Xbox Cloud Gaming on Omarchy OS – Decky Loader, Steam Deck UI & GameScope Streaming

In this video, I experiment with Xbox Cloud Gaming inside the Omarchy GameScope launcher, and at the same time show how Decky Loader can be used to customise the Steam Deck–style interface on a desktop Linux system.

This is very much an experiment, not a polished setup guide — the goal is to see what’s possible when you treat Omarchy like a Steam Deck–style console rather than a traditional desktop.

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🔹 Why This Video Exists

After the last video on GeForce NOW inside GameScope, a few people asked why anyone would want to pay for another service.

The reality is:
• A lot of people already have Xbox Game Pass
• Cloud streaming is sometimes the only way to play certain games
• Linux still can’t run everything locally

So the question became:
Can Xbox Cloud Gaming live comfortably inside GameScope on Omarchy?

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🔹 What I Set Up

In this video, I:
• Launch Omarchy into GameScope mode using my existing launcher
• Install Decky Loader using a simple script
• Use Decky Loader to customise the Steam Deck–style UI
• Add Xbox Cloud Gaming as a non-Steam application
• Run it entirely inside the GameScope environment

No Windows.
No desktop session.
Just Steam + GameScope.

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🔹 Decky Loader (UI Customisation)

Decky Loader is something Steam Deck users will already know.

Once installed, it lets you:
• Add plugins to Steam’s UI
• Change artwork and layout
• Improve how the library looks
• Make the interface feel much more console-like

I install a few plugins (including CSS Loader and Art Hero) just to demonstrate how much the UI can be changed. There’s a lot to explore here — this video only scratches the surface.

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🔹 Xbox Cloud Gaming Behaviour

Because this runs through a browser (Microsoft Edge), there are some quirks:
• First launch involves Microsoft’s usual sign-in friction
• Keyboard works for some games
• Controller support is required for most titles
• Streaming quality depends entirely on your internet connection
• Frame rate hovers around 30–60 FPS (as expected for cloud streaming)

This is not about latency-critical competitive gaming — it’s about access.

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🔹 Why GameScope Matters

Running cloud gaming inside GameScope means:
• Consistent fullscreen behaviour
• Steam Deck–style navigation
• Controller-first interaction
• Everything launched from one place

Once set up, Xbox Cloud Gaming just becomes another tile in your Steam library.

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🔹 Limitations & Reality Check

This setup:
• Is not “perfect”
• Is not low-latency like local gaming
• Depends on Microsoft’s web stack
• Involves some fiddling

But it works, and for certain games, it’s better than not playing them at all.

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🔹 What’s Next

At the end of the video, I mention the next experiment:
• Remote Steam streaming
• Streaming from a Windows 11 gaming PC
• Into Omarchy running GameScope
• Treating Omarchy as a lightweight console client

That’ll be a separate video once I’ve ironed out the rough edges.

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💬 Final Thoughts

This isn’t about replacing local gaming.

It’s about options.

With Omarchy, GameScope, Decky Loader, and cloud streaming, you can:
• Customise your UI
• Centralise all your games
• Fall back to the cloud when Linux hits a wall

And still keep everything feeling like a console.

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