Valve today (12 November 2025) announced their new Steam Machine (x86 CPU, 6x more powerful than Steam Deck) and Steam Frame (self-contained and PCVR streaming VR headset with ARM CPU & “FEX” translation of x86 to ARM) to be released in early 2026. No prices yet.

I’m trying to speculate what effects this will have on the wider Linux ecosystem. Both devices will be running Steam OS and be open so you can run any OS.

First, I’ve read many people state that the Steam Deck considerably increased the number of devices running Linux, so it seems to me that these two new devices will accelerate that trend.

Second, it seems to me that the Steam Frame will significantly increase VR use and development for Linux.

Third, I wonder what the implications of Frame’s x86 to arm translation layer (based on FEX, an open source project that I only learned about today) as well as Android compatibility (they state it can sideload Android APKs) will be. Could this somehow help either Linux on Apple silicon or Linux phone efforts? I’m very unfamiliar with what’s going on with either of these efforts, so I may be way out on a limb here.

What do you think about all this?

Edit: this article may prompt some additional thoughts with its discussion of the openness of the Frame - https://www.uploadvr.com/valve-steam-frame-catalog-whole-compatible/

  • utopiah@lemmy.ml
    1·
    2 days ago

    There is a mix of very precise issues with very detailed examples but also a thread of not being “comfortable” which makes it challenging for me to make practical suggestions.

    If that’s OK I’d suggest to start with the top 5 problems you have then I, and hopefully others, can give potential paths forward.

    One generic advice though the learning curve might feel threateningly high but I’d argue it’s if you consider this a short term adventure. If you think about the next year or so, discovering the intricacies of a distribution or shortcuts for a desktop environment look like a bad investment of your time. If now you consider this, especially as you mentioned managing servers for years, relying on WSL, etc a long term investment. If you imagine than in 10 years, heck even 50 years, console, servers, VR headsets, desktop, phones, tablets… all run Linux (which to be clear basically is the case now, even before the Valve recent announcement) then it’s a totally different dynamic. I don’t mean “behind the scene” kind of things, I mean today you can use adb shell on your standalone VR HMD, on your video projector, on your phone, etc. You can also have the console on your Mac laptop. It doesn’t make learning easier, it’s just a lot more motivating IMHO.

    Also on that topic, my “trick” is to write down notes. It can be actual notes or just my ~/.bashrc or ~/bin in a more pragmatic day to day solutions. They do add up, day after day, years after years. Each challenge once overcome can be composable and a new opportunity to do more.