Lepton and FEX are now available on Steam as Valve prepares to launch its Steam Frame VR headset
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In the build-up to the Steam Frame release date, another milestone has been reached, as Lepton and FEX are officially available on Steam. Valve has yet to reveal when the Steam Frame will officially launch, but the company continues to make progress behind the scenes. Over the past few weeks, there have been several signs that the new VR headset is close to being launched.
It recently received FCC certification in the US, Valve has been assigning Steam Frame compatibility ratings to games, and a dedicated “Great on Frame” section has also appeared on Steam. The introduction of Lepton and FEX is the latest clue to suggest the big day is just around the corner – Valve has already promised a summer release, so time is running out.
Lepton and FEX have been released on Steam
Lepton and FEX aren’t games that users can download and play. Instead, they are important software components that will help support the Steam Frame. Their appearance on Steam suggests that Valve is continuing to prepare the software needed before the headset launches.
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Lepton is designed to help the Steam Frame run Android games on its Linux-based operating system. It works as a compatibility layer that allows Android applications to function properly without developers needing to create entirely separate versions for the device. This could eventually allow a much wider range of games to be available on the headset.
FEX serves a different but equally important purpose. Since the Steam Frame will use an ARM-based Snapdragon processor instead of the x86 processors found in most gaming PCs, many existing PC games would not run natively. FEX helps solve this problem by translating x86 applications so they can run on ARM hardware, making it possible for the Steam Frame to support a large portion of the existing Steam library.
Together with Proton, which already allows Windows games to run on Linux, these tools form the core of Valve’s compatibility system. Proton handles Windows games, FEX translates x86 software for the ARM processor, and Lepton enables Android game support. We’ve already seen the VRChat devs upload an Android version to Steam, which may be the go-to standalone build for the Frame.
Although Lepton and FEX don’t currently have public store pages with detailed information, developers can now access them through Steam. This should make it easier to prepare games for the upcoming headset and improve compatibility before launch.
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