Say howdy to the world’s first “Gaming” Chromebook, It’s no secret that Google has lengthy been engaged on bringing extra methods to recreation on ChromeOS. What began with Android apps then expanded to Stadia which opened the door to different streaming video games companies equivalent to GeForce Now and Amazon Luna. Then, a lot to everybody’s shock, Google introduced that it had been working with Valve to deliver native Steam gaming to ChromeOS utilizing the identical container know-how chargeable for Linux on Chromebooks. Thrilling stuff.
Over the previous 12 months or so, we now have been monitoring increasingly more proof that “gaming” Chromebooks have been on the horizon. It started with work being achieved to deliver RGB keyboards to Chromebooks and extra lately, we’ve seen the addition of 120Hz shows and variable refresh charges to the Chromium repository. The 120Hz show was made official earlier this month when Lenovo introduced its upcoming IdeaPad 5i Chromebook. Whereas thrilling, this Chromebook supplied little in the best way of recreation innovation exterior of the show. It has low-end twelfth Gen Intel CPUs and stable specs but it surely positively wasn’t aimed toward avid gamers.
At present, Lenovo let a brand new Chromebook quietly slip out on the corporate’s product specification reference web site and this one is most positively geared particularly in the direction of ChromeOS avid gamers. A lot in order that “gaming” is definitely within the product title. Yup Solana NFT Sport, right here we now have the Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook. Check out this little demo video that I unearthed.
Okay. Earlier than we get into the main points of this new, extraordinarily distinctive Chromebook, I do should qualify my title. I put “gaming” in parenthesis as a result of there isn’t a lot about this gadget’s internals that actually units it other than any of the opposite twelfth Gen Intel Chromebooks which might be headed to market. Nonetheless, this premium laptop computer does have some options that ought to actually attraction to the game-centric consumer.
So, the unreleased and unannounced Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook is virtually similar to the Lenovo IdeaPad 5i Chromebook Key that was introduced in the beginning of this month. You’re getting a 16″ QHD show with a 120Hz refresh charge in a clamshell chassis with two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a MicroSD card slot. The place the 2 gadgets differ is what makes the brand new IdeaPad far more fascinating to somebody that’s into gaming.
For starters, the Lenovo Gaming Chromebook is provided with 4 audio system as a substitute of two which ought to make for a extra immersive audio expertise. Then, you could have a full-sized RGB keyboard with an built-in numeric keypad. This model of keyboard could be very standard amongst avid gamers and Google is engaged on giving customers management over supported RGB keyboards straight from the ChromeOS settings menu. Then there’s the skin of the gadget. The highest is aluminum and the underside is plastic which is customary fare for lots of Lenovo’s Chromebooks however the lid has a singular design that positively units it aside out of your customary ChromeOS laptop computer.
I’m positive that we’ll get extra particulars on the design and styling of this new Chromebook when Lenovo makes it official. Within the meantime, I’m content material simply having fun with the look of this factor. Will or not it’s probably the most highly effective Chromebook available on the market? Nope. As a matter of truth, Framework’s lately introduced modular Chromebook will possible high that listing in the interim because it’s powered by a P-series 16-thread Intel CPU. That stated, the Lenovo Gaming Chromebook options twelfth Gen Intel Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs. The latter of which is provided with Iris Xe graphics. As we’ve discovered, this chip is greater than highly effective sufficient to deal with Steam video games. When Google brings Steam to the Core i3, I’ve little question that it’s going to deal with most video games fairly properly, too.