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If you’re a Steam Deck owner looking for a way to bring over some of your Android gaming favorites, then you may be in luck. According to a well-known data miner, Valve appears to be working on integrating an Android emulator directly into Steam. This would allow players to access a vast library of Android games alongside their existing Steam library and it sounds particularly useful for the Steam Deck – Valve’s popular gaming handheld.

The rumor stems from Bradley Lynch, a SteamVR data miner with a proven track record. Lynch found a package on SteamDB, a platform that tracks Steam updates, containing five apps. Two of these apps displayed new artwork referencing Waydroid, a free and open-source Android emulator for Linux systems. This is quite telling if you ask us.

Waydroid and Steam Deck

Waydroid holds particular significance for the Steam Deck because it operates on Linux. This emulator essentially creates a container within the Steam Deck that can run a full Android system. Importantly, Waydroid boasts near-native performance, meaning Android games would likely run smoothly on the handheld device.

While the specific functionalities of the rumored integration remain unclear, it would likely cater primarily to the Steam Deck. Why is this? Well, Waydroid currently supports both Intel and AMD processors, which of course aligns with the Steam Deck’s custom AMD Zen 2 APU with RDNA 2 graphics.

Further evidence supporting this rumor comes from SteamDB itself (as pictured above). The platform reveals that Valve has been actively working on a Steam app featuring the Waydroid logo since May 30. The most recent update on the database occurred on July 4, suggesting development is still actively going ahead for now.

Is it worth integrating Waydroid?

Integrating an Android emulator into Steam presents Valve with an interesting strategic decision. On the one hand, it unlocks a massive library of games for users, potentially boosting Steam Deck sales and user satisfaction. However, development and maintenance costs could be significant, especially if Valve aims for seamless integration with Google Play Services.

Additionally, ensuring compatibility with a vast array of Android apps could prove to be pretty challenging. Ultimately, the success of this feature would hinge on user adoption and the overall enhancement it brings to the Steam Deck experience.

It’s important to remember that while the evidence is eye-catching, Valve hasn’t officially confirmed anything regarding an Android emulator for Steam Deck. The information comes from leaks and data mining, so there’s always a chance plans could change or the feature might not see the light of day.