The Steam Deck has bridged the gap between PC and console gaming, making the increasingly popular PC gaming market even more accessible to players who are more accustomed to experiences like those found on the Nintendo Switch. With hundreds of games verified for use with the Steam Deck and the system becoming a best-seller, it's safe to say Valve is committed to supporting it through 2023 and beyond.
However, the video game industry is facing a major shift right now that puts the Steam Deck in a very interesting position. Microsoft shifting its focus to Xbox Game Pass has put video game subscription services at the forefront of the industry's collective conscious. With PC gaming being one of the company's dedicated platforms, it would benefit both Valve and Microsoft to get a dedicated Xbox Game Pass application on Steam Deck.
The Current State Of Xbox Game Pass on Steam Deck
While Steam is one of the biggest storefronts in the entire video game industry and generates billions in revenue every year, many purchasing Valve's Steam Deck are new to the service. That means they do not have massive libraries filled with games bought during quarterly sales like many other Steam users. With this in mind, integrating subscriptions services to the platform gives new Steam Deck owners a slew of titles to play upon taking the system out of the box.
Currently, the only way to access Xbox Game Pass's vast catalog of games is by awkwardly installing a version of the Bing web application that allows for integrated streaming of Xbox Cloud Gaming titles to the handheld. This arduous installation process is ineffective since it involves modifying the game's launch options in Steam's settings, the constant requirement of high-speed internet, and its limitation to only the library of games supported by Xbox Cloud Gaming (which only includes Xbox console games). Microsoft has made some adjustments to game streaming based on its performance on Steam Deck, but this is still far from ideal for those paying for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass.
How Xbox Game Pass Could Work On Steam Deck
There are many factors to consider when theorizing how Xbox Game Pass could be efficiently adapted to Steam Deck. Microsoft could bring an application to the platform similar to the Xbox launcher for Windows PCs. This approach makes sense, but is likely to cause issues with the main method that the Steam Deck uses to launch Windows games, Proton. Unless Microsoft is specifically prepared to tackle integrating Proton and its many iterations into this app and making sure games are verified itself, this seems like a more ambitious goal than it might first appear.
Another option that seems less likely is a team effort by Microsoft and Valve to integrate PC Game Pass as a whole into Steam, including making all of its library on Steam available to PC Game Pass subscribers. This probably won't happen, given that such a deal would need to facilitate profits for both Microsoft and Valve, and Valve would likely lose its sales cut on some titles if they were offered in a third-party subscription service on its storefront. While this solution would be the most convenient for PC and Steam Deck holders, it is likely a financial nightmare to navigate, making the reality of it implausible.
Whatever Microsoft and Valve decide to do, the Steam Deck is the perfect platform for Microsoft to tackle next with its approach to making Xbox Game Pass as widely accessible as possible. Having its titles available on Steam at launch is certainly a step in the right direction, making it so that players can enjoy games like Halo Infinite and Pentiment on Valve's handheld and on their gaming PCs. However, getting the subscription more satisfyingly integrated into the Steam Deck is the next big step.
