Steam Deck gets Xbox Cloud Gaming support

Valve’s Steam Deck isn’t the first gaming laptop, but it’s the first with a large gaming-oriented company behind it. Out of the box, the device is equipped with the Linux-based Steam OS 3.0 operating system, which with the help of the Proton translation layer allows to run many titles with a set of specialized hardware and software. Installing Windows is a solution to fix some problems that still exist, but according to tests it introduces new problems.

Microsoft has now announced that it and Valve have developed a way for gamers to enjoy titles that are not Steam OS 3.0 compatible on mobile devices. The solution offered is the Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming service, which can now be accessed by installing the beta version of the Edge browser. With this comes over 100 games, such as SweClockers favorites It Takes Two and Halo Infinite.

at The post on Reddit describes the process of installing Microsoft, which includes a desktop tour of Steam OS 3.0, Edge downloads, and console settings. The accompanying comments testify that it works very well for most people, but for obvious reasons, cloud connectivity somewhat destroys the purpose of the mobile device. A stable connection is a requirement for cloud gaming to run smoothly, which is not always compatible with gaming on the go.

The future will show if Valve and Microsoft expand their collaboration to create an app dedicated to cloud or Edge gaming. Another possibility is that companies will continue to apply for Windows support, although it is unlikely that Valve plans to allocate significant resources to an operating system other than the one provided. It remains to be seen if Google, Sony, and Nvidia also invest in Steam Deck.

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