Microsoft said on March 19, 2022 that it has worked closely with Valve to make Xbox cloud games run on Steam Deck. While Steam Deck users have been able to access the Xbox streaming game service, it has so far been impossible to use handheld controls to play games, making them less enjoyable to play. Microsoft has now released a beta version of Edge for Steam Deck, which includes full cloud gaming support.
Microsoft said, “We are working closely with Valve and the Xbox cloud gaming team and are bringing Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) support to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate through the Microsoft Edge Beta for the Steam Deck.” Missy Quarry, Community Manager, Microsoft Edge “We’re very excited about this ourselves, because we feel that this move can open up new opportunities in the Linux gaming community to create something more creative,” he said.
We worked closely with our friends at Valve to support #Xcloud #XboxGamePass through Microsoft Edge for the Steam Deck. https://t.co/NIuHCJtXMR pic.twitter.com/Jr4JPQSbFC
— Catherine Gluckstein (@CJGluckstein) March 18, 2022
While some Xbox Game Studios titles can run natively on Steam Deck, Xbox Game Pass is not available on Steam Deck, so users will have to use Microsoft’s streaming game service in a special way. The Linux version of Microsoft Edge now includes support for the Steam Deck control and is available from the Discovery Software Center for SteamOS. Microsoft has also provided detailed instructions for creating a link to Xbox cloud gaming on Steam Deck to make it more accessible in the future.
But now Steam Deck can also run Windows. This is really just another way to access Xbox Game Pass games. Valve CEO Gabe Newell said he was “very happy” to help Microsoft bring PC Game Pass to Steam. But until then, playing Xbox Game Pass on Steam Deck, Windows is the only way to go right now. We have to look forward to whether there are other methods in the future.