Chromebook laptops are synonymous with devices with minimum hardware and low prices. But it looks like Google wants to change people's perception of this device by presenting a gaming-only Chromebook.
9to5Google reports they found three names for potential gaming Chromebooks, all with support for RGB keyboards. From the code in Chrome OS, 9to5Google found there is a new flag that allows users to enable RGB keyboard support.
Each key on the keyboard can be changed color according to the user's wishes by changing the intensity of the red, green, and blue colors. Users can also adjust the brightness of the keyboard backlight.
Currently, this feature is only available via internal commands for developers to test, but it will likely be coming soon to new laptops. 9to5Google also found corroborating evidence that this RGB support is indeed for the new device, not an external Bluetooth or USB keyboard.
It is not yet known which vendors will launch the first Chromebook gaming. But 9to5Google managed to find three mysterious devices with codes Vell, Taniks, and Ripple.
The Vell is powered by an Intel 12th gen Alder Lake processor made by Quanta, and the employees who made the biggest contribution to Vell also helped HP launch its new laptop. 9to5Google expects HP to release a gaming-only Chromebook as part of the Omen line of laptops.
Taniks is a system developed by LCFC, which is part of the manufacturing for Lenovo. This gaming-only Chromebook laptop is expected to be part of the Lenovo Legion line, as quoted from Gizmodo, Saturday (29/1/2022).
Meanwhile, not much is known about devices with the Ripples code. It looks like this device will carry a form factor in the form of a tablet with a detachable keyboard, similar to the Google Pixel Slate.
Ripples development is currently still in its early stages. But the appearance of this code indicates that a tablet/detachable Chromes OS dedicated to gaming will be coming in the near future.
If this project becomes a reality, then the Chromebook laptop will be able to play games that are on Steam. In January 2020, product leader Chrome OS said that Google was working with Valve to bring Steam to Chrome OS.
Efforts to bring Steam and other PC games compatible with Linux to Chrome OS are also known through a project called Borealis. Even though it's been two years, Google still hasn't announced when Steam will be available on Chromebooks.