Hey everyone! I'm looking for some help with a project I've gotten really into — trying to turn my Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e into something like a Steam Deck. I totally understand that the tablet's ARM architecture means I won't get the best performance since Steam is designed for x86, and I know there's an APK for it, but I'm not focused on that right now.
I've been experimenting with two Samsung tablets using Termux, and I've hit a lot of walls. My main goal is to run Steam through a Linux distro like Debian or Ubuntu, and I've already set up box64 and XFCE. However, I'm struggling with installing Steam through Flatpak; it doesn't seem to recognize my ARM device.
I also tried using Andronix to get Ubuntu and XFCE working through Termux, but I'm having trouble getting browsers like Chromium and Firefox to function in the VNC server I set up.
If anyone has tips or tricks for making Steam work on an ARM tablet, or any other suggestions for cool projects with spare Android devices, I'm all ears! I just want to keep experimenting and solving this puzzle, and I'm not worried about bricking anything. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
Just a heads up, Valve is reportedly working on an ARM translation layer for their future devices, including the Steam Deck. Something called FEX EMU could be on the horizon! While it's meant for VR, it might eventually allow better compatibility for Steam on ARM devices. You can check it out here: https://github.com/FEX-Emu/FEX. It's still in the works, but could be pretty exciting!
I came across a script in the box64 repository that installs Steam directly. You might want to look into that! Here's the link: https://github.com/ptitSeb/box64/blob/main/install_steam.sh. It could simplify things for you!
I think your approach is really cool! Instead of going through all the trouble with Termux and trying to trick Steam, why not check out the GameHub APK? It's designed specifically for running Steam games on Android devices without needing all those heavy setups, and it gives you a nice Steam-like interface. Plus, it supports on-screen controller overlays for touch controls or lets you use a keyboard and mouse! It's worth a shot!
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