Is there a market for gaming Chromebooks? Lenovo thinks so
Google may be killing off Stadia, but gaming may not be dead over at Google. Or at least if you think Lenovo is on to something. A new Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook has just surfaced, featuring a 16″ QHD 120Hz display. The display is actually better than on many Windows 11 gaming laptops, but what’s the catch?
Lenovo Gaming Chromebook on the horizon?
Interestingly, the Lenovo Gaming Chromebook will feature the 12th Gen Intel Core i3-1215U or Core i5-1235U. These aren’t exactly known for their raw performance, and they are meant to deliver greater battery life by being efficient. With just 8GB RAM and 512GB storage, this isn’t exactly impressive in terms of performance by any means. In fact Lenovo has a IdeaPad 5i Chromebook that shares most of the specs as this.
What will probably make Lenovo’s gaming Chromebook appeal to gamers is probably its RGB keyboard, which is obviously a common feature in gaming laptops. A quad-speaker setup is also expected to grace the Lenovo Gaming Chromebook, versus the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook’s standard pair of stereo speakers. The flashier motif on the lid will also be more enticing than the safer design of the IdeaPad 5i Chromebook.
This might actually be the right time for a gaming-oriented Chromebook though. Steam is reportedly working to bring Steam to Chrome OS via Proton, and Chrome OS is also getting support for RGB keyboards natively in the settings menu soon. I must say, this is something Windows has yet to implement, so I am honestly extremely interested to see how Google plans to handle the varied RGB controllers out there.
