I don't know what is or what will be, but I really want Risc V to be the future.
Only if larger companies invest in it more.
this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2026
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i think after the nvidia spark thing arm will be more popular.
Valve is paving the way to make this possible with FEX, which they've developed to let traditional x86 games run on the ARM-based Steam Frame. Since it's open source, we're already seeing it show up for other devices, such as GameNative using it to let PC games run on android devices.
Apple is also grabbing additional marketshare right now with their new cheap MacBook Neo that is ARM based, and I think that will pressure windows to make the change as well, at least for laptops.
I don't know what the timeline is, but I suspect we'll see a transition to ARM devices once FEX is reliable enough for most software. My understanding is that you miss out on a lot of the power advantages of ARM hardware when running x86 programs through FEX, but it will still be a compatibility crutch while programs transition to being ARM native.
FEX has been an Open Source project for quite some time. Valve has a use-case for it, so has been contributing developer resources and funding for the project, but Valve themselves did not create it. It's simply a useful tool in a pivot they want to make for their portable gaming devices and expansion.
Valve actually initiated FEX and has been funding it since the very beginning, there was an interview with the Verge where they talk about it.
Basically the whole thing is Valve's baby, they have a lot of different open source projects that they are quietly funding.
The only future? No.
Arm and risk V will be around in places where x86 doesn't make sense. Embedded computing, single board computers, low power consumption devices.
what about gaming laptops? will they be arm?
The Steam Frame runs on ARM so it's definitely a step forward.
Already is in the mobile gaming space.
I think no, a part from much better power management, what advantage does arm offer over Intel compatible?
Also, arm is much more proprietary and less open than Intel, so I hope not
a part from much better power management
That's not a small thing. This translates into lower heat generation and longer battery life.
arm is much more proprietary and less open than Intel
That is exactly backwards. How many companies are licensed to make Intel/AMD comparable CPUs? 4? 6? How many for Arm? Hundreds of companies (Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung, etc.).
I am not referring to the chips themselves, but to the ecosystem around and the more often than not unlockable bootloaders and lack of something like bios or UEFI. Even on UEFI you can disable Microsoft keys and install yours, at least on decent ones.
But yes, arm is an easier to reproduce architecture at this time, chip side at least
It seems like you are mixing up the "ecosystem" with the application: desktop, mobile phone, etc.
10 years ago there were mobile phones running Intel Atom and they were just as bootlocked as any other phone. I personally have two intel based chromebooks and unlocking their bootloader requires taking them apart.
Whereas my arm based Pinebook Pro requires no unlock at all. I have lots of Arm based SBCs and all of them came unlocked as well.
Then, I stand corrected ...
Thank you
why do you need it to be open? im asking genuinely.
To prevent enshitification.
Oh pretty please let me pay a licensing fee on top of an already expensive part
Sharing is caring
Because monoplies are bad...
The overall success of the Intel platform is that bios/UEFI is open so you can install any OS you want. On Arm this is not always the case (see phones and tablets) where more than not vendors lock in OS with an unlockable bootloader and crypto keys.
Also, on Intel, hardware is more standard and so drivers are available, or easily reverse engineered, for non mainstream os (Linux...). On Arm again this is rarely the case, and you are stuck with old not supported kernels when you are lucky
There is one exception to all this on Arm and it's the Pi (with all the clones). But as far as phones, tablets (including windows tablets) and even laptops (chromeos stuff...) the reality is pretty different and would bring us a locked in future where the choice we have today is luxury.
Gods I hope not.
Not unless they add ACPI and EFI and all that stuff that makes running other OSes on x86 actually work.
Also, like, x86 is fine. Especially on desktops where you don't need extreme power efficiency.
This future, unfortunately, appears to be rented thin clients and smartphones/tablets, for most people.
So… technically, yes, the future is ARM? As those things will often use that.
There's plenty of thin clients Intel based, any homelab enthusiast (or enterprise IT) is very familiar with them.
On the other hand, plenty of muscle arm, especially from apple, these days. Single core performance of M5 chips is top notch, might still be literally the fastest consumer core.
Also, datacenters are more and more arm focused, because of those same benefits: scaling and power efficiency.
i saw this view a lot on pcmr when i was using reddit. but it doesn't make sense,there is no evidence thin clients are the future. internet speeds aren't even good enough for most people worldwide for that to be the future.
so why do you think its the future?
I would say cost because of capitalism. It's very cheap to run, subscription based, low cost entry, push ads, data gathering, and just about any device can run it regardless of OS or performance.
It doesn't need to reach everyone, just the ones willing to pay for it.
I'm not in favor of it but I do see why it would make sense for some people
Because that's what industries are pushing for?
For home use, tons of people don't even own laptops anymore. Microsoft is working on Windows thin clients (albiet under a different name) for business. Nvidia and others are pushing subscription gaming, as they constrict consumer hardware.
From an efficiencies perspective, I really like the idea of high-performance compute being centralized and low-power devices at the edge.
Essentially going back to the dumb terminal method. Or like BBS's. Local-ish but consolidated.
But the idea of pooling all that compute into the hands of a few giant corporations is horrifying.
I'd much rather have, say, a competitive marketplace of service providers in local datacenters selling a specific service. I.e., I could subscribe to a Moonlight service that some dude sells on a pool of high-performance gaming servers at a colocation data center/carrier hotel (the type of places where businesses rent space and can get really fast connections to internet service providers, because they have their hubs in the same building)
Essentially the same idea as, say, Xbox Cloud Gaming, or even Google Stadia (it was ahead of its time and honestly shouldn't have even allowed wireless)...but less closed.
As a filthy casual, I don't want the arms race of graphics cards. I don't want to do 30 minutes of patching to play a game I only have an hour to play. I just want to pick up the controller and go with as little friction as possible.