Valve, which operates Steam, the largest online marketplace for PC games, has worked hard to hedge against the possibility of Microsoft turning Windows into a closed marketplace—Linux gaming is taking off and Valve branched out into hardware to run it. This project now includes testing ARM processors, reports Notebook Check, with an eye to future generations of its gaming boxes.
The importance of ARM64 support cannot be overstated here. ARM processors, widely used in mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, could allow Valve to run PC games on portable ARM64 hardware, quite possibly as part of a broader strategy for new hardware. The inclusion of Android compatibility, hinted at by mentions of Waydroid (a tool that enables Android apps on Linux), suggests an even wider range of software could become accessible on Valve's platform.
Apple went ARM four years ago, and this year saw Microsoft begin its own switchover in earnest, at least in terms of the systems it promotes. Intel's future is not looking great, though today brings light at the end of the tunnel.