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Valve compatibility layer for running Android games on Linux gets official name in Steam documentation (www.pcguide.com)
submitted 10 months ago by to c/linux_gaming@lemmy.world
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Valve has been a big proponent of Linux gaming, and now the company is investing in Android support on Linux. It’s already possible to run Android in a Linux container through Waydroid, but Valve has developed a new fork – and it has officially named it Lepton.

Last month, news broke that Valve would soon support Android games on Steam. This was thanks to a sighting in Steam app changelogs for Walkabout Mini Golf, which added an APK file. The VR title is currently available on the Meta Quest (which runs on a custom version of Android), and may run through the Lepton compatibility layer for Valve’s upcoming Steam Frame VR headset, which runs the company’s Linux-based operating system, SteamOS.

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[–] 95 points 10 months ago (34 children)

A lot of people here missing the bigger picture:

This could be the start for a Valve-backed Linux phone.

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  • [–] 46 points 10 months ago (5 children)

    That's a fun fantasy, but this is almost certainly a way to get Oculus games running on the Steam Frame.

    They're 100% coming for Oculus' lunch with this one.

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  • [–] 10 points 10 months ago (3 children)

    I don't think even Meta is eating Oculus's lunch... Making big losses on the Quest iirc.

    I didn't really want a full PC on my face. I just wanted cheap streaming from my actual PC. Quest is actually really good for this, but it would have been nice to have something affordable that wasn't from Meta.

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago

    Agreed. I run UBTouch on my phone. Waydroid is cool and all, but that's not Valves market. I'm sure they would love to be the store behind every mobile game sale of flappy bird. But that would be one hell of a side quest to try and take over Mobile game sales.

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  • [–] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    It's at least settings things up for a real Steam Mobile, rather than it being a companion app for PC. I've been on the Valve Phone hype train since the Steam Frame information came out. Most companies wouldn't do it, but I know Valve does a lot of things just because the employees wanted something and they ended up making it a product. I could easily see that happening with a phone.

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  • [+] 5 points 10 months ago* (8 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 7 points 10 months ago (5 children)

    I love my Deck. If they release a variant with LTE modem (not even 5G) and no controllers, I don't care how thick it is, make it on the same AMD SoC!

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  • [–] 4 points 10 months ago (4 children)

    My god this. I can't count the number of times I've thought "I wish I could buy a steam deck with the controllers ripped off". At a point, I'd take that and then a cheap nokia flip phone that can do wifi-hotspot and call it a day. Separate all the bs I do on my phone from the calling and texting part.

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (3 children)

    Check out Legion Go. It has Switch-like removable controllers. Not my choice of device but maybe you'll like it.

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    I do like the look of that form factor a lot... And I don't see any major red flags in the specs that make me think it won't work with Linux... Thanks!

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  • [–] 4 points 10 months ago

    Isn't steam frame basically a phone strapped to your face? It's arm based, it has a battery, speakers, microphones, cameras, radio, a screen (even two)... all it needs is a GSM module. Software would probably be the biggest issue but that's where linux and all the compatibility stuff Valve has been working on comes in. If it wasn't marketed strictly as a phone but a PC in your pocket I think it could work. Sadly, you're probably right tho.

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago

    Android on linux phones is already a pretty well-done thing. It's the generic Linux kernel on mobile processors that lacks proper radio drivers and low-power states.

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (5 children)

    I wondered the same thing, but I don't think that this will be a big impact for mobile phones. AFAICT there are three blockers for mov8ng from andro8d to linux on a mobile phone:

    1. Hardware drivers: 'cause hardware companies don't care, so OSS driver developers struggle to deliver efficient drivers
    2. Battery life: both because of drivers, but also because linux isn't tuned for efficiency like mobile Oses are;
    3. Software : google play is such a walled garden, and some apps won't run without it (some banking apps and some popular google apps.)
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  • [–] 3 points 10 months ago

    Despite sleep (the "wake up on every network event" kind of sleep) not being implemented in most PostMarketOS devices, I fucked around with my Redmi and found that the battery lasts much much longer on standby (if I don't forget to close the apps because they won't unload themselves)

    If you have a whole ass Android container like Waydroid (instead of stuff like android-translation-layer being developed), you can just put MicroG there. Or whole ass Google services, if for some reason you decided it's a good idea. It's just Android.

    But yeah, hardware support suckzzzz

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  • [–] 2 points 10 months ago (2 children)

    3: I think the point is to try to build a new walled garden, maybe with lower walls that can be easily hopped over

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