Samsung has its own line of video game controllers now. Here's the first model
While Microsoft and Samsung have been working for some time now to take cloud gaming on TVs mainstream, quite a few questions remain as to whether gamers will embrace the new technology or not.
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Samsung is hoping to push some more gamers to the cloud TV gaming side with its "Designed for Samsung Gaming Hub" program, officially revealed at CES this week.
In short, there are plenty of affordable Bluetooth controllers that are compatible with the cloud-based gaming service, but Samsung understands that many gamers take their accessories very seriously.
And to get cloud gaming to truly take off, they'll need to consider those gamers. That's why it's partnering with leading gaming accessory companies to make official Samsung-certified products, including the first officially licensed controller from Performance Designed Products.
Starting this year, certified products will get a badge that designates them as being "Designed for Samsung Gaming Hub." Those products, the company says, will have the best compatibility, quality, performance, safety and security regardless of what Samsung device a game is being played on.
The first certified product will be PDP's Replay Wireless Controller, which carries a price tag of $49.99. For comparison, an official PS5 controller will set you back $69 while an official Xbox Series X controller is $55.
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It has a built-in, rechargeable battery for up to 40 hours of playtime per charge and a 30-foot range. The controller also includes a Samsung Gaming Hub home button that immediately launches the Samsung Gaming Hub, a TV volume button, power control button and more.
The Replay is available for preorder on PDP's website and will be available from Best Buy and Amazon later this year. It's compatible with 2022, 2023, and 2024 Samsung smart TVs and monitors.
Samsung Cloud Gaming, introduced in 2022, is a partnership that aims to make cloud gaming on smart TVs as easy as possible. Most cloud-based gaming efforts to date required an external device like an NVIDIA Shield that connects to the TV via HDMI, adding a significant cost and requiring a bit of technical know-how. But this latest effort lowers the entry requirement significantly, with only a controller needed to access thousands of Xbox titles.