I've had the Xbox Series S, which I affectionately call Baby Xbox, since launch day. And yet, I rarely play games on it, compared to my other devices. Because? Because until recently, I didn't have the ability to stream Xbox games to my Steam Deck. Now, thanks to a little app called XBPlay, which costs $7 but is worth every penny, I'm finally going to boot up my Xbox as often as my PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
Let me explain: I simply love playing video games in handheld mode. Sure, I have two computer monitors and an awesome TV, but there are huge benefits to portable gaming, namely for gaming while watching TV in the background. (Like a less crazy version of the three-TV lifestyle.) Especially when it's a huge RPG with lots of small side quests, like e.g. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth For PlayStation 5, I find it much easier to complete and enjoy the experience when I can complete part of it on the Steam Deck.
It was a huge headache to get PS5 Remote Play to work properly on the platform; It requires the use of a tool called Chiaki, which I only understood how to get up and running after reading several Reddit threads and watching several YouTube instructional videos. The final result? It's still worth it. I use PS5 Remote Play on my Steam Deck all the time, again, especially for big RPGs.
recently got Metaphor: ReFantazio for Xbox, which started well when I played it on a big screen. However, I soon realized that this huge (but delicious) RPG would be much better if I could also participate in some play sessions in handheld mode. I remembered how annoying it was to get PS5 Remote Play to work on my Steam Deck, and thought I'd have to go through a similar hassle this time.
No. Not even close! There's currently a $7 app in the Steam store called XBPlay, and people, it just works. I can't believe how well it works and how amazing it is. Metaphor: ReFantazio It looks on my Steam Deck. Setting up XBPlay took maybe five minutes tops. The hardest part was that Steam didn't include XBPlay in my game library, so after purchasing it, I had to manually search for it on my Steam Deck and create a shortcut so I could easily find it in the future.
Since installing XBPlay, I've been proselytizing about it to everyone I know who owns an Xbox. At this point, I've been using it so much that I need to shout it from the rooftops (i.e. post about it on Polygon dot com). If you have an Xbox and a Steam Deck, this app is a must. Don't delay.