What is Valve's Fex emulator?

Fex is an open-source emulator developed by Valve that aims to allow users to run games from their Steam libraries on various devices, bypassing the need for cloud streaming.

How does Valve's Fex compare to Xbox cloud gaming?

While Xbox focuses on streaming games via cloud, Fex enables native loading of games on your preferred hardware, offering an alternative for accessing game libraries across devices.

Can Fex run PC games on my Android phone?

Yes, some tinkerers are already using versions of Fex to emulate PC games on Android devices through Steam, with ongoing development for broader compatibility.

Home / Technology / Valve's Fex Emulator Rivals Xbox Cloud Gaming

Valve's Fex Emulator Rivals Xbox Cloud Gaming

16 Dec

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Summary

Valve is developing an emulator called Fex for cross-platform game library access.
Fex aims to enable native game loading on preferred systems, including smartphones.
This initiative competes with Microsoft's Xbox cloud streaming services.

Valve's Fex Emulator Rivals Xbox Cloud Gaming

Valve is developing an open-source emulator called Fex, which aims to provide an alternative to cloud streaming for accessing game libraries across various devices. This initiative, which has been in development for over seven years with significant input from Valve engineers and indie developers, seeks to enable native game loading on preferred systems, including smartphones.

This push by Valve directly competes with Microsoft's "Xbox Everywhere" advertising and Game Pass streaming services. While Microsoft offers game streaming, Valve's Fex focuses on a different approach: bridging the gap between different chip architectures like ARM and x86, allowing games designed for one to run on the other. This could significantly expand the reach of Steam.

As gaming costs rise, Valve's Fex emulator offers a compelling solution for players. Its open-source nature suggests potential for broad platform support, which benefits Valve by expanding its storefront's accessibility. This contrasts with Qualcomm's approach, which has not yet considered Fex for its upcoming chips, leaving the emulator battle for gaming on mobile devices to unfold.