Google Is Looking To Bring Steam Onto Chromebooks

Google’s Chrome OS platform and its Chromebooks aren’t exactly known for being designed for gaming. The relative simplistic and straightforward nature of Chrome OS is great for work and students who don’t really require too much from their computers, but it seems that Google is working towards changing that perception.

In a report from Android Police, they spoke to Kan Liu, Director of Product Management for Google’s Chrome OS at CES 2020 last week where he revealed that Google is working on bringing Steam to Chrome OS. This is possible due to the fact that Chrome OS is compatible with Linux, and it has been speculated that perhaps it could run inside Linux on Chrome.

Liu did not share too many details but according to Android Police, Liu hinted that Google and Valve could be working together to bring Steam to Chrome OS. At the moment, getting Steam up and running on Chromebooks is possible through the Crostini Linux compatibility layer, but this is not official and performance is less than ideal.

With Google and Valve possibly working together, it could result in a more optimized client. However, given the fact that most Chromebooks weren’t exactly built with gaming in mind, it’s hard to imagine that there will be many games that will be compatible. In any case, Google has yet to officially comment on Liu’s statement or Android Police’s report, so maybe don’t hold your breath just yet.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Computers
Tags: chrome os, Chromebooks, Google, Laptops, Steam (Valve), Valve