Unofficial SteamOS ARM is Coming to Android Handhelds, Testers Needed

September 29, 2026

An unofficial SteamOS ARM project is now targeting Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Android handhelds, and this one caught my attention because the developer is actively looking for people to test it.

To be clear, this isn’t Valve adding SteamOS support to the Odin 2, Thor or other Android handhelds. The project takes Valve’s ARM64 SteamOS build made for the Steam Frame and adapts it for Snapdragon handhelds using ROCKNIX kernels and additional modifications.

The AYN Odin 2 is one of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 handhelds targeted by the new SteamOS ARM beta. Image: AYN

The current target list is pretty big:

AYN Odin 2
Odin 2 Mini
Odin 2 Portal
AYN Thor
AYANEO Pocket ACE
Pocket DMG
Pocket DS
Pocket EVO
Pocket S 1K
Pocket S 2K
Retroid Pocket 6
Retroid Nova

One image is supposed to work across the supported hardware. You select the correct device from the ROCKNIX ABL boot menu and go from there.

And this isn’t just Steam running on ARM. The project includes FEX and ARM64 Proton for running PC games, Steam Deck style controller integration, Decky support, LSFG frame generation, fan controls, improved standby and even Android app support through the Play Store.

The Thor and Pocket DS

The dual screen devices are probably the most interesting part for me. On the AYN Thor and AYANEO Pocket DS, the second screen can be used directly from Game Mode.

It can show Steam and Quick Access controls, keyboard and screenshot buttons, performance profiles, system information and separate brightness controls.

You can also keep something like a browser, VLC or a game guide running on the lower display while playing on the main one. That’s a pretty neat use of the second screen considering this is an unofficial adaptation after all.

The developer needs testers

The developer doesn’t actually own most of these handhelds, so development depends heavily on the community, people testing the builds and sending back logs, photos and bug reports.

And it is already helping.

The latest v1.3-beta3 build switched the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 kernel to one already known to boot on these devices after feedback from early testers.

So if you have an Odin 2, Thor, compatible AYANEO Pocket or another device from the list, this is one of those projects where your personal hobby can help move the project forward.

You don’t have to wipe Android either. It can be tested from a microSD card, which makes experimenting with it… less scary. Just keep in mind that this is still a pre-release beta.

Some devices may not boot yet, some hardware may not work correctly and bugs are absolutely expected. Pocket FIT and Pocket S2 owners should also stick with v1.2 for now, as their v1.3 build is coming separately.

If I had one of the supported devices, this is definitely something I’d be throwing on a spare microSD card. If nothing else, just for fun. The image is just shy of 4.5GB, but you WILL need at least half decent microSD (from my personal experience), with at least above 50mb/s read/write speeds.