What is Holo Core?

Holo Core is a custom, from-scratch port of Arch Linux to the aarch64 (ARM64) architecture. Valve's SteamOS is itself based on a snapshot of Arch Linux with a large set of Valve-specific patches. Holo Core is the effort to bring that entire stack to ARM64, which is the processor architecture inside the Steam Frame headset .

The Engineering Challenge: Building Arch Linux for ARM from Scratch

The most significant challenge Collabora faced is that Arch Linux has no official aarch64 support. While an unofficial community port, Arch Linux ARM, exists, it is often outdated and essentially unmaintained for this purpose. Collabora could not simply rebuild existing packages; they had to build everything from the ground up .

Key challenges included:

• No Upstream ARM64 Infrastructure: The team couldn't leverage an existing Arch Linux ARM base. They had to create the entire build environment and toolchain for the new architecture .
• Custom CI Tooling: Arch Linux is a rolling-release distribution, meaning packages and dependencies are constantly changing. To handle this, Collabora built automated continuous integration (CI) tooling that replays Arch Linux's full build history. This resolves complex, deeply nested dependency chains to determine the correct build order for producing consistent aarch64 packages .
• Porting Valve's Patches: SteamOS applies a large set of Valve-specific patches on top of the standard Arch Linux snapshot. Every single one of these patches had to be re-verified and ported to work correctly on the ARM64 architecture .
• Remaining Work: The preview is still early-stage. A substantial amount of engineering effort remains before Holo Core is production-ready for the Steam Frame's retail launch .

The Hardware: Inside the Steam Frame VR Headset

The Holo Core preview is the software foundation for the Steam Frame, a standalone VR headset from Valve. Its key hardware specifications include:

• Processor: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset .
• Memory: 16 GB of RAM .
• Storage: Options of 256 GB or 1 TB UFS, with a microSD card slot for expansion .
• Display: Dual 2160×2160 LCD panels with pancake optics, supporting refresh rates from 72Hz to 120Hz, with an experimental 144Hz mode .
• Tracking: Inside-out tracking and eye tracking .
• Connectivity: USB-C and a dedicated 6 GHz wireless dongle for streaming PC VR content from a gaming PC .

This ARM-based processor is why a native aarch64 operating system port is required. While the headset will use emulation and compatibility layers like Proton and an x86-to-ARM translation layer to run the vast majority of Steam games, having a native OS foundation is critical for performance and battery life .

What Developers Can Do Now with the Holo Core Preview

The preview is a development tool, not a consumer operating system. It is designed to give developers a head start on porting and testing their software for the new platform . Here is what developers can do:

• Run a Development Container: Collabora has released a base-devel development container that can be run directly on ARM64 Linux hardware. For developers on x86 systems, it can be used with QEMU user-mode emulation and binfmt through Docker, Podman, or Distrobox .
• Port Software: Use the environment to begin porting and testing software for the aarch64 SteamOS environment before the Steam Frame launches .
• Explore and Contribute: This is an early, open preview. Valve and Collabora are actively seeking developer feedback to identify and fix remaining compatibility issues .

Collabora has made the sources, binary packages, and build scripts available. They have also stated they intend to work with the Arch Linux upstream community to help establish automated, official ARM64 support in the future .

What is Holo Core?

Holo Core is a custom, from-scratch port of Arch Linux to the aarch64 (ARM64) architecture. Valve's SteamOS is itself based on a snapshot of Arch Linux with a large set of Valve-specific patches. Holo Core is the effort to bring that entire stack to ARM64, which is the processor architecture inside the Steam Frame headset .

The Engineering Challenge: Building Arch Linux for ARM from Scratch

The most significant challenge Collabora faced is that Arch Linux has no official aarch64 support. While an unofficial community port, Arch Linux ARM, exists, it is often outdated and essentially unmaintained for this purpose. Collabora could not simply rebuild existing packages; they had to build everything from the ground up .

Key challenges included:

• No Upstream ARM64 Infrastructure: The team couldn't leverage an existing Arch Linux ARM base. They had to create the entire build environment and toolchain for the new architecture .
• Custom CI Tooling: Arch Linux is a rolling-release distribution, meaning packages and dependencies are constantly changing. To handle this, Collabora built automated continuous integration (CI) tooling that replays Arch Linux's full build history. This resolves complex, deeply nested dependency chains to determine the correct build order for producing consistent aarch64 packages .
• Porting Valve's Patches: SteamOS applies a large set of Valve-specific patches on top of the standard Arch Linux snapshot. Every single one of these patches had to be re-verified and ported to work correctly on the ARM64 architecture .
• Remaining Work: The preview is still early-stage. A substantial amount of engineering effort remains before Holo Core is production-ready for the Steam Frame's retail launch .

The Hardware: Inside the Steam Frame VR Headset

The Holo Core preview is the software foundation for the Steam Frame, a standalone VR headset from Valve. Its key hardware specifications include:

• Processor: A Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset .
• Memory: 16 GB of RAM .
• Storage: Options of 256 GB or 1 TB UFS, with a microSD card slot for expansion .
• Display: Dual 2160×2160 LCD panels with pancake optics, supporting refresh rates from 72Hz to 120Hz, with an experimental 144Hz mode .
• Tracking: Inside-out tracking and eye tracking .
• Connectivity: USB-C and a dedicated 6 GHz wireless dongle for streaming PC VR content from a gaming PC .

This ARM-based processor is why a native aarch64 operating system port is required. While the headset will use emulation and compatibility layers like Proton and an x86-to-ARM translation layer to run the vast majority of Steam games, having a native OS foundation is critical for performance and battery life .

What Developers Can Do Now with the Holo Core Preview

The preview is a development tool, not a consumer operating system. It is designed to give developers a head start on porting and testing their software for the new platform . Here is what developers can do:

• Run a Development Container: Collabora has released a base-devel development container that can be run directly on ARM64 Linux hardware. For developers on x86 systems, it can be used with QEMU user-mode emulation and binfmt through Docker, Podman, or Distrobox .
• Port Software: Use the environment to begin porting and testing software for the aarch64 SteamOS environment before the Steam Frame launches .
• Explore and Contribute: This is an early, open preview. Valve and Collabora are actively seeking developer feedback to identify and fix remaining compatibility issues .

Collabora has made the sources, binary packages, and build scripts available. They have also stated they intend to work with the Arch Linux upstream community to help establish automated, official ARM64 support in the future .