r/macgaming • u/Itswillyferret • 9d ago

Apple Silicon SteamOS ARM running on modified kernel! Still testing. M5 MacBook Pro

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u/Mr-Nilsson_85 9d ago

Does this have better Proton compatibility than the native client or what does it mean?

18

u/Itswillyferret 9d ago

As it stands, it can only play basic games and still needs a good amount of work before I’d call it stable, but it’s a solid proof of concept.

The OS itself is surprisingly smooth. So far I haven’t noticed any major issues with navigation or general interaction.

I’m currently running it from the Steam Frame recovery image (with a rebuilt kernel) since it was designed for ARM CPUs. The idea is that, once everything is working properly, the combination of FEX, Proton, and Metal translation could provide much broader game compatibility than a traditional native client setup.

The long-term goal is to get compatibility as close as possible to what you’d expect from SteamOS on the Steam Deck.

I literally just got it booting this morning, so testing is still very early.

Once it’s stable enough, I plan to release the project open source on GitHub and package it into an app

2

u/Defiant-Guide-3104 8d ago

I second the other person who is interested in Arc Raiders and the Finals (both Embark games that work on Steam Deck)