OG Xbox On Steam Deck Shows Why We Need A Dedicated Xbox Handheld

Great timing on this article as I was just about to open a thread on the forum asking Steam Deck owners what they think of the device, and, more importantly, how easy, quirky, or not really all-that it is to convert a Steam Deck into an XCloud/Remote Play streaming device.

I'm still trying to "build " some sort of dedicated "Xbox handheld" for cloud or streaming from my XSS. I got an 8bitdo SN30 with clip, and the clip broke in 6 weeks. I got a nice Otterbox clip for the X1/XS controller, and it works well, but it's bulky, clunky, and mediocre. And the phone screen is just too small.

I REALLY want to come up with either some suggestion of a bigger/better Android screen that's not $1000 to use that would work well for that, and a good controller/clip set up to go with it, or something like a Steam Deck to use as a dedicated streaming device for it.

Does anyone else have any good experience with such a thing, be it Steam Deck or otherwise?

As for a native Xbox handheld, it'll never happen, I don't think. They don't have a real reason to make a compromised handheld when cloud streaming is where they're betting the future. Every phone is already a "handheld" for them, though, as I'm experiencing, it's hard to really get a great hendheld experience out of that. I'm on the fence of getting a Deck and trying to make it work out, or finding some better android device than my super expensive phone that still has a small screen and due to aspect ratio, doesn't use all of it.

I'd say the opposite, the steam deck shows exactly why we don't because its already been done. Not just with the steam deck, there's dozens of similar devices at various price points already on the market. Having an official Xbox logo on it really isn't going to make all that big of a difference.

@themightyant Yeah, exactly, we're basically using the same setup, and yeah, it doesn't work out because of lack of suspend. I was doing cloud a lot but the reality is it's infuriating having to load the game from the menu every single time you put it down, and games with save points don't really work at all.

That having been said, that's the beauty of discovering using the XSS as a dedicated streaming box. Quick Resume makes all the difference! And it's ALMOST as fast getting back into the game as switch (when QR works and when the console doesn't refuse to turn on.)

I do WISH for a dedicated handheld that can use my library for all those reasons...but I also know it will never happen, so I'm trying to make the best of what's available.

Steam Deck may be appealing. I dont' think I want to start splitting my library between yet another platform (PC) but anything that can help me access my library more conveniently even through remote play (bonus points for hitting my PS, too), is a win. I just don't know how easy it is, and/or how quirky or how much it ruins the real experience of the steam deck to try to set up Win to get it to stream/remote play, so it might not be super viable. And it's kinda bulky. But might still be more convenient than the bulky XB controller + bulky clip + topheavy phone perched oddly atop it.

@NEStalgia I say the razer kishi is a pretty good controller. Feels like a traditional controller, buttons and triggers feel responsive, sticks feel sturdy, little-to-no input latency. Played many an xcloud game on the old trusty galaxy a20 with that hooked up.

All we 'need' is the Xbox PC app working natively on SteamDeck. Dedicated, console specific handhelds are stuck in the past dinosaurs. Sony is all in on Steamdeck support with the verified status. Square even went all out and had FF7-Int verified prior to release.

@NEStalgia I haven't nodded mine at all. I'm more interested in turning it into a Vita 2 than Xbox anything.

That said, it's great for the most part. It has some weird bugs and glitches, specifically with the store. The battery is unsurprising, any internet game doubles the strain, most single player games you can get a solid 3 hours with. Some major headaches I find are with developers with launchers or online requirements for single player games. RDR2, RE8, ME-Legendary(EA is the worst, I hate Origin). If they can find a satisfactory work-around for proper offline play, it could go next level.

But gameplay is fabulous on most every title, verified especially. Although you may have to do some tweaking, even on verified titles, to optimize them properly.

That is in fact my biggest issue with the Steamdeck. Lack of Optimization. Switch may be a low powered tablet with terrible controllers, but you will NEVER find a long-term poorly optimized game on the Switch. File sizes are atrocious on Steamdeck. They are the base P.C. bloat size, including 4k files it will never use. (Capcom being the sole anomaly on this, as they recently released the RE 2,3 and 7 4k updates and then a week later allowed us to revert those files to the original non-4k size). As stated prior, even verified games can take some fiddling around with to have them working properly. God of War and Oblivion stick out to me. Even tho both are listed as verified, they both load in weird control schemes and over-powered graphics. But once you adjust to that quirk, games run amazingly. God of War looks BETTER on Steamdeck than a base PS4 which still blows my mind. Days Gone and FF14 run and look amazing, even if FF drains my battery faster than anything.

Somewhat hilariously, the Steamdeck is quickly becoming a portable PS5 as games continue to come to PC. If Ratchet and Returnal come as expected it will add to the PS5 exclusives Death Stranding Dir Cut and FF7-Int. (Theres one other I'm forgetting)

Pie in the sky scenario: A new Series console, Series R or other letter, that's basically Switch style, but with a souped up dock. So it would have the power of Series X when docked and Series S when handheld.

I'd buy it.

I'd honestly like a handheld Xbox but I'm not 100% sure a handheld with MS' hardware philosophy would be affordable for the average consumer.

@Krysus Ouch, 3 hours sounds like a launch 3DS, lol. Given the online issues, it sounds like it isn't that great as an XB streaming device if modded. I imagine with full Windows that battery would be even worse, and that' the only way to stream to it.

Oh I don't know about long term unoptimized games on Switch. If you've tried Rune Factory 5 or Ys IX ,you'd know better

It sounds like an interesting device, but still sounds rough. That's kind of what I expected. Awesome if you already have a decent Steam library, but maybe not quite ready for prime time as a jumping (back) in point or to try to use as a streaming device from consoles. At least on the first revision. It's tempting, but doesn't quite sound like it's the time to jump in on the hardware.

That still leaves me trying to craft a better streaming solution than a phone that costs double a Steam Deck using less than all of the screen in a clunky controller. There has to be a phone or tablet that's really right for the job.

@PhhhCough I looked at the Kishi, but reports said it doesn't really fit my phone. And that's part of it. I'd like a bigger screen, or a better aspect ration so most of the screen doesn't go unused, but at the same time any "big screen" phone is in the $1000 range, and I'm not paying $1000 just to use as a streaming client stuck in a console. I'm not even paying half that unless it's a steam deck or something. But I would at minimum like to find a "budget friendly good/big screen phone/tablet/whatever" to use for the task, at minimum. Plus, with Kishi connecting via USB, if I'm using my main phone it doesn't make sense to put it in and out of the controller for 5 minute bursts. At under $400 a base line Deck might be the ideal, but it also sounds like the battery is really not ideal, so finding some "big screen phone/small screen tablet" that sits comfortably with a controller and doesn't look like an SLR camera like an XB controller + clip + phone does might still be the way to go. But what sort of phone for $500 is there?

I end up just going back to Switch just because it works....

@NEStalgia I own a Steam Deck and I use it for Xbox cloud gaming a lot. It really works a treat, just completed Far Cry 5 on it.

@NEStalgia 3 hours at launch as good or better than the launch Switch battery. Not gonna compare it to the OLED Switch, that isn't fair. Running Windows on Steamdeck is a...uhh...really bad idea currently. The custom Linux with Proton runs great tho. But it is the Gen1 of Steamdeck and they have lots of kinks to work out.

Steam Deck is already the closest thing to what I would consider an Xbox handheld, it's just that your library is based upon Steam as opposed to Xbox. It's got a lot of my favorite Xbox features, from compatibility with old games, ways to enhance them, to the latest games on offer. You're also using the same controller layout as Xbox as well.

@NEStalgia it’s been mentioned once or twice on here but for the xCloud stuff it works pretty great there’s simple things you can do to make it launch right from the SteamOS so you don’t have to go to the desktop mode.
I found a Reddit that had a fairly complicated way to access the standard Game Pass but it’s an annoying workaround that has you unofficially dual booting into Windows then you need another app to tell Windows that the Steam Deck is an xinput controller.

@JayJ yeah my ideal would be if Microsoft just embraced this and made an Xbox app for it so I can access Game Pass games offline. When the first started shipping it seemed like Microsoft was excited about it in some way so I was hopeful but they just keep pushing xCloud on it.

@Grahamthecracker Yeah I have no real interest in Xcloud, the entire appeal of the Steam Deck is the way I can just download games to it and enjoy true mobile gaming, without having to be tied down to strong signal with a very high speed internet connection. If I am going to be streaming I might as well just use my mobile phone, get one of those controller accessories for it, and call it a day. At least then I could use my mobile network for gaming if I got a good enough connection.

Still, I am just not a fan of streaming video games. Never was, never will be. Having Microsoft provide some app, something like the Microsoft Store they got on Windows, where I could just download GamePass PC games, well that would be amazing.

@JayJ Not exactly a very demanding game, but having just played the entirety of AI Somnium files as a mix of xCloud and an XSS streaming to my phone, never once used a monitor, and playing good chunks of Yakuza 0 that way, I'm totally sold on it. Granted streaming from my own console isn't quite the same as cloud streaming, but if it lets me hit my huge xbox library on a switch/vita-like setup, I'll play a lot more games. Thing with steamdeck is the base model is still cheaper than a dedicated phone to just use for streaming, and has a bigger screen and better controller setup. IF it works well.

@Grahamthecracker @DoeNutz That's good to know. Yeah that's something I'm really interested in is how do you actually get it to launch game pass (and can you do console streaming without a full destop install as well?) And how does the battery perform for it? I can't imagine it'll ever have a native app. I'd think Steam/Valve would object to kind of back-dooring competition behind their paywall on Steam, and MS would probably object to having Steam for Xbox, so I can't imaging them having an agreement there ever.

I'll still always remember when PS3 got a steam client with Portal 2 though. That was kind of hilarious.

@Krysus Yeah I was thinking that might be the case, and yeah, I'm thinking gen 1 might not be the right time. Though it's still cheaper than buying a dedicated phone for streaming, so I'm not totally ruling it out if it actually worked well for it.

@NEStalgia on the Steam Deck you can set up a shortcut in your steam library to launch a browser (I use edge) in kiosk mode that directs you straight to the xbox.com/play url so you get sent straight to the xcloud library. Battery is not so much of an issue for me since I use it to just chill and game on my couch at home, but I get about 4 hours of play on it on the go (it has some battery saving settings and I usually play on medium brightness on the go). Haven’t found an easy easy eay to do a full console stream. Still use my Iphone and a kishi for that.

@NEStalgia Yeah I'm sure it works fine enough if you got a good enough connection, but having to be entirely dependent upon a good connection in order to play games just isn't something that I want to be reliant upon, especially when it comes to handheld gaming, where the entire appeal is supposed to be it's game anywhere ability.

@DoeNutz That's good info, thanks! Sounds like I might still be better off finding an ideal phone/tablet for the task. Easier said than done..... but if I'm not planning on building a Steam library at present (I wouldn't mind it but the goal is maximum flexibility with my library which seems for now to still be on the XB ecosystem and try to get the PS streaming going too (no way I'm risking a PS5 to excessive on/off but I have spare PS4s around. )

@JayJ Yeah I get it especially if you're seriously traveling with it. For me it's mostly just over the local wifi, I don't really bring games around with me anywhere, but I'm 1000x more likely to actually find time to play a game if I can pick up a screen and play for 10 minutes than waiting until I'm in front of the tv/monitor. I end up with a much higher completion rate on handheld consoles because of that, so being able to turn my console library into a handheld library is helpful. Switch still gets a shedload of use for that, including games I'd rather buy on XB or PS, but can't reliably play handheld.

I'd love to build a Steam library in some ways, but I odn't plan on building a power rig any time soon (or ever) so then I don't have a nice "high quality" version of those games for when I sit down to really play.

First world problems, sure, but I really want to find a better way than my awkward expensive phone to play $300XSS streamed to $?? phone in a clip (or a Deck) just seems slick.

@NEStalgia Yeah if you don't have a Steam library I can see how that would be a turnoff, that's a lot of money for someone just getting into the scene. Luckily I have always been into PC gaming over the years so I already had a library with a ton of titles. Even then I found myself buying a bunch of stuff for the Steam Deck, as that gave me different priorities as far as what kind of games to play.

I definitely love handheld gaming though for simply having a different feel than home console gaming and PC gaming. I find myself playing handheld games at different times, and I play different types of games on handhelds from what I would usually play on a home console. Funny thing is I hardly seem to use them when on vacation, it's more of something that I just use around the house when I am in a mood, or something to take along with me if I am going somewhere out of town for a while, where I will have a lot of downtime.

@JayJ Yeah my saga of my PC days is legendary, byt I was all pc back in the day, and got out partly BECAUSE of steam and digital. I was all back in the dvd rom pc era 😆. So I have like 8 games on steam total... And one of those is the disc version of hl2 that required the steam decode!

But we do seem to have a similar idea of handheld overall!

I definitely buy handheld xbox (if it priced correctly) so I can play xbox games in portable mode when I have times, and continue it at night on tv with my series x 😃

It will be cool if at least the portable has the same power as the 2013 xbox one. I don't have problem if it's a full digital portable because xbox is pretty good with legacy games.

@NEStalgia I am using a standard phone and Gamesir X2 and it works great but only through my wifi of course so no chance to play on the go but even with Nintendo handhelds I never do that. I stopped using my Switch because of xCloud

@NEStalgia oh yeah, totally get your reservations if you don't have a large steam library yet. I have around 400 games on there, so for me it's a really good combination with Xcloud for Xbox games and my emulators. That way I can play just about any platform on one portable machine.

Yeah, it's definitely slick, but I keep asking myself, much as it would be nice to have access to a steam library, if I don't have a power machine to run them at their best, do I really want to split up purchases to yet another platform, vs just buying it on XB. Plus it still has that "gen 1" feel as though the moment gen 2 is out it'll feel so outdated. If this had come out 5 years ago I'd probably have got it instead of the XB, but now it's that thing of having a massive library on XB, and trying to justify why things should be bought on steam instead, and then feeling compelled to build a power PC to get the best out of those games when I could just run them on the XB.

Darned tempting, still because it really is such a nice setup.

But maybe still money better spent buying a phone to use as a dedicated gaming phone and accompany the XSS. The sad thing is the setup of the XSS + Phone + Controller for phone ends up costing the same or more than a Deck. But the XSX as the on-tv power version is already there vs spending thousands on a power rig.

Yeah, it's definitely slick, but I keep asking myself, much as it would be nice to have access to a steam library, if I don't have a power machine to run them at their best, do I really want to split up purchases to yet another platform, vs just buying it on XB. Plus it still has that "gen 1" feel as though the moment gen 2 is out it'll feel so outdated. If this had come out 5 years ago I'd probably have got it instead of the XB, but now it's that thing of having a massive library on XB, and trying to justify why things should be bought on steam instead, and then feeling compelled to build a power PC to get the best out of those games when I could just run them on the XB.

Darned tempting, still because it really is such a nice setup.

But maybe still money better spent buying a phone to use as a dedicated gaming phone and accompany the XSS. The sad thing is the setup of the XSS + Phone + Controller for phone ends up costing the same or more than a Deck. But the XSX as the on-tv power version is already there vs spending thousands on a power rig.

Part of me wouldn't mind a Switch Lite for more "random pick up and play" Switch play than my big ones, though that's silly the big ones are smaller than Deck.

Ten years ago, I would have agreed and would have immediately jumped on an Xbox dedicated handheld. But we've been over this so many times; the promise of "console quality gaming on the go" and it never pans out.

So many of the console to Vita ports ran terribly compared to their home console counterparts, and the "console quality games" developed exclusively for the Vita still often felt like they lacked something. Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Killzone Mercenaries, Resistance: Burning Skies, LittleBigPlanet... I enjoyed them all to some degree but I would have played their PS3 counterparts first any day of the week.

Then look at the Switch, which routinely has to make graphical or performance related sacrifices on ports of games you could've played superior versions of years ago. Not even Nintendo itself is consistent in getting good performance out of the Switch. As good a game as Breath of the Wild is, it runs like dog sh*t.

Plus, in the past year or so I've come to the realisation that I don't want multiple consoles and devices anymore. It struck me that if I just invested in a decent PC, I wouldn't need a Series X, PlayStation 5, Switch and God only knows what else hanging around and I could just have all my games all in one place, as 99.99% of everything available on those consoles will be on PC, plus a lot more besides.

So I did just that. Got a PC. Haven't properly touched the Series X in a few months, sold the Switch and I won't bother cluttering up my house with multiple unnecessary consoles and handhelds.

meh 10 ppl would buy it