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Beyond Steam Machine: Why Valve's New ARM Support Shouldn't Be Overlooked
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this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2025
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AFAIK, yes, plus one more.
It can use FEX to run x86 binaries, or use ARM binaries directly in steam for games that have them (games that support apple silicon macs, for example) and it can sideload apks meant for android, if the apk is actually standalone, and doesn't have system dependencies that only exist on meta devices.
The game Valve used to demo the standalone capability, was Hades. The x86 version running on a virtual display, after just installing it via steam.
Apple silicon is weird. It uses 16k page files while most other things are set up for other files sizes.
I am aware; but I am specifically meaning VR games, not just PC games in general. And especially not something like Hades which I can't imagine performing poorly even if emulated on a cheap smartphone. How well would it run Alyx? VRChat? Beat Saber?
yeah I think this is really useful on steamframe. on the machine? hrmmm
I honestly wonder how much of this is just copied over from the functionality they wanted on the steamframe. because there it's a great, potentially fantastic tool, where as on the steam machine it's... interesting?
I'm not sure what you're saying here. Copied over from where to what? The Frame is the only ARM device in the lineup. The Steam Machine is x86.
I may have misread but I thought they were going both directions: arm chips that could execute x86 stuff via proton, and, x86 (whatever amd solution ends up in the machine) reading the APK side.