GoKawiilValve adds FEX and other layers to run x86 games on Arm-based Steam Frame
Alongside Proton, Valve is deploying additional compatibility layers to make Windows games playable on the Arm-based Steam Frame headset running SteamOS. Chief among these is FEX, an open-source x86-to-Arm binary recompiler that Valve has funded since 2018, well before the Steam Frame's existence, working with lead developer Ryan Houdek to make it robust enough for production use.
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Moving SteamOS onto Arm hardware requires solving a much harder emulation problem than the x86-to-x86 Linux translation Proton handles, since Arm chips can't natively run x86 instructions at all. Valve's long-term, multi-year investment in FEX shows the company treating hardware architecture flexibility as a strategic priority, potentially freeing future devices from x86 chipmakers entirely.
- FEX is an open-source x86-to-Arm binary recompiler Valve has funded since 2018.
- It works alongside Proton to support the Arm-based Steam Frame headset.
- Valve anticipated needing nearly a decade of development before FEX was reliable enough.
Valve Steam Deck OLED — If you're curious about SteamOS compatibility layers like Proton and FEX in action, the Steam Deck OLED is the best way to experience them firsthand. It runs the very same SteamOS stack discussed in the article, letting you play a huge library of Windows games natively on Linux-based hardware.
See Valve Steam Deck OLED on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-16
Published there as: “Not just Proton: Getting to know Valve's new SteamOS compatibility layers”
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