GoKawiilTushar Mehta / Android Authority
TL;DR Valve, maker of Steam, has released a new version of Proton, its compatibility layer for running Windows games on Android.
Proton 11 beta brings performance improvements, better hardware support for already supported titles, and support for new titles.
The update also adds a new profile for Arm hardware, suggesting a scope for better PC game emulation on Android devices.
Valve, the creator of Steam, has played an instrumental role in distributing PC games for well over two decades, especially to Windows users. More recently, the company has been interested in catering to platforms, including Linux, and has been working to ensure support for Arm-based architecture. While that has largely been to ensure its own hardware — the Steam Deck and the promised Steam Frame VR headset — does not face a drought of games, the efforts have been helping other platforms. Among them, Android has been a key benefactor, and Windows gaming on Android is now about to get better.
That is because Valve released a fresh update to the Proton compatibility layer, which enables emulating Windows apps and games, including Steam, on Linux. With version 11 (beta), several popular Windows games, including multiple Resident Evil titles, are now playable via Proton. The details of the update have been published to GitHub.
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The update, as pointed out by XR industry analyst Brad Lynch on X, Proton 11 beta is based on the latest version of Wine, the popular Windows app emulator for Linux. Wine 11, released last month, added support for NTSync, which reduces system overhead when running Windows games on Linux via a compatibility layer. This, in turn, enhances performance and can allow games to run much more smoothly.
Proton 11 beta now supports the following titles: Universe Generator: The Golden Sword
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