Valve is enhancing game compatibility on ARM-based devices, including Android phones and tablets. This move involves sponsoring Pex, an open-source emulator, and contributing to Proton, a compatibility layer developed with CodeWeavers. Proton facilitates running Windows PC games on ARM by managing high-level APIs like DirectX, allowing seamless rendering.
ARM-Specific Enhancements
Valve's ARM-specific improvements in Proton allow games to run on ARM Linux and Android without extensive modifications. This is achieved by integrating a specialized version of Proton that works with Pex. Together with GameHub, another emulator platform, users can run Steam library games natively on Android devices.
Strategic Expansions
Valve plans to increase the availability of SteamOS across more ARM hardware and is exploring partnerships with OEMs to enhance support and reliability. By focusing on ARM compatibility, Valve enables developers to avoid the complex process of porting games, thus broadening their software's reach.
