Samsung is taking steps to enhance the gaming experience on its smart TVs by introducing a certification program called Designed for Samsung Gaming Hub. This program aims to provide a formal designation to third-party accessory makers, ensuring that their products are officially compatible with the gaming platform.
The program’s first licensed gamepad, developed by PDP, is already available for pre-order. Hardware partners participating in the program will be authorized to add a “Designed for Samsung Gaming Hub” badge to their products. While Samsung Gaming Hub is compatible with most standard Bluetooth gamepads, the designation indicates that a certified controller will offer the “best possible game streaming experience on Samsung Gaming Hub,” emphasizing compatibility, quality, performance, safety, and security on Samsung devices. This initiative is expected to contribute to the growth of the game-streaming ecosystem around Samsung smart TVs.
If you already own a Bluetooth gamepad that is compatible with Samsung Gaming Hub and you don’t specifically require dedicated shortcut buttons, your existing gamepad should work seamlessly with the platform.
Samsung Gaming Hub boasts a robust lineup of game streaming services, including Xbox Game Pass, GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, Boosteroid, Blacknut, Utomik, and Antstream Arcade. It also supports content streaming from Spotify, Twitch, and YouTube. Notably, even the now-discontinued Google Stadia was once part of this list.
The first certified product from a hardware partner is the PDP Replay Wireless Controller. This gamepad offers an impressive 40 hours of battery life, a low-latency Bluetooth connection with a range of up to 30 feet, and features a dedicated button for launching the Samsung Gaming Hub, along with TV power and volume controls. The PDP Replay Wireless Controller is currently available for pre-order on PDP’s website, with plans for it to be sold on Amazon and Best Buy at a later date, as confirmed by Samsung.
