Microsoft has announced a new partnership to Hisense to bring the Xbox app to TVs that run on the company’s TV operating system, V (formerly known as VIDAA).
In essence, the big takeaway here is that people will soon be able to play Xbox games in yet another place, without needing to own an actual physical Xbox. This is possible through Xbox Cloud Gaming, which is included with Game Pass Essential, Premium, and Ultimate.
“Our vision is to make sure your games, your community, and your achievements are always within reach. Bringing the Xbox app to select Hisense and V homeOS-powered TVs is another step toward making gaming available across a broad range of devices, to meeting you wherever you want to play,” Microsoft said.
Playing Xbox on a Hisense TV won’t be here tomorrow, or next week. Microsoft said it will share more details on how this all works “in the coming months,” so keep checking back for more.
Hisense TVs are just the latest to welcome the Xbox app, as Samsung welcomed the Xbox app all the way back in 2022 to allow people to stream games to their TVs.
All of this is part of Microsoft’s push to expand the Xbox audience beyond consoles. The company is messaging this with the tagline “This is an Xbox.”
In 2020, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said Xbox’s goal is to increase the number of people playing on Xbox, but “playing on Xbox” doesn’t mean a dedicated Xbox console. “It means somebody who is logging in and playing a part of our ecosystem, whether first-party or third-party. And it could be on an Android phone. It could be on a Switch. It could be on a PC. That’s how we think about it,” he said.
Game consoles usually do not make much money, and if they do, it’s not a lot compared to the much more lucrative games and services. This is why Microsoft is pushing Xbox Game Pass so hard. Creating more subscribers gives Microsoft a regular and recurring revenue stream.