Valve’s Secret Plan To Revolutionize Gaming On Phones And Beyond

Valve, the tech giant behind Steam, has been secretly fueling a revolution in gaming, one that could transform phones into full-fledged gaming machines. In a recent, in-depth interview with The Verge, Valve revealed its involvement in major open-source projects, aimed at making Windows PC games compatible with ARM chips.

This architecture, commonly found in phones, tablets, and low-power devices, could potentially unlock a new era for Steam, extending its reach beyond traditional PCs and handhelds. According to Digital Trends, Valve’s efforts are not a fleeting experiment, but a long-term strategy that has been quietly unfolding for years.

The company has been providing funding and guidance for Windows-on-ARM gaming projects, promoting broader industry support, and exploring possibilities beyond Linux and SteamOS environments. This shift in the industry’s landscape could have far-reaching implications, as it challenges the dominance of x86 chips from Intel and AMD. The prospect of a functional ARM gaming layer opens the door to a wide range of possibilities, including cheaper hardware options, fanless designs, and innovative portable gaming devices.

Valve’s approach focuses on running games locally on the device itself, preserving Steam’s core strengths: ownership, offline play, mods, low-latency input, and full-fidelity gaming, ← →