Kinda weird the author is using the Switch to make this point because there already is a fairly big community of people using ARM handhelds to play Steam games. Lots of people using the AYN Thor for example are playing indie games on it.
Last tine I checked, ARM to x86_64 compatibility wasn’t very mature yet. Has this changed? Is there something like WINE but for this purpose?
FEX has become quite capable recently. Valve is using it as a focal point of their Steam Frame, putting their weight behind it the same way they did for Proton.
i do most of my emulation on my phone nowadays
Linux runs on PowerPC, ARM, and Risc-V we don’t need the Switch to tell us it doesn’t need to be x86.
It’s more about FEX + ARM handhelds, than those in isolation. Only in the last few years has FEX started to become viable, and more and more Linux ARM handhelds (not Android) are starting to appear.
The Switch represents a floor of what is possible, with weak hardware, unofficial Linux support, and likely poor GPU drivers. ARM handhelds that aren’t Android may have better long term support, and will become closer to the experience of a Steam Deck (albeit slower), at a much lower price.
Its kinda crazy, I have an old laptop made in 2019 So 7-ish years old. I bought a Steam Game made in 2026. It can run the game with very little issues.
Family has an old desktop made in around 2014-ish. I got it an SSD, 1070 and it still runs like a dream with PopOS/Steam. Its the family youtube/gaming PC and still runs anything that isn’t triple A expensive games.
AAA Un-Optimized Expensive game
FiFY
I played a few Steam games on my 2011 laptop two days ago!
ultimately its going to be a game of price to performance. Valves money into arm compatibility due to the steam frame helps with driver support, but ultimately whether arm for linux actually takes off for pc games solely relies on supporting the drivers for each major entry into the arm options.
also cant really trust nvidia to do it as much so dont expect the largest push to be based on the spark option. what it does is allow ayaneo and ayns to run linux instead of android for some of their devices
Yeah, the biggest issue is that even the cutting edge arm gpus just don’t pack enough power. I have an arm gaming device, and while it can play a lot of games, it struggles with most modern 3D games. Some of it is compatibilty/support issues, but a lot is just the lack of power these chips have.
That being said arm devices are great for most indie games, but they’re unlikely to be your only gaming device for the time being.
If a hotdog bun can hold carne asada, your next taco doesn’t need a tortilla. 🤡
Just because something can do a job, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick the best ends to achieving that job.
The Switch uses a modified Tegra X1 IIRC it’s pretty much the same as is in the Nvidia Shield TV, I wonder how far back the Tegra line this could be ported. The Nvidia Shield Portable used a Tegra 4 that was just like two generations older.
