24gb of ram in a phone they really were just giving it away back then
😭
On the software side, the Redditor explains: “I’m running a full XFCE Linux desktop through Termux, with GPU acceleration, plus Windows apps/games. The goal is basically to use the phone as the whole PC.”
Quite a few Redditors are asking how this system runs PC games, and the answer is via Wine and Box64, or in some cases, using GameNative, an Android emulator.
So, hold on. There is Android, running Termux, that runs graphical stack, that runs WINE. To me it feels like there is so much translation going on in here, just because of binary blobs
GameNative is even more vodoo fuckery than simple proton. It combines EVERYTHING from proton, to box64, can run on a myriad of phones, the drivermanagement must be insane.
The FEX solution used by Valve for Steam Frame is neat, they blend Wine/Proton into the x86 to ARM translation layer so if a game engine has code in x86 to talk Vulkan it just straight up substitute it with ARM code and pass through the actual Vulkan API calls untranslated, and substitutes a lot of other native x86 libraries for the matching library in ARM code.
I assume Gamenative uses the Valve solution to reduce overhead
GameNative let’s you set the FEXcore version, so you are likely onto something
It’s worth noting that Valve is working on this very thing with their “Steam Frame,” and so support for this is likely going to expand in the future.
But, you can try it for yourself right now. GameNative is free and it works pretty well. Clearly, not every phone is powerful enough to play Witcher 3, though.
My phone is just a mid-grade Moto G Stylus 5G 2024, but I was able to get small games like Megabonk and Placid Plastic Duck Simulator running just fine.
I will note that I had to change the container -> graphics -> graphics driver setting to “system” in order to have it work.
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GameNative uses FEX.
While I agree that ARM Linux is superior to Android in a lot of ways, Valve’s work on FEX will benefit Android as well.
Android is sufficiently Linux still (having it as a kernel and all) to run Linux binaries as long at you can supply the dependencies. FEX + Wine/Proton does most of the job for you, and works on Android too.
The other interesting Android related thing Frame does is Android app containers, which will help Android emulation on PC in general. (inb4 Gamenative on Frame)
Crazy what modern silicon is capable of.
If this is anything like the setup I tested back in the day on my LG G7, they’re also using a separate VNC client on the phone to access the desktop.
GameNative, an Android emulator.
“Why would you need an Android emulator on Android?”
Searches… It’s a PC emulator for Android.
A, the Linux subsystem for Windows naming question. What direction does the reference go!? 🤔
WSL2 also known as a virtual machine container
Its neat, kind of dangerous for your butt if you like to play a quick game while you poop
And your phone. Even light games makes my s24u hearts up like a hot plate
I’m running a full XFCE Linux desktop through Termux, with GPU acceleration, plus Windows apps/games (…) via Wine and Box64, or in some cases, using GameNative, an Android emulator.
Even with a beefy phone, I’m surprised such levels of containerisation don’t create bottlenecks.
PS: this is not a Linux phone - it’s an Android phone running a Linux container.
I thought termux didn’t have GPU pass through. Maybe things have changed.
Still got some snapdragon 645’s so I can actually play around with this.
Sad everything only works for snapdragon first and foremost.
The biggest problem in ARM is graphics usually, much less standardized
Considering the price of RAM and GPUs right now, upcycling all manner of stuff is going to get real popular. Keep 'em coming. I love simple hacks like this.
@TheMightyCat@ani.social be like
And may the gods watch over their battles too!
Lemmy, I am disappointed in you that a redditor did this.
