Valve's new SteamOS compatibility layers aim to let gamers consider Arm-based hardware without leaving their catalog behind. The second layer, Lepton, expands Waydroid to run Android APKs on SteamOS via a software container. This is crucial for the Steam Frame, as many standalone VR titles were originally designed for Android-based Quest headsets. The official logo for Valve's "Lepton Development" tool looks, uh, thrilled to be here. Credit: Valve.

Although many titles had Windows ports, many current Steam Frame titles run as APKs through Lepton. VR.org found that 52 of the first 120 "Great on Frame" games run as Android executables translated via Lepton. That includes the first trio of Steam games listed without any Windows, Mac, or Linux builds.

"They're really VR developers who want to publish their VR content, and they're porting a mobile VR title where they're already familiar with how to make those APKs," Valve engineer Jeremy Selan told The Verge. "They are now free to bring those to Steam, and they'll just work on this device."

Does that mean other Android developers could throw their APKs through Lepton to get generic Android apps running on SteamOS? Valve's Lawrence Yang told The Verge: "We've never disinvited people from doing that" but added, "We are a games company and we are focused on games."