To use the service, users must upgrade to 2021 Samsung smart TV models or newer, or move their gaming to other devices such as smartphones, tablets, or Xbox consoles.

The Xbox support page also indicates that only Samsung smart TVs from 2021 or later, with “software version 1300 and higher,” will be supported.

Blame it on the software updates

It’s been reported that 6-year-old Samsung smart TVs no longer support Xbox Cloud Gaming because they can’t receive the latest software updates.

2020 Samsung TVs run on Chromium 69 update released in 2018, but the Xbox cloud gaming service supports Chromium 70, noted X user @redphx.

Gaming online comes with a price

While Xbox users wait for the release of a new gaming console, the company announced that it was raising the price of its existing gaming devices.

In June, the company increased the price of Xbox gaming consoles for the third time since last year.

With PlayStation reporting that it will go disc-less starting January 2028, Xbox began testing a feature that would allow gamers to migrate their disc-based games to digital entitlements.

Recently, the company also introduced its users to Xbox Game Pass limits.

Microsoft will limit Xbox cloud gaming to 15, 10, or 5 hours per month, depending on the plan, with users able to buy more time if they run out.

However, users soon began to criticize the change because the amount of free play provided isn’t enough.