Emulating PC games on Android is easier than ever, and you can thank Valve

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Credit: Nick Fernandez / Android Authority


TL;DR

• Steam’s maker, Valve, has been playing a huge role in Windows emulation on Android.
• Valve has funded projects such as Fex emulator and Proton, which allow Windows games to run on Android more easily.
• Fex and Proton also form the basis for GameHub, a popular Windows emulator for Android.

For nearly three decades, Valve Corp. has played an indispensable role in PC gaming, especially contributing to distribution and DRM rights for titles through Steam. But more recently, the company has been interested in making gaming more mobile, first with the launch of the Steam Deck and, more recently, with the Steam Machine, its PC-console hybrid for running Windows games, as well as the Steam Frame XR headset. However, in addition to contributing to PC gaming’s portability, Valve might solve another problem: the uninspiring state of title support on Arm chips for laptops, including Apple’s M series and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X.

And in doing so, the indirect benefactor will be the broader set of Arm devices, i.e., mobile phones and tablets. Sean Hollister of The Verge recently discussed Steam Hardware’s role in emulation on mobile devices, particularly Android. One of SteamOS developers, Pierre-Loup Griffais, recently confirmed to The Verge that Valve has been sponsoring development of key emulation tools, including an open-source Windows emulator called Fex. The emulator works alongside the Proton compatibility layer, which is co-developed by Valve and CodeWeavers, and this forms the framework for running games designed for traditional x86 PC hardware on Arm architecture.




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