Lepton appears to be the new official name for Valve’s version of Waydroid (Android in a Linux container).
We still don’t have a whole lot of details about how this is all going to work, outside of Lepton enabling Android APKs for developers on the upcoming Steam Frame VR kit, but it’s now that little bit more official with a proper name and even a logo.
Biggest two issues with Waydroid are x86 to ARM translation and correct GPU passthrough:
https://github.com/waydroid/waydroid/issues/2115
In theory, you should be able to just play Fortnite on linux this way, but I haven’t been able to get it to launch like this guy did.
People have also been calling Waydroid dead for a while now which I dont know how true it is.
Latest release was 2 weeks ago. Not sure how “dead” that is.
Pretty sure Waydroid uses the x86 image of LineageOS, cus last time I used it (like a year or more ago) I had to get x86 version of APKs I wanted to install.
Waydroid is a container (like docker), not an emulator. So waydroid on its own on a regular x86 Computer will Run only x86 Android Apps, but if it were installed on an ARM machine (like one if the Snapdragon Laptops) it would run normal (ARM) Android Apps (and no x86).
To run any android app on x86 you need to emulate ARM, which waydroid doesn’t do on its own, but scripts exist to add it to waydroid; https://github.com/casualsnek/waydroid_script
I’m assuming Valves Lepton does all if the for you, as well as using some optimized settings for some of the most popular Apps.
When I last used Waydroid (also about a year ago) I had problems with GPU Acceleration not working. All I wanted was SmartTube on my HTPC, but all videos were insanely choppy and laggy, so I hope they focus on that a lo. (if anyone knows a way to get ad-free YouTube with a TV like interface for free on linux, please let me know :) (I’ve also tried Kodi with a YouTube Plug-In and while it worked, the interface was pretty ass, so I’m just using Firefox with UBlock and a Bluetooth Mouse+Keyboard, which works but it like to be able to control it using just a cheap USB remote that I have)
This is more for their VR headset that’s coming out. It will be running ARM, so no concerns there. It will allow devs to port their existing Meta Quest games (which are Android APKs) very easily.
In reality meta quest games use their Platform SDK (for things like user entitlement check, match making, leaderboards, DLC) I’m not sure it’ll be an easy port for Quest games because you’ll be missing Meta’s services that run on the quest itself.
It wouldn’t be a completely effortless port but that stuff is pretty minor especially for single player games.
For ARM to x86 I was using LibHoudini, for x86 to ARM I don’t see the point. I mean, most apk are built for ARM.
Ah I said it backwards lol.
Yeah same with libhoudini. Problem is I could only get fortnite to execute with libndk, but it would crash when trying to do stuff with Vulkan. Would seem to complelty ignore libhoudini which was weird.
And before anyone asks, not because I want to play Fortnite, but because I inadvertently left some poor kid on Fedora where they can play all of their favorite games perfectly fine except fortnite lol.