For years, the landscape of handheld gaming has been defined by a clear division: Arm chips excelled in Android gaming and emulation, while x86 architecture dominated the realm of serious PC gaming. This distinction seemed set in stone, with devices like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally firmly establishing themselves as the go-to options for PC gamers on the go. However, a recent breakthrough has begun to challenge this long-held belief.
In an unexpected turn of events, a modder successfully managed to run Steam on the original Nintendo Switch, which debuted in 2017 equipped with the Nvidia Tegra chip. The introduction of Arm support in Proton 11’s beta version opened the door for this experiment. While the initial demonstration showcased the Steam user interface, it highlighted a crucial point: if Steam can operate on a Switch, the future of PC gaming handhelds may not be limited to x86 devices.
It’s important to clarify what “works” entails in this context. The initial excitement stemmed from the ability to load the Steam client, but actual gameplay requires a series of complex workarounds. Users can expect low frame rates and a lengthy list of caveats when attempting to play games on this setup. The Switch was never designed for this purpose, yet its ability to run Steam, albeit imperfectly, suggests that the barriers to entry for PC gaming on handheld devices may not be as daunting as they once appeared.
Getting Steam onto a Switch takes a stack of workarounds
To facilitate this process, Proton 11’s beta version incorporated Arm64 support alongside the FEX translator, which converts x86 instructions into a format comprehensible by Arm chips. However, the Switch’s outdated L4T kernel posed significant challenges, making it incompatible with FEX. Instead, users turned to Box64, an older community-developed translator, and utilized a project called Switchdeck to streamline the installation process. This involved downgrading the Steam client and implementing various patches to accommodate the Switch’s limited capabilities.
The outcome is a functional Steam client capable of launching select games, though the experience remains far from seamless. Users must navigate tight memory constraints and select different Proton versions for each game, with 32-bit titles requiring additional patches. While this setup is not plug-and-play, it demonstrates that x86 games can indeed run on a 2017 Arm chip, revealing that the obstacles are more about the limitations of the hardware than the fundamental feasibility of the translation process.
The translation layer isn’t the impossible part
The success of this endeavor is largely attributed to the efficiency of the translation layers involved. Unlike full emulation solutions like QEMU, Box86 and Box64 translate game code and redirect system calls to the native Arm libraries already present on the device. This approach allows the hardware to avoid the complexities of emulating an entire x86 PC. Compatibility layers, such as Proton on the Steam Deck, facilitate the translation of Windows APIs and graphics calls into a format compatible with Linux. On Arm devices, projects like FEX and Box64 add another layer of translation, enabling x86 instructions to run on smaller devices like the Raspberry Pi.
The Nintendo Switch’s hardware limitations do not preclude it from running PC games; rather, they dictate the quality of the gaming experience. This revelation indicates that the challenges of x86-on-Arm translation are not insurmountable, thanks to the ongoing efforts of community projects and advancements in translation technology.
The biggest wall is an Android problem, not an Arm one
Modern Arm chips have already demonstrated their capability to run PC games, as evidenced by Snapdragon devices successfully running titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 through applications like Winlator and GameHub. However, the experience can vary significantly based on the device’s GPU drivers. For instance, while attempting to run Portal 2 on different Snapdragon chips, an older model outperformed a newer flagship due to the maturity of its driver support.
This inconsistency highlights a critical point: the challenges faced by Arm handhelds often stem from driver issues rather than the architecture itself. Devices not specifically designed for gaming encounter significant hurdles, whereas dedicated gaming handhelds come equipped with optimized drivers that ensure a smoother experience.
The Steam Frame is actually built for this
Valve has taken significant strides in this direction with the upcoming Steam Frame, a VR headset powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This device runs SteamOS natively on Arm, utilizing FEX for x86 game compatibility. Valve’s engineers have indicated that FEX’s overhead is minimal, typically ranging from 10 to 20 percent, a trade-off that many users would find acceptable.
Early benchmarks on Arm development boards have shown promising results, with games like DOOM 2016 and Portal 2 running smoothly, even on hardware not originally intended for gaming. The integrated nature of the Steam Frame’s design, which combines the chip, operating system, drivers, and translation layer into a cohesive package, suggests that the transition to handheld gaming could be seamless.
What this means for the handheld I buy next
At present, x86 remains the safer choice for gamers, as devices like the Steam Deck offer a straightforward, translation-free experience. However, the barriers preventing Arm from emerging as a viable gaming platform are gradually diminishing. The lightweight nature of translation and the absence of driver-related headaches on dedicated gaming devices indicate that the future may hold more options for Arm-based handhelds.
As Valve continues to develop its Arm-based offerings, the notion that x86 is the only path forward for gaming handhelds is becoming increasingly outdated. The original Nintendo Switch’s ability to run Steam has sparked a conversation about the potential of Arm architecture in gaming, paving the way for a future where the choice of handheld may not be dictated solely by the presence of an x86 chip.
