Should Valve Debut a Game Pass Style Service for Their Exciting Steam Deck?

Published 02/26/2022, 10:13 AM EST

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Valve has eventually entered the space of real gaming competition with its latest Steam Deck PC. So it becomes obvious for the device to keep growing in the long run to maintain a level of challenge to rival products.

When it comes to other major players in this category, they have a setup ready that includes various subscription-based offerings. Because these services keep the players engaged with their consoles as well. However, Valve is yet to dive into this specific area with the Steam Deck computer. It’s an interesting possibility to wonder about though.

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Will there be a Steam Deck subscription service like Game Pass?

Valve President Gabe Newell recently had an interaction with PC Gamer. And while speaking about Steam Deck’s chances of having a dedicated subscription service, he had this to say:

“I don’t think it’s something that we think we need to do ourselves, building a subscription service at this time,” he said. However, mentioning Microsoft and its Game Pass service, he said: “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.”

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Simply put, Mr. Newell meant to say that while Steam Deck won’t get its own subscription model anytime soon, Valve will work with Microsoft to bring PC Game Pass titles for the newly launched handheld device.

This is something Steam Deck might witness in the near future. Because Microsoft will also get more profit by offering its subscription to owners of this gaming PC. Thus, having this kind of setup, for now, seems plausible.

As for a separate Game Pass-like platform, it’s not the right time probably. Also, according to Valve’s President himself, they are not willing to do so at this moment.

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Steam Deck has just arrived publicly and without any doubt, the product will need more time to become a great device. Currently, it needs more refining in terms of compatibility and other crucial aspects. Only after solving such issues should Valve focus on a solo subscription service for its product.

The Steam Deck handheld PC is now available.

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What are your thoughts on this portable gaming computer? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Mintu Tomar

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Mintu Tomar is an eSports author at EssentiallySports. After completing his bachelor's in Philosophy, he has followed his passion for covering news as a budding journalist. He lives and breathes video games and is a die-hard Call of Duty fan.
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