Valve are likely up to something hardware-related again, report NotebookCheck. Their next chunk of plastic and wires – following the Valve Index, Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED – could swap PC gaming’s favoured x86 architecture for ARM, the type of processor favoured by the Nintendo Switch, Macs, and mobile phones.

Valve appear to have some pretty ambitious future plans for Steam, as we've seen recently in a leak (and not for the first time) that Valve has plans for ARM64 and Android support on Linux.

Valve may be developing an ARM64 version of Proton for Linux gaming. Hundreds of games, like Left 4 Dead, have been tested for compatibility using a new 64-bit layer. The potential for ARM64-based portable consoles opens exciting new possibilities.

Valve is bridging its x86 library with ARM framework support for possible Steam games on mobile. The focus on ARM64 hints at expanded cross-platform support for SteamOS. Speculation includes Steam games on mobile and the potential development of Valve's standalone VR headset.

In a move that has sent ripples through the gaming community, Valve has confirmed that it’s actively testing ARM64 support for several of its popular games. This development has sparked intense speculation about the company’s potential plans for future hardware,

Valve’s Proton software makes it possible to play many Windows PC games on computers running Linux-based operating system, including Valve’s own Steam Deck handheld gaming PC.

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Proton is Valve's solution for running many Windows games seamlessly on the Linux-based SteamOS. The leaked code shows Valve testing this ARM64 version with a wide

Valve, which operates Steam, the largest online marketplace for PC games, has worked hard to hedge against the possibility of Microsoft turning Windows into a closed marketplace-Linux gaming is taking off and Valve branched out into hardware to run it.