Bottles, a tool for running Windows applications on Linux, has released a test version (67.4) with initial support for ARM64 architecture. This allows users with ARM-powered devices, such as single-board computers and laptops, to run Windows software. The update was delivered quickly after a user request.
The new release utilizes the cpak package format and includes native ARM64 and ARM64EC support through Soda 11.0-10, Bottles’ Wine-based runner. FEX is also bundled to enable the execution of x86 and x86_64 Windows software. Mirko Brombin from the Bottles team explained the choice of cpak, stating, “cpak is being used for this test because it is the first packaging path where the application, Wine base and native ARM CI are available together.”
Bottles 67.3 initially added the ARM64 cpak build, followed by 67.4 with minor fixes and the inclusion of Soda 11.0-10. Soda 11.0-10 addresses a crashing issue with Battle.net, caused by XInput starting without a Steam game ID. It also allows 64-bit Windows OpenXR apps to connect directly to host runtimes like Monado or WiVRn, bypassing the need for Steam or SteamVR.
Users can install the test ARM64 build using the command `cpak install github.com/bottlesdevs/bottles`. A Flatpak release for ARM64 is currently in development. Cpak is described as a packaging format that treats apps as OCI container images with a manifest listing permissions and dependencies, differing from Flatpak by not relying on runtimes and portals.
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