Valve appears to be moving closer to releasing its wireless VR headset, the Steam Frame, with the public availability of two crucial software components, Lepton and FEX, on Steam. While a precise release date remains unannounced beyond a general window of 'later this year,' these developments strongly suggest an imminent launch.
Lepton functions as a container for running Android games within a Linux environment on the Steam Frame. FEX, a more complex tool, is essential for the device's operation, particularly given its reliance on an Arm-based Snapdragon System-on-Chip (SoC). FEX translates 32-bit and 64-bit x86 games, enabling them to be compatible with Arm architecture. Without this translation layer, the Steam Frame would be unable to play a significant portion of the VR titles available on Steam.
While Lepton and FEX do not have distinct, easily accessible store pages, their public release is primarily beneficial for developers. For example, Android developers can now more readily create an Android depot on Steam containing an APK file for their games. This integration is further enhanced by Steam Cloud support for save data stored in external Android data directories. The first Android game to appear on Steam in this manner was Walkabout Mini Golf, available as an APK file since November.
The FEX translation layer could prove beneficial for a broader range of Arm-based systems. Valve has previously stated its active investigation into an Arm-based gaming future, and the recent unveiling of Nvidia's RTX Spark 'superchip'—which pairs an Nvidia GPU with a MediaTek Arm chiplet—highlights the growing presence of Arm architecture in computing. Although an RTX Spark-equipped laptop may not be the most budget-friendly option, its SoC is poised to be a significant disruptor. This development indicates that Valve's work on FEX could support a wider array of games on future Arm-based gaming platforms beyond the Steam Frame.