SoftwareOperating SystemsValve appears to be testing Arm64 support in Proton but I wouldn’t get too excited about an Arm-based Steam Deck 2 just yetWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
SoftwareOperating SystemsValve appears to be testing Arm64 support in Proton but I wouldn’t get too excited about an Arm-based Steam Deck 2 just yetWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future)
Eagle-eyed users have spotted a test application on SteamDB suggesting that Valve is experimenting with Arm64 support for Proton, the software that enables Windows games to run on Linux systems.
The changelog forValveTestApp3043620lists several popular games—including Left 4 Dead 2, Garry’s Mod, Kerbal Space Program and more—with added tags like “proton-arm64”, “proton-arm64e” and “protonarm64ec-vanguard” (viaNotebookcheck).
This has led to some speculation that Valve could be preparing support for certain games to run via Proton on Arm64 devices like Android smartphones and tablets, or potentially even anArm64-based versionof Valve’s ever-popularSteam Deck.
While the prospect of Steam games running on your phone is a tantalising one (and an Arm-based Steam Deck, a bizarre thought), what’s probably more likely here is testing for Windows support on Arm-based chips.
The Arm architecture has been making waves in recent months, what with the announcement ofmultiple laptopsfeaturing Qualcomm’s Arm64-based Snapdragon X CPUs. These new mobile devices are capable of running Windows-based games via aMicrosoft/Qualcomm emulation layercalled Prism.
If Proton was able to provide Windows-based emulation for games, that’d make it a direct competitor to Prism—and if it could provide better performance or more stable emulation than the latter, that’d be quite the boon for gamers looking to adopt Arm-based devices.
Another potential usage would be for a rumouredArm-based VR headsetcapable of running both Android and Windows games. Whatever the use case ends up being, it seems that Valve is at the very least playing around with Arm64 emulation in some form or fashion with Proton.
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