Valve has released the source code for Lepton, a software layer that allows Android games to run on Linux, for use in the new Steam Frame headset. The project, which is publicly available on the company’s GitLab, is aimed at developers who want to port VR games from Android to Valve devices.
Lepton works through containers and uses the work of multiple open source projects, including Waydroid, Anbox, Halium and Hybris, as well as components from the Android open source project. At the same time, the system does not attempt to emulate a full-fledged Android device – services not necessary for gaming are disabled, and some libraries, including graphics drivers, Vulkan components and Steam libraries, are connected directly from the main system.
Valve emphasizes that Lepton was created specifically for gaming, not as a general way to run any Android app on Linux. However, open source will allow the community to study the code, create their own versions and adapt the technology to other scenarios.