The launch of the Galaxy Note 20 brought attention to productivity, thanks to the giant screens and S Pen enhancements of the two new Samsung phablets But since all work and no play makes the Note 20 a boring phone, Samsung has partnered with Microsoft to allow gamers to take advantage of the new phablets' processing power

When launching both the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Samsung announced a unique partnership with Microsoft to offer an exclusive version of the Xbox Game Pass on the Samsung Galaxy Store This Game Pass will include additional features not available on non-Samsung devices, such as the ability to redeem tokens for various Xbox Store titles, including DLC items and character skins, as well as in-app purchases

Xbox Game Pass, which provides access to a catalog of games, will also be available to Android phones in September through Microsoft's xCloud streaming service Finally, Xbox players can take some of their favorite Xbox One and upcoming Xbox Series X titles on the go and play them on their favorite mobile devices And Samsung clearly wants the Note 20 to be the phone for playing titles like Gears 5 and Forza Horizon 4 on the go

Pre-ordering the Samsung Note 20 will get you a 3-month pass to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate That's a $45 value included in the purchase of the phone (The Galaxy Note 20, which starts at $999, is not a bargain) Pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 20 are open now and will ship on August 21

There is also a physical component to this Samsung-Microsoft partnership that Xbox owners may be interested in Samsung is offering a special gaming bundle with the Galaxy Note 20 that includes three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and the PowerA controller MOGA XP5-X Plus The controller is made specifically for use with the Galaxy Note 20 and xCloud gaming, and can be used to charge your phone while you're fooling around in your favorite shooting game, or on your PC if necessary

The Xbox Game Pass app is obtained from Samsung's Galaxy store, not Google Play, so it has access to in-app purchases that Microsoft does not offer on other Android devices

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for Android, which will launch on September 15, will include titles such as Gears 5, Grounded, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Sea of Thieves, Destiny 2, and 100 More than 100 games will be offered The service costs $15 per month and is available in 22 markets for Android players and includes the PowerA included in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 bundle, plus a series of additional mobile controllers from manufacturers such as Razer, 8BitDo, and Nacon