An LG Electronics TV displays Xbox Game Pass in this promotional image released Wednesday. Courtesy of LG Electronics
By Nam Hyun-woo
Hogwarts Legacy and a slew of hit Xbox game titles will soon be playable on LG TVs without Xbox consoles, as the two sides entered a partnership to strengthen gaming content for its TV operating system (OS), LG Electronics said Wednesday.
According to LG Electronics, it recently signed a partnership to provide hundreds of Xbox titles for LG’s webOS.
Through the deal, LG will integrate Xbox Game Pass on its smart TVs to allow users to play games through the cloud platform. LG said Xbox Game Pass will be available on the latest smart TVs in Korea and most other countries where Xbox cloud gaming services are supported. The company did not provide a specific launch date, but it is anticipated that the service will roll out by the end of this year.
Among various subscription programs, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will also gain access to a wide range of big titles, including Hogwarts Legacy, which was highly acclaimed for its detailed description of the Harry Potter universe, and the upcoming first-person action role-playing game, Avowed.
More than 4,000 game titles are currently available on LG’s webOS. The company also said it seeks to increase the number of titles and provide a more immersive experience by improving its TVs’ gaming-friendly specifications.
Through the Game Dashboard function, LG smart TVs allow users to adjust various gaming settings, with the system automatically optimizing frame rate, graphics, latency and other settings depending on the game genre.
All 2025 LG OLED TV models will support advanced graphics technologies like Nvidia’s G-SYNC Compatible and AMD’s FreeSync Premium, ensuring smooth gameplay without delays.
Along with graphics, LG said its new TV models will support Bluetooth ultra-low latency (BT ULL) controllers in collaboration with Razer, MediaTek and Telink.
BT ULL controllers were first introduced in September as a new gaming technology that enables a response time of up to 1 millisecond, providing an optimal gaming experience for players of fast-paced competitive games, where quick reactions are critical. LG plans to introduce a certification program for third-party game controllers in the near future to ensure BT ULL-supported controllers work seamlessly with LG TVs. Razer is set to be the first company to obtain LG’s certification.
