Stream Frame May Release Soon Now That Valve Has Released Its Android Compatibility Layer Container on Steam

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By Peter Brosdahl

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Image: Valve

Valve has just released Lepton, an Android compatibility layer for Linux, thus rounding out the apps needed for the Steam Frame to run Android, x86, and Windows games. While Proton serves to provide support for Windows on SteamOS, FEX is an x86-to-ARM 32-bit/64-bit translation tool, Lepton similarly provides support for Android on Valve’s Linux flavor. All of these effectively round out the primary apps for the Steam Frame’s Snapdragon 8 processor to run games based on either x86, Windows, or Android systems. This significant software step has also reignited the countdown for when the Steam Frame may launch, leading some to believe it could be soon.

The Steam Frame has largely been MIA among Valve’s recent hardware releases despite being announced alongside them last fall. It’s been widely known that the ongoing DRAM/NAND shortage has affected Valve’s ability to launch it and the Steam Machine since each includes memory and storage components. These components have had, and continue to have, industry-wide price hikes, and it’s become apparent that Valve may not have secured enough inventory to weather current trends, nor is it known what plans are in place for the future since most experts do not anticipate market conditions to begin leveling off until some time in 2027 for NAND at the earliest and possibly not until 2030 depending on the type of component, DRAM. However, pricing has yet to be revealed for Valve’s wireless VR headset, and yet another factor may play an unfavorable contribution. It was learned last week that Samsung is reportedly planning on increasing prices for its Snapdragon processors, and depending on how many Valve has secured for the first round of inventory at launch, there could be another reason for a major price increase when that runs out.

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Peter Brosdahl
As a child of the 70’s I was part of the many who became enthralled by the video arcade invasion of the 1980’s. Saving money from various odd jobs I purchased my first computer from a friend of my dad, a used Atari 400, around 1982. Eventually it would end up being a lifelong passion of upgrading and modifying equipment that, of course, led into a career in IT support.

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