In a recent conversation with The Verge, Pierre-Loup Griffais, a software engineer at Valve, shed light on the company’s long-standing support for FEX, an open-source emulator designed to enable Windows games to run on ARM Linux devices. This revelation comes as Valve continues to broaden its scope beyond traditional gaming platforms, particularly with the anticipated release of its Steam Frame VR headset.
Valve’s Involvement with FEX
FEX recently marked its seventh anniversary, and in a heartfelt post, it acknowledged Valve’s crucial role in its journey, stating, “for being here from the start.” Griffais confirmed that Valve has been funding FEX since its inception, emphasizing the project’s significance not only for the gaming ecosystem but also for SteamOS and future applications.
“That’s right, all the core [FEX] developers have been funded by us since the beginning. We definitely started that project with the idea that it would be something that’s useful for the ecosystem at large, but also something that would be really useful for SteamOS and other applications in the future.”
Pierre-Loup Griffais, Software Engineer at Valve
As the gaming landscape evolves, ARM architecture processors, such as Apple’s A-series and M-series chips and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon series, are becoming increasingly prominent. While these processors have not traditionally been associated with gaming, the development of FEX is paving the way for a more robust gaming experience on ARM devices.
Griffais expressed optimism about the future, noting that Valve anticipated a significant amount of development time—nearly a decade—before FEX would be reliable enough for widespread use. He stated, “We’re pretty excited to be able to expand PC gaming to include all those options instead of being arbitrarily restricted to a subset of the market.”
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“It all started with the same assumption that you’re going to get the same experience on Arm, you’re going to have the same set of games, and you’re going to be able to run them without having to worry about what architecture your computer is using. That was really our goal, to try to reduce barriers for users not having to worry about what games run and for developers to get a starting point for those new devices.”
Pierre-Loup Griffais, Software Engineer at Valve
With the Steam Machine serving as a catalyst for a shift away from Windows gaming, the year 2026 is shaping up to be pivotal for Linux gaming. Valve’s arsenal of tools, including Proton, Lepton, and FEX, is set to enhance the gaming experience significantly. When asked about the potential for SteamOS on mobile devices, Griffais remained open-minded, suggesting that the focus will initially be on “living room, handheld, and desktop” devices.
