The Google Chromebook initiative has become a big success, especially in the education sector where schools have made significant cost savings on hardware and software. Chromebooks can be relatively cheap to buy and maintain, while Google’s cloud-based Google classroom means that the school is not bound to the expensive software licensing Joining this success at the K-12 school, Chromebooks has become increasingly popular among students, too. While the laptop is good for accessing the internet and writing reports, they still fail in terms of playing games.
That does not mean playing games on Chromebooks is a missing cause. Recently, we have seen the increasing cloud-based stream game platform such as Nvidia’s GeForce now and the Google Stadia brings 4K games to Chromebook, although this service is only available in certain markets. In March 2021, we first found out the new “game mode” that was being developed for Chromeos designed to bring steam games to Chromebook through Linux containers.
This is part of a shared project known as “Borealis” which is being developed by Google and Valve. Then, in April 2021, Nvidia announced it had partnered with MediaTek to bring a Chromebook with a serious RTX-powered gaming meat to the market. Now it looks like we are another closer step to see this effort to be alive, at least based on the Flag of new features identified by 9to5Google which is being built in the chromium source code.
What this means for gamers
With Nvidia and MediaTek who work on the Chromebook platform targeted at gamers, it will stand for the reason Chromebook capable of playing this new game will have the appearance and features of gamers hoping to see in a laptop gaming.
That’s exactly 9to5Google found in the form of “flag features” called “Activate RGB keyboard support.” While functionality can be intended to support the external game keyboard, it seems that this new feature is being prepared for a Chromebook that focuses on new games that are currently being developed.
With some further sleuthing, 9to5Google has found at least three specific hardware code names between the source code, including “Vell,” “Taniks,” and “Ripple”. The first two seems to be powered by Chromebook by the 12-gen Intel chip, which shows that they will become upscale devices. In terms of graphics options, there are at least three possibilities.
One of them is that they walked on Intel integrated XE graphics, while others were that they could be mated to the NVIDIA RTX GPU. The third option is that they can be paired with a mobile variant of the upcoming XE discrete GPU. There is also a clue that this can be a Chromebook cellphone that can hit a gaming range.
The third device, “Ripple,” it seems like it might be a 2-in-1 capable of playing the game to a less powerful version of the new Asus Rog Flow Z13, even though there are no clear instructions about who might be OEM or its architecture.
When will gaming Chromebooks hit the market?
While we cannot say with a certain kind of certainty when we will see a new generation of Chromebooks that can play this game crashing into the market, the fact that hardware now in development in addition to the development of software needed shows that we can see them launch later this year Although there is an increase in the entry of upscale chromebooks about the market, it seems impossible that one of the new Chromebooks will be able to match the upper class or even medium-class windows-powered gaming laptops.
For starters, Chrome OS “Gaming Mode” appears to rely on Linux containers. Second, Chromebook still has to be affordable to hit their target audience, which will also suggest their raw processing power will still be rather limited Google hasn’t talked a lot in public about the gaming chromebook plan and many of what we know is put together from the source code. However, there is enough evidence to suggest that the future is not
