Numerous mainstream brands are venturing into the gaming industry, and Samsung is also interested in joining the trend. According to reports, Samsung is currently working on a cloud gaming platform specifically designed for its Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Could this platform potentially rival Apple Arcade? Let’s take a closer look.
The report comes from a Korean publication according to whom Samsung is set to unveil a cloud gaming service for its Galaxy mobile devices as it seeks new profit sources from its 1 billion Galaxy users. Cloud Gaming has a lot of potential in today’s time with no major drawbacks, as it allows users to stream graphics-intensive games no matter how powerful their device is.
Streaming games online is currently available via gaming-focused brands like Nvidia, Microsoft Xbox, and more. However, with Samsung stepping foot into the industry, it doesn’t seem like these companies would face major competition. This is because the report states that Samsung is planning to offer the cloud gaming service to its Galaxy smartphone users for free, and it will be sourcing the content for the platform from these companies.
“Galaxy users have to pay companies to use cloud gaming services such as GeForce Now or some famous games through the platform”, the report read. It would work similarly to the company’s Gaming Hub platform available on its Smart TVs which supports Xbox’s cloud gaming service, Nvidia GeForce Now and more.
Samsung would then be able to earn commissions from game companies through its cloud gaming platform, which should apparently result in profits for the company, according to the report.
Reason behind the move: Dropping sales figures for smartphones
The report further stated that Samsung is trying to cut down its dependence on smartphone sales to drive the company’s profits. “The concern of Samsung Electronics’ mobile experience (MX) division is that ‘the growth of the smartphone market is not as good as it used to be”, the report read.
Despite the innovations in the segment, such as foldable smartphones, the sales figures are on a downfall, not particularly in Samsung’s case but in general. The report also highlighted some numbers from Counterpoint research, where smartphone shipments are expected to decrease by 6% year-on-year to 1.15 billion units this year.
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Where will it be available?
The Samsung cloud gaming platform for Galaxy Smartphones will reportedly be unveiled at ‘Samsung Developer Conference 2023′ which is to be held in San Francisco, USA on the 5th of October. In fact, the report states that the beta version of the service is already being tested in North America, including the United States, Canada, and Canada.
Samsung started a ‘disclosed pilot service’ in Canada early this year and has recently been undergoing a public pilot service across North America. As per the report, the response to the pilot service of the Galaxy Cloud gaming platform is ‘positive’ so far. Apart from this, there’s no information on when or at what locations the new service will be available.
Is it an Apple Arcade competitor?
While Apple Arcade isn’t a cloud gaming platform, it has garnered a lot of interest since its launch in 2019, allowing users to play exclusive ad-free games on their iPhones, iPads, and Mac devices, that too without any in-app purchases. The service is available for a nominal fee of Rs 99 per month in India.
Apple will further expand its lineup later this year and next with even more exclusive titles that were earlier available on PC only, including a game from the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Announcements like these have enabled Apple to showcase what it can provide for those who love to game on their smartphones.
Samsung likely wants to follow the same principle to show what its Galaxy devices are capable of but with a different approach, and that’s cloud gaming. This could be a bigger announcement than Apple’s Arcade service as it would unlock new possibilities for gamers as they won’t have to buy an expensive smartphone for playing games, but even a mid-ranger device should suffice.
It’s yet to be seen how Samsung would roll out the service and which would be the supported models. Whatever the case may be, Samsung Galaxy smartphone users who are into gaming could be in for a treat.