Xbox Game Pass on Samsung Galaxy Note 20: What you need to know

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Samsung just announced at its Galaxy Unpacked event that it's partnering with Xbox to bring Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. But what does that mean exactly?

Well, starting on September 15, Project xCloud, Xbox’s cloud-gaming service, is going to be included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free. And if you pre-order the Note 20, you’ll get a free three-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving you access to over 100-plus free games.

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What’s special about xCloud on the Galaxy Note 20?

With Project xCloud, you’ll be able to stream popular games on your Android device, including Gears 5, Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Destiny 2. So, apart from getting three months free, what is so special about playing Xbox games on the Note 20 when you can play it on other Android devices?

Well, according to Samsung, the gaming will benefit from the Galaxy Note 20’s AI game booster and Bluetooth audio response optimization. However, it’s unclear how the AI is going to work, as xCloud is purely for streaming, so you’re simply viewing a stream and not actually running the games natively.

A feature that Samsung is boasting with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is its 120Hz screen, which would look great for Game Pass games, except the stream will only be pumped out at 60 frames per second, so the refresh rate of the screen won’t play any part in this.

So again, what’s special about playing Xbox games on the Note 20 when you can play it on other Android devices? Well, you get three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which is a $45 MSRP value. As far as we know, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 doesn’t come with the same deal, but it’ll work on that tablet as well since it's an Android device. Additionally, if you’re a new subscriber to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, you can get the first month for $1 right now.

Xbox recently announced that the Project xCloud app would also be available via the Samsung Galaxy Store as well. But, to be clear, the only thing that is going to enhance your gaming experience with Project xCloud, apart from a nice-looking display, is a stable internet connection.

Rami Tabari is an Editor for Laptop Mag. He reviews every shape and form of a laptop as well as all sorts of cool tech. You can find him sitting at his desk surrounded by a hoarder's dream of laptops, and when he navigates his way out to civilization, you can catch him watching really bad anime or playing some kind of painfully difficult game. He’s the best at every game and he just doesn’t lose. That’s why you’ll occasionally catch his byline attached to the latest Souls-like challenge.