Xbox and LG team up, LG TVs will also be Xbox later this year

[Windows Central]

LG TVs get Xbox Cloud Gaming support later this year thanks to a new team-up between LG and Xbox.

Xbox and LG team up, LG TVs will also be Xbox later this year : Read more

 

[HeyCori]

I think Microsoft should start selling controllers with the streaming app built into a USB dongle. "This is a Xbox" is useless without buying a separate controller.

 

[fjtorres5591]

I think Microsoft should start selling controllers with the streaming app built into a USB dongle. "This is a Xbox" is useless without buying a separate controller.

The streaming app is already built-in the TVs: that's what the Samsung and LG deals are about. Fire TVs, phones, and computers get the app from their stores.

The console controllers support Bluetooth so they are already compatible with the slate of screens supported for streaming. No new product required.

What they need next is VIZIO and ROKU.
Because Google TV and NVIDIA SHIELD are doubtful and it will be a cold day in the Mato Grosso when Sony allows XBOX streaming on their TVs. Or anybody else's, for that matter.

 

[HeyCori]

The streaming app is already built-in the TVs

Except there are a loooot of TVs that don't have a built-in app. It's one thing to ask people to drop $70 on a controller, and another to ask people to drop $70 on a controller and upgrade their TV.

 

[fjtorres5591]

Or they could just drop $60 on a FIRE TV stick MAX to get the XBOX cloud streaming capability on even Sony TVs. (That's why I mentioned ROKU. Bringing them onboard doubles the options for older TVs.)

Even better, wait on one of Amazon's regular sales (say for Valentine's day) and get a bundle of the stick and the controller for $80 or so. It'll even work with PC monitors as long as they have audio.

Theoretically they could get a cheap android set-top box and load up the android XBOX app. Those run $25-40 on Amazon. But the Fire TV Max isn't much more and it is guaranteed to work *well*.

 

[fdruid]

Gee, EVERY TV could be an xbox if they released an Android app that supported TVs. Are they being cheeky about it and just racking on brand exclusivity money? Awful, MS.

 

[fdruid]

Or they could just drop $60 on a FIRE TV stick MAX to get the XBOX cloud streaming capability on even Sony TVs. (That's why I mentioned ROKU. Bringing them onboard doubles the options for older TVs.)

Even better, wait on one of Amazon's regular sales (say for Valentine's day) and get a bundle of the stick and the controller for $80 or so. It'll even work with PC monitors as long as they have audio.

Theoretically they could get a cheap android set-top box and load up the android XBOX app. Those run $25-40 on Amazon. But the Fire TV Max isn't much more and it is guaranteed to work *well*.

You shouldn't have to "load up" the app, it shouldn't be a thing that tinkerers sideload. It should be in the store.
Why can't my Android TV from another brand download it? They're doing it wrong.

 

[fjtorres5591]

You shouldn't have to "load up" the app, it shouldn't be a thing that tinkerers sideload. It should be in the store.
Why can't my Android TV from another brand download it? They're doing it wrong.

Because the TV have app stores just like iOS and Android.
And the TV vendor wants to be paid.

You do understand that smart tv apps collect and sell user data, right? They use that data for ad targeting. And they get paid for the apps they carry just like phones and consoles.
So you can download the XBOX android phone app but good look sideloading it if the TV manufacturer doesn't want it there.

It is not up to Microsoft.
The TV manufacturer is in control.
Just like Apple and Google on the phones.

MS did look into doing their own streaming device to plug into any TV but the cost and complexity to build, sell, and operate it was more trouble than just paying Samsung, Amazon, and LG to put the app on the TV/streamer store. More deals will follow. Just don't ever expect the app on Sony TVs or Apple streamers. No amount of money will get it there.

 

[fjtorres5591]

Gee, EVERY TV could be an xbox if they released an Android app that supported TVs. Are they being cheeky about it and just racking on brand exclusivity money? Awful, MS.

Again, it isn't MS blocking you.
It might be Google or it might be the TV vendor.
Or both.
Each TV vendor has its own monetization strategy. And the TV screen space is part of it, for ads, apps, and user data gathering.

Many viewers, me included, prefer to *limit* the damage by using their own app hosting device. Be it a console (me) or a streaming device.

To each their own.

Why Your Smart TV is Flooded with Ads: The Struggle for Hardware Profitability - Hot Tech Trends

Discover why smart TVs are filled with ads as manufacturers seek profitability amidst slim hardware margins and the evolving landscape of digital advertising.

hottechtrends.com

 

[HeyCori]

Gee, EVERY TV could be an xbox if they released an Android app that supported TVs. Are they being cheeky about it and just racking on brand exclusivity money? Awful, MS.

Because Microsoft doesn't want to give Google a 30% cut of everything they sale.

"We are eager to launch and give more choice and flexibility to players": Microsoft delays new Xbox Android app features on Google Play due to court order

You'll have to wait a bit longer before you can buy and play Xbox games through the Android app.

www.windowscentral.com

But it gets worse than that. If I can steal a quote from The Verge's article,

"Microsoft says Google’s fees are “exorbitantly expensive,” making it “uneconomic” for the company to offer streaming Xbox games in the way it wants to. More than that, Microsoft says Google Play Billing just won’t work because in-game purchases in Xbox console games are engineered to use its own payment systems. It would “take years” for Microsoft to rewrite the code, the company says. “Many of the most popular Xbox games are third-party titles that Microsoft cannot rewrite because it does not develop those games,” says Microsoft."

Is Microsoft overplaying how much of a technical hurdle it would be to implement Google Play Billing into in-app purchases? Maybe. But I'm sure Microsoft's main goal is to not hand over even more money (and control) to one of their direct competitors.

 

[fjtorres5591]

Because Microsoft doesn't want to give Google a 30% cut of everything they sale.

"We are eager to launch and give more choice and flexibility to players": Microsoft delays new Xbox Android app features on Google Play due to court order

You'll have to wait a bit longer before you can buy and play Xbox games through the Android app.

www.windowscentral.com

But it gets worse than that. If I can steal a quote from The Verge's article,

"Microsoft says Google’s fees are “exorbitantly expensive,” making it “uneconomic” for the company to offer streaming Xbox games in the way it wants to. More than that, Microsoft says Google Play Billing just won’t work because in-game purchases in Xbox console games are engineered to use its own payment systems. It would “take years” for Microsoft to rewrite the code, the company says. “Many of the most popular Xbox games are third-party titles that Microsoft cannot rewrite because it does not develop those games,” says Microsoft."

Is Microsoft overplaying how much of a technical hurdle it would be to implement Google Play Billing into in-app purchases? Maybe. But I'm sure Microsoft's main goal is to not hand over even more money (and control) to one of their direct competitors.

And vice-versa.

Google's cloud streaming service tanked horribly; they are not going to turn around and support the service that is thriving where they failed so embarrassingly.

TV OSes are walled gardens, just like phones and consoles and the platform holders want to get paid when they allow an app (any app) on their TVs. It doesn't matter if it's Netflix, Tubi, or XBOX, you gotta show them the money.