Two people select choices on Microsoft's Xbox Cloud Gaming service available on a Samsung Electronics TV, June 9. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Baek Byung-yeul

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are expanding the scope of what consumers can do with their TVs by offering the latest high-quality games through internet streaming-based cloud services, according to company officials Monday.

As TV functions increase due to new digital technology, demand for cloud game services, currently offered by major tech firms such as Microsoft, Google and Nvidia, will continue to increase as the service makes it unnecessary to buy game console machines and go to shops to buy games or download game data, they added.

Samsung recently said it formed a partnership with Microsoft to let customers enjoy popular Xbox video games on its latest smart TVs from the end of this month.

Under the agreement, Samsung's latest TVs will be capable of providing Xbox's Game Pass through the Samsung Gaming Hub service for the first time in the TV industry. Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's game subscription service.

Samsung said its Gaming Hub streaming platform will not only provide a streaming game service but also support multi-tasking features, allowing users to also listen to music or browse videos while playing games.

"Xbox has been an integral partner for Samsung and shares our vision and dedication to bring the ultimate game streaming experience to everywhere in the home," Lee Won-jin, president and head of the service business team at Samsung Electronics, said, June 9. "We are excited to deepen our partnership with Xbox by adding the Xbox app to the Samsung Gaming Hub, which now gives Samsung Smart TV users access to hundreds of Xbox Game Pass games."

Nvidia's cloud game service GeForce NOW is available to play on LG Electronics' TVs. Courtesy of LG Electronics

LG Electronics has also let its users gain access to Nvidia's GeForce Now cloud game service or Google's Stadia cloud game service on its TVs, since last year.

The company predicts that the functions of TVs will continue to be expanded as more consumers want to do various tasks, just like what they are doing with smartphones or PCs.

"As the performance of TVs and network technology have improved, viewers are running the content they need, not just watching video content. So TV makers are also trying to provide a variety of content to meet this demand," an LG spokesman said.