Summary
Summary
- Xodus Nexus lets Steam Deck owners run supported Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass games locally without installing Windows.
- Compatible titles include Forza Horizon 6, Palworld, No Man’s Sky, and Gears of War: E-Day.
- Steam Deck support remains experimental, so some games, controls, and login windows may not work properly. A developer has created an open-source launcher that can install and run Microsoft Store and PC Game Pass games locally on Linux devices, including the Steam Deck. Per his announcement on Reddit, Steam Deck support and integration with Steam Gaming Mode are among the new updates to Xodus Nexus. With Xodus Nexus, you can browse your own games and the Game Pass catalog and access cloud saves if a game supports them. Also, you can add the launcher or individual games to Steam as non-Steam shortcuts. Xodus Nexus gives you the biggest advantage of installing Windows on Steam Deck But not every Game Pass title is available just yet While the aging hardware is a big downside, the Steam Deck’s biggest limiting factor is its software. To work around software limitations, many users would traditionally install Windows to access Microsoft’s storefront and run Game Pass titles locally. With Xodus Nexus, you can tackle that obstacle without having to install a whole new operating system on your handheld device. The developer confesses that not all titles run smoothly. However, among the titles that do run well on Linux through the open-source launcher, you can find Gears of War: E-Day, Deep Rock Galactic, Minecraft Dungeons II, No Man’s Sky, Forza Horizon 6, and Palworld. Up until now, the easiest way to access Game Pass content without installing Windows was through cloud gaming. GeForce Now can deliver such capabilities to your Steam Deck by syncing supported games from Xbox and other storefronts — so long as you have a dependable and fast internet connection for it to run smoothly. There are other similar apps that let you run games without forcing you to abandon Steam. Heroic Games Launcher, for example, can bring your Epic Games, GOG, and Amazon Prime Gaming libraries together. The most conspicuous remaining hole was access to the games available through Microsoft’s ecosystem, which can now be filled, at least partially, thanks to Xodus Nexus.