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Published 19:43 IST, January 29th 2022

Chromebooks with RGB keyboard lighting & gaming-related features to arrive soon: Report

Google has been working on a project to run Steam and other Linux-compatible PC games on a virtual machine in the Chromebook devices and it might be live soon.

Reported by: Shikhar Mehrotra
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Chromebooks with RGB keyboard lighting and gaming-related features might come soon
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Chromebooks are hybrid devices that possess the capabilities of an Android tablet and appear in the form-factor of a laptop. In recent years, particularly after the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for Chromebooks has grown. Subsequently, a lot of companies have started manufacturing Chromebooks that are highly affordable yet rich in features. However, up until now, Chromebooks have lacked in one aspect, gaming. 

Multiple Chromebooks that run on Chrome OS are available in the market from manufacturers like Lenovo, HP and Asus. However, for keeping such devices affordable, manufacturers are only able to pack the device with entry-level specifications. For instance, the Lenovo Chromebook 14e is currently available on Amazon for Rs. 20,990 and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage along with an AMD 3015Ce processor. Another example is the Asus Chromebook Celeron Dual Core Chromebook, which is currently available on Flipkart for Rs. 17,990 and comes with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. 

Chromebooks with gaming-related features are on their way

According to a recent report by 9To5Google, Google has been working on a project to run Steam and other Linux-compatible PC games on a virtual machine in the Chromebook devices. The project is codenamed Borealis. Additionally, the publication has also discovered some changes in the code of Chrome OS. These changes suggest that Google is getting ready to support RGB keyboards on Chromebooks. As of now, it is well known that RGB products are targeted towards gamers. Hence, it is being speculated that Google might be gearing up to create Chromebooks that will be better at gaming.

Additionally, this piece of code addresses some unreleased devices that might come along with other gaming capabilities. Hence, users might get to see Chromebooks that are better at gaming in near future. Further, the report also mentions that manufacturers such as HP and Lenovo might be working on gaming Chromebooks and they might be the first among other companies to release a Chromebook with gaming abilities.

Most recently, HP announced two new Chromebooks which are made for students. The Chromebooks come as a part of the HP Fortis series and there are two models. While one runs on Intel chipsets, the other runs on a Qualcomm chipset. The Chromebooks are called HP Fortis 14" G10 and HP Fortis 11" G9. While the former is available to purchase in the US, the latter will be available in June 2022. Keep reading to know about the new HP Fortis Chromebooks.

19:43 IST, January 29th 2022