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After months of anticipation, the Valve Steam Deck has finally launched. While reviews have criticized the "unfinished" nature of the software, the device as a whole has received an overwhelmingly positive reaction for delivering on its promise of portable AAA PC gaming.
With the help of Proton, Valve aims to make almost the entirety of the Steam library playable on the Deck (barring titles such as VR). The proposition of carrying over and having the entire Steam library for $399/- does seem like an amazing value proposition. This is further highlighted by the unrealistic GPU pricing and supply chain issue.
With Steam Deck essentially standardizing PC gaming, fans have been questioning the other fantastic value proposition in the gaming industry, Xbox’s Game Pass.
“Xbox Game Pass is clearly a popular option, and we’d be more than happy to get that on Steam Deck”: Valve head Gabe Newell
Xbox Game Pass, the subscription-based service provided by Microsoft Gaming, is the best “value for money option to play games. The service provides players with 100s top-tier games for a monthly fee, including Day 1 launches of all of Xbox’s first-party titles and many third-party titles.
Alongside the Xbox consoles (One and Series X|S), Game Pass has exploded on PC. PC-focused games like Age of Empires IV and Total War: Warhammer III being available alongside multiple platform titles have made PC Game Pass a particularly favourable choice for the PC gaming community.
When VideogameChronicles asked Gabe Newell, the CEO of Valve, about the possibility of a Game Pass competitor on Steam Deck, he said,
"I don’t think a [Game Pass equivalent is] something that we think we need to do ourselves, building a subscription service at this time, but for their customers, it’s clearly a popular option, and we’d be more than happy to work with them to get that on Steam."
He further added,
"We’ve talked to people there quite a bit about that topic. If your customers want it, then you should figure out how to make it happen. That’s where we’re at."
The Game Pass on Deck will undoubtedly be splendid for the various games. Aside from their Steam library, they’ll also be able to carry their Game Pass library on the go. Furthermore, for titles that are restricted by the limitations of the hardware or software, such as Anti-Cheat, Cloud Gaming on Game Pass will be a viable option.
If Game Pass becomes available on Steam Deck, it will be favourable for Xbox and Valve from a business perspective. Unlike PlayStation or Nintendo, Xbox has never had a handheld gaming device.
Xbox games are available on PC, and Call of Duty will stay a multiplatform game post-Activision Blizzard acquisition. Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer has prioritised the brand over just the physical console with these steps.
If Game Pass is made available on the device, it will without question boost the sale of Steam Deck and Game Pass membership, as both PC and Deck players will look to expand their library, and Xbox players will love to take their gaming library on the go. Overall, Game Pass on Steam Deck is a partnership waiting to happen.
