This had been Tweeted way back in October, but Pavel Djundik, founder of SteamDB, discovered via datamining that QR code scanning could potentially become a thing on the Steam Deck when logging into your Steam account, as you can see in the cover photo. Well, turns out it could become a reality…within the next couple of weeks I would imagine, as Pavel recently replied to his own Tweet and said:

They’re still working on this: QR code functionality is currently limited to play testers with the updated app. Inquire in the mobile slack channel.

I never knew Valve had a Slack channel, but it’s probably limited to developers only. But based on the wording of Pavel’s Tweet, it seems like the QR code is already out in the wild, at least to “play testers.”

I’ve got mixed feelings about this. QR codes definitely offer a quick, convenient means of logging in. At the same time though, they pose a phishing risk. Hackers are prone to stealing sensitive information due to how popular QR codes have become. Should you ever feel uncomfortable with the idea, however, it appears from the screenshot that you’ll still be able to log in to Steam the old-fashioned way.

If this does become a reality, I’m sure Valve is going to get a lot of hate for it, especially if customers find out their data has been compromised by means of scanning the QR code. That, combined with outdated software, doesn’t exactly make SteamOS a secure operating system.

Cover image credit: @thexpaw