Your old Samsung TV is about to get a game-changing upgrade

If you’ve got an older Samsung TV (or need a new TV and want to save cash by investing in a cheaper model), then you’re in for a treat. During its keynote speech at this week’s gamescom expo in Cologne, Samsung announced plans to bring its popular Gaming Hub feature to its 2020 range of television sets. Using cloud technology, Samsung Gaming Hub lets you to access services like Xbox Game Pass and NVIDIA GeForce without a console. Previously only available on newer Samsung TV models and monitors, Gaming Hub will make its debut on 2020 television sets later this year. The exact release date is yet to be revealed, so stay tuned for the official announcement.

“Experience everything you love about gaming all in one place,” reads the official Gaming Hub description.

“Instantly play thousands of games from Xbox and other top game streaming services, all with your favourite controller, no console required.”

Indeed, the Gaming Hub works with the vast majority of Bluetooth controllers, essentially turning your TV into a high-powered console.

If you subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, for example, you can play a ton of games through your TV, and without having to invest hundreds of pounds on an Xbox Series X or Series S. It also frees up space beneath your TV.

During its gamescom keynote, Samsung also showed a trailer for upcoming Bethesda RPG Starfield, which will be available day-one through Game Pass.

Provided you have a compatible Samsung TV and a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, this means you can play Starfield on your Samsung TV when it launches on September 6.

Other services supported include NVIDIA GeForce NOW, which gives subscribers the ability to access and play their PC library through the cloud.

“Gamers can play PC titles they already own or they can purchase new games from popular digital stores like Steam, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Connect, and Origin,” Samsung explains.

While not every PC game is supported by GeForce NOW, NVIDIA makes new games available every week, so there’s a good chance an old favourite will come to the service in the future.

Amazon Luna, Blacknut and Anstream Arcade are also available through Samsung Gaming Hub. The latter is particularly exciting, as it gives fans access to over 1,400 retro games like Pac Man, Double Dragon and Sensible Soccer. Anstream is currently selling subscriptions for as low as £12 for a year, so check it out today.