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/
Sure, my point is mainly to distinguish what is genuinely novel versus what already exist but people might not be aware of.
I would suggest the support this has from valve that means it works great out the box does indeed make it novel.
It will move the needle far more than like 2 hobbyists flashing niche hardware. Nobody cares about that because it’s so small scale. Nobody will put in the support for that user base. Conversely the valve frame is going to be a mass market product that will be in the hands of loads of people, so issues and problems will get fixed, software will be optimised and if the install base is large enough it will be targeted with new software and features.
That’s the novelty. It’s likely going to change things.
That’s about popularity though. Of course it will change development, and hopefully for the better because consumers and developers alike will be able to trust that the platform will keep on being usable. Still, it’s not about being genuinely new technically speaking. Same for e.g. https://simulavr.com/ which now looks like… well let’s just said egoistically speaking I did track the project for years, glad I didn’t order a DevKit, sadly.