Key Highlights:
- Valve is set to launch a new VR headset soon.
- Leaks point to it being able to play both Windows and Android games.
- There have also been mentions of a Steam Controller 2.
Valve isn’t particularly new to the PC harwdare space. In fact, the company has had a long history of failures, before ultimately hitting the jackpot with the beloved Steam Deck. Prior to this, there have been attempts to make a controller, a home console PC as well as a VR headset.
As per multiple sources online, Valve might be seeking to return to these products, and an interesting claim seems to suggest that Steam for ARM support, out of the box.
Valve’s Upcoming VR Headset Is Rumored to Run Steam for ARM
Daily reminder that Valve’s next VR headset will be running a Linux ARM version of SteamOS tailored for XR
— Brad Lynch (@SadlyItsBradley) October 29, 2025
It will include its own standalone Linux ARM Steam client
And will launch with “Steam Play 3.0” which will be able to play Android ARM, Windows ARM, and Windows x86 games
As per X user Brad Lynch (SadlyItsBradley), Valve’s upcoming Steam VR headset is expected to run a version of SteamOS, developed with XR in mind. More notably, this version of SteamOS is a Linux ARM-based version instead of the x86 variant.
This all but confirms that the next Valve VR headset will use an ARM based SoC, which is quite the radical shift – more so considering that most games are based on traditional x86 architectures, posing questions of compatibility issues.
Also Read: Duet Night Abyss Is a Bold New Strategy for Gacha, but Will It Pay Off?
However, Valve does seem to be well prepared for this with the rumored release of Steam Play 3.0, which will be built for ARM devices in mind. Steam Play 3.0 is capable of running Windows x86, Android ARM and Windows ARM games out of the box.
This should make the device a whole lot more compatible with most games on the market, although the nature of its implementation remains to be seen. Most likely, this is simply going to be another x86 to ARM translation layer, with a few tweaks from Valve, tailored toward gaming.
Being able to play native Android ARM games is a game changer, and should open the gates for Android games on PC (albeit only under Linux, for now – we have dedicated Android emulators on Windows, after all).
Given SadlyItsBradley’s track record, these leaks do seem to be quite believable, although we might have to wait a little longer for Valve to showcase the product.
Details of a Steam Controller Successor Have Also Emerged Online
That’s not all though. Valve is allegedly also working on a successor to the infamous Steam Controller, codenamed ’Triton’. This was also mentioned by SadlyItsBradley in an X post, showcasing what appears to be an official render of the controller.
The information was datamined from a recent Steam backend update.
Triton appears to resemble a standard Xbox controller, with dual trackpads at the bottom half. It’s quite an interesting concept, and one that hopefully manages to be a lot more successful than the rather decisive original Steam controller.
Its clear here that Valve is going for the already established Steam Deck layout, transferring it into controller form. Whether this will actually work out, remains to be seen though.
As always, keep in mind that these bits of information are technically leaks, and are subject to change later on. None of this should be taken as the gospel, and try to digest this information with a grain of salt.
Things change during development, and the same can be expected for these kits of PC hardware.
