Valve’s Secret to Playing Games Anywhere: Not Streaming

Microsoft and Valve are both vying for your attention when it comes to gaming. Microsoft is pushing its “Xbox Everywhere” campaign to convince us that all our devices can be an Xbox if they have a solid Wi-Fi connection for streaming games. On the other hand, Valve has quietly been working on an alternative that allows you to play all your game libraries on any device, without worrying about internet speeds.

Valve, despite being a much smaller company with around 350 employees compared to Microsoft’s 228,000 worldwide, is determined to get more games, players, and platforms on Steam. In fact, Valve is even looking to incorporate Android games onto Steam through a new emulator called Fex, which they have been developing for over seven years.

Fex is an open-source emulator that allows games to be compatible with ARM chip architecture. This is a big deal because ARM offers better power management and efficiency, making it ideal for mobile devices. Fex aims to bridge the gap between ARM and x86 chip architectures, and could have a significant impact on the gaming industry in the future.

Valve recently introduced the Steam Frame VR headset, which runs on an ARM-based Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. This headset, like the new Steam Machine, will be able to play Steam games through Fex. Fex supports Linux OS and the Vulkan system library, making it a versatile platform for gaming compatibility.

While Qualcomm is also working on making x86 programs compatible with its Snapdragon chips through emulation, Valve’s Fex is an open-source solution that could potentially run on various platforms in the future. With the success of Valve’s Proton compatibility layer for Linux gaming, Fex could be the next big step in expanding gaming accessibility across different devices.

It’s clear that both Microsoft and Valve are focused on making gaming more accessible and versatile for players. While Microsoft is pushing game streaming through the Game Pass Ultimate subscription, Valve is working on developing Fex to break down hardware exclusivity barriers in gaming. Only time will tell which approach will win out in the long run, but for now, gaming enthusiasts can look forward to more options for playing their favorite games on a variety of devices.