Valve are likely up to something hardware-related again, report NotebookCheck. Their next chunk of plastic and wires – following the Valve Index, Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED – could swap PC gaming’s favoured x86 architecture for ARM, the type of processor favoured by the Nintendo Switch, Macs, and mobile phones.
SteamDB reveals a piece of software named 'ValveTestApp3043620' that's associated with dozens of PC games, ranging from Left 4 Dead 2 and Garry’s Mod to Among Us and Hollow Knight, which in turn have tags like 'proton-arm64ec' and 'proton-arm64ec-experimental'. To "Occam’s Razor" an explanation for this, the mysterious app suggests that Valve are testing out a version of Proton (the compatibility layer that makes Windows games run on the Linux-based SteamOS) that could work on ARM64 processors.
The most boring outcome of this would be something like Valve just releasing SteamOS for MacBooks, Apple’s M series of mega-fast laptop and desktop chips being arguably the most famous examples of ARM architecture in action. Just as likely, though, is Valve assessing ARM as the basis of their next big hardware release, having stuck with x86 for the Steam Deck family.
I don’t think the possibility of new Steam-branded kit is the story here – since the first Steam Machines, Valve have been in the hardware game for over a decade, and have given no indications of packing it in. But the potential switch to ARM could bring some fresh possibilities, if also some risks.
For one thing, ARM chips are typically more power-efficient than their closest x86 counterparts, so could be very suitable as the basis for a new Steam Deck or wireless VR headset. ARM’s compatibility with the Android operating system might also make it a lot easier to add your favourite mobile games to your PC library; outside of emulation, this is only possible on x86 hardware in very narrow, limited ways.
However, the big challenge – for Valve and for Proton – would be maintaining performance and
Hardware
Valve
Steam Deck