Steam on ARM64 Devices

Last Update: 2024-03-13

The following guide or recipe requires shell access to your FydeOS installation, therefore developer mode is assumed to be enabled. If altering system file is required, you will also need to disable root file system verification.

This guide will walk you through the process of installing Box86, Steam, and Wine on OpenFyde/FydeOS for ARM64 devices. Box86 is a Linux-based x86 emulator that enables x86 applications to run on ARM devices. Steam is a widely-used platform for distributing video games, and Wine is a compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on Linux.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that your system meets the following software and hardware requirements:

Software:

OpenFyde R108-R1 or above / FydeOS 16.1 or above
Enabled Linux subsystem

Hardware:

Devices with RK3588 processor and Raspberry Pi 4/400
Minimum of 20GB free space
8GB RAM for Steam support or 4GB RAM without Steam

Installing Box86

1.1 Launch the Terminal

Execute the following commands in the terminal:

sudo dpkg --add-architecture armhf
sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential git cmake gcc-arm-linux-gnueabihf libc6-dev-armhf-cross libappindicator1 libnm0 libtcmalloc-minimal4 liblttng-ust-dev libcairo2:armhf libgmp10:armhf libvulkan1:armhf libudev-dev:armhf -y

1.3 Build Box64

Use the following commands to build Box64:

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ptitSeb/box64
mkdir -p box64/build; cd box64/build
# build for rk3588 if your board is [orange pi5/rock5b/fydetab]
cmake .. -DRK3588=1 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo
# Or build for raspberry pi4 [rpi4/rpi400]
cmake .. -DRPI4ARM64=1 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo

make -j4
sudo make install

1.4 Build Box86

To build Box86, run the following commands:

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ptitSeb/box86
mkdir -p box86/build; cd box86/build

# build for rk3588 if your board is [orange pi4/rock5b/fydetab]
cmake .. -DRK3588=1 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo

# Or build for raspberry pi4 [rpi4/rpi400]
cmake .. -DRPI4ARM64=1 -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=RelWithDebInfo

make -j4
sudo make install

1.5 Fix Missing Packages

To fix missing packages, execute the following commands:

sudo apt install libsdl2-dev libpng-dev:armhf libncurses6:armhf libncurses6 libcups2:armhf libcups2 -y
cd /usr/lib/arm-linux-gnueabihf/
sudo ln -s  libpng16.so libpng12.so.0

Installing Steam

Note: Skip this step if your device only has 4GB RAM.

Run the following commands:

echo 'export STEAMOS=1
export STEAM_RUNTIME=1
export DOTNET_SYSTEM_GLOBALIZATION_INVARIANT=1' | sudo tee /etc/profile.d/steam.sh

Optional If you have Fydetab Duo or a high-resolution screen, please execute the following command:
Terminal window
```
echo 'export GDK_SCALE=2' | sudo tee -a /etc/profile.d/steam.sh
```
Run the following commands to install Steam:
Terminal window
```
source /etc/profile.d/steam.sh
~/box86/install_steam.sh
```

Create steam entry on the shelf

sudo cp -r ~/steam/share/* /usr/share/
cat ~/steam/share/applications/steam.desktop \
| sed 's#Exec=/usr/bin#Exec=/usr/local/bin#g' \
| sudo tee /usr/share/applications/steam.desktop

Installing Wine

For instructions on how to install Wine, please refer to this document.

Enhancing Gaming Experience

To enhance your gaming experience, adjust the kernel parameters to increase the maximum number of memory mapping areas available to processes. This will enable more efficient loading of game resources, leading to improved gaming performance and experience.