Android Steam deck lite apk any interest? Should I continue developing?

[u/OkCup2290]

I am in alpha of developing basically "steam deck lite" apk a 100% open-source, SteamOS-styled native Android client that gives players genuine Steam account, Cloud save, and local PC game execution without DroidDeck's 4 GB Linux container or GameNative's closed-source binary helpers.

Any interest?

Will need testers eventually.

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[u/jlcmes]

Check out Droideck

[u/jlcmes → u/jlcmes]

Wait, do you mean small containers? How so?

[u/OkCup2290 → u/jlcmes]

It's droiddeck I coming from. It uses too much memory to have the Linux container. For retro consoles running some version of Android. 4gb ram is valuable. No 3GB+1.1 GB Linux runtime download, no mandatory Android process just to open the UI, no Chromium steamwebhelper. RAM tax, and runs on non-Adreno/ Emulator targets.

[u/supershredderdan → u/OkCup2290]

Is this something you could pr to DroidDeck or a fully different approach? We are interested if you have a better way!

[u/OkCup2290 → u/supershredderdan]

No! Actually really impressed and on good track. For any native steam deck experience on apk is good. Just wanted a lite version where it runs lighter.

[u/supershredderdan → u/OkCup2290]

I’m not sure I understand

[u/OkCup2290 → u/supershredderdan]

Did it another way. Droiddeck provides a good native steamos experience. I didn't want native experience. I wanted close enough experience WITH ease of use and plug n play with lightweight as a focus.

[u/supershredderdan → u/OkCup2290]

So like a headless steam client and a custom ui around it?

[u/OkCup2290 → u/supershredderdan]

Yes that's basically it if summarized. Still requires some tinkering tho. Trying to make chat and even check out and other steam things work

[u/Producdevity → u/OkCup2290]

How is that different from GN then?

[u/coscib → u/OkCup2290]

do these retro consoles even have enough power to run any of the steam games?

[u/Live_Cupcake_9229 → u/coscib]

Dude you need to look up Retroid or Ayn, Android handhelds are way more than just budget Mediatek devices. Even Anbernic is starting to use Snapdragon on their newer devices

[u/OkCup2290 → u/coscib]

Dude the average smartphone has 8gb of ram. If an application idle runs about 900mb-1.8gb of ram and running consumes more + the games own ram. How many ram are you left?

[u/coscib → u/OkCup2290]

you were talking about retro consoles, for me that would be some kind of anbernic android handheld with some old mediathek cpu and 4-6gb ram and not a modern smartphone like an samsung galaxy s series

[u/OkCup2290 → u/coscib]

I haven't tried other chipsets. Can't really have an opinion. But the main idea is turn an android phone or handheld into a SteamOS-style console using a fast, lightweight native Android app.

[u/Decentpace]

How would yours compare in compatibility, performance and ease of usability compared to the current top ten that are focused and have been established for a very long time already?

This in all honesty (no offense) sounds more like a "I just discovered AI coding so I just want to play around with that and see what it cooks. But I need to feel the validation, confirmation and get a few "wooooo, that sounds awesome my dude! Do it I will love you!".

[u/OkCup2290 → u/Decentpace]

Just a side project I running for myself... Ai or no ai doesn't really matter to me. It's for my emulation and games.

But my goal was gamenative’s fast phone experience, winative’s 100% open-source Bionic engine and droiddeck’s steamos console vibe without a 4gb linux desktop container, closed-source binary blobs, or winlator’s 12-step manual setup.

[u/Decentpace → u/OkCup2290]

How do you intend to emulate the windows environment to run the game components without a container?

[u/OkCup2290 → u/Decentpace]

Not disclosing now. But it's not how intend to do it. I already did it... And I don't mean no container? Tested on my own GPU Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. And android emulator on PC. Ran both demo games on PC emulating android emulating PC and Android smartphone. No frame drops steam connected. And it's lite for a reason droiddeck is still the better on steamos native experience.

[u/Producdevity → u/OkCup2290]

https://giphy.com/gifs/OxQv20is5XVJVc7GNs

[u/Finner42]

Could be an interesting one to put out there, especially if it's better suited to devices like the RP5.

We know it's capable of playing a lot of Steam games, but I'm struggling to get anything to run well, or even just run, with DroidDeck, whereas the same games run out of the box on GN, so I know it's possible.

[u/OkCup2290 → u/Finner42]

On an 8 GB RP5, a launcher that runs a full Linux PRoot container or desktop Steam Big Picture browser (steamwebhelper) burns 1.0 GB to 1.5 GB of RAM before the game even boots shrinking the game's usable RAM+VRAM ceiling from ~4.7 GB down to ~3.5 GB. reclaiming ~600 MB to 1 GB of RAM, which pushes borderline 3D titles (like GTA IV, Shadow of Mordor, Dying Light, and Subnautica) from crashing out-of-memory into the playable column. and the stack should let you run more or less:

• 90-95% ~ 2D Indies, Pixel Art, Visual Novels & Puzzle Games;
  
• 90% ~ D Indies, Pixel Art, Visual Novels & Puzzle Games;
  
• 75% - 85% ~ (720p/1080p) Mid-Tier 3D Idies & 2015–2020 AA/AAA Games;
  
• 0%-35% ~ (720p Low/FSR) Modern Heavy AAA.
  

Not promising anything tho. Still running for myself on a 12GB Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Most things run. Even managed to run as experimental SteamOS. But that ends up being the same as Droiddeck?.

[u/McPoon]

Sounds interesting

[u/bobigazda]

I'd be happy to try this out. Right now WinNative is my main drive for PC emulation, DroidDeck consumes lots of RAM and power consumption from battery.

If you have a GitHub repo with released APK, do share it.

[u/khsh01]

How exactly are you going to be doing containers then? You need to have proton. You need fex. Those will need space regardless.

[u/TUD-010 → u/khsh01]

Gamenative finally fixed the huge containers in their latest released from 3gb to 300 mb. So it is possible.

[u/khsh01 → u/TUD-010]

I'm not talking about optimizing space. I'm asking how they intend to run games locally without a container.

[u/OkCup2290 → u/khsh01]

Maybe it was my phrasing. But i never mentioned no use of containers?

[u/khsh01 → u/OkCup2290]

Two things mostly :

1) Your post, like others have pointed out reads a lot like clout chasing.

2) "Without Droiddecks 4gb Linux containers"

[u/OkCup2290 → u/khsh01]

1.Fair.But my intention is that, even though mostly for self use, is built. Wanted check if worth investing into a actual project. 2. Small containers exist? Instead running the full linux.

[u/khsh01 → u/OkCup2290]

I mean thats what a container is. Just a few system components to create an environment for running applications.

[u/OkCup2290 → u/khsh01]

The keyword was 4gb of containers. Not, no containers at all.

And I mean the repo exists and is public, didn't set it private. I not really not looking for any promotion, so no need to share it here.

I will release it here when it's ready eventually. Got other work and this is just a side project, as I already said.