Steam lands on ChromeOS: Chromebook for gaming is coming?

Steam lands on ChromeOS: Chromebook for gaming is coming?

Steam lands on ChromeOS

Valve wants to allow its users to play from any platform. After being born on Windows and arriving on MacOS first and then on the main Linux distributions, the Steam client today reaches a new platform: it is ChromeOS, Google's operating system for Chromebooks.



The news coming to ChomeOS, including Steam. Credit: Gamingonlinux.com This is another step forward as far as the world of video games on Linux is concerned, although ChromeOS is in fact a Linux distribution that has always represented a world of its own compared to classic distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Mint and many others. , due to some technical differences. Despite this it is reasonable to think that the version of Steam dedicated to ChromeOS is the same available for the other Desktop distributions and will use the technology called Borealis which, through the use of containers, allows you to run traditional linux software in ChromeOS.


The stadia controllers could be reused on Steam for ChromeOS The announcement of this novelty comes from Google, which during the Games Developer Summit 2022 Keynote also announced that Steam will be available during the Alpha phase only for some selected Chromebooks, then adding some details in a dedicated blog post available at this Link.

As you may have heard, our team is working together with Valve to bring Steam to ChromeOS. We are very happy to tell you that a preliminary version of Steam is coming soon to ChromeOS via the Dev channel, for a small series of Chromebooks. Stay tuned for more news!

With this move Valve will have brought its store to all the most popular Desktop operating systems (there are also unofficial versions even for extremely niche systems, such as FreeBSD), with the only perplexity regarding the hardware capabilities of the ChromeOS devices released so far, which are usually equipped with integrated graphics cards. One wonders if Google may have some surprises in store for the future, such as a Chromebook with a dedicated graphics card from Nvidia or AMD on board, or even a gaming-oriented desktop PC.




Want to run Steam on your Chromebook? Then you need to do this

(Pocket-lint) - Google has casually announced that some Chrome OS users can now run Steam on their Chromebooks.


During the Google for Games Developer Summit, Google revealed it 'just launched' a Steam alpha for select Chromebooks. Because it's an alpha at this stage, that means it's just a test for now and not fully ready to officially release for everyone. If you don't care and want to dive in and start enjoying Steam games on your Chrome OS machine, here's how. 

How to get the Steam alpha on your Chromebook

The first thing you need to do is open your Chromebook and switch to the 'dev channel'. It's a more experimental software experience that will allow you to test the Steam alpha and the latest features of the Chrome operating system (Chrome OS). Anyone can switch to the dev channel (unless you're using a Chromebook from work or school, as your IT admin might restrict you from switching channels). Google has a support page that details how to switch to the dev channel, but we've also distilled the steps below.

Step one: Switch to the dev channel

Before you switch channels, back up your data. (Here's how.) 

  • Sign in to your Chromebook with your Google account.
  • At the bottom right, select the time.
  • Select Settings.
  • In the bottom left, select About Chrome OS.
  • Select Additional details.
  • Next to 'Channel,' select Change channel.
  • Select a channel.
  • Select Change channel.
  • If you switch to beta or dev, your Chromebook downloads an update.
  • Your Chromebook will ask to restart.

    • Note: The dev channel may introduce bugs on your machine. If you want to go back to the stable or beta channel, just select Change channel in step six above and then Powerwash. When the update installs, select Relaunch and Powerwash. Please note that everything will be deleted from your Chromebook, and you'll need to sign in with your Google Account again. 

    Step two: Sit and wait

    If you're in the dev channel because you followed step one above, then you should be ready for the Steam alpha to land. Google said the dev channel gets updated once or twice weekly. So, presumably, the Steam alpha will arrive within the next couple weeks (or by early April 2022) in the dev channel.

    Which Chromebooks can run the Steam alpha?

    It's unclear right now. Google is pointing people to the Chromebook Community Forum for more information. However, on there, the company only says it's 'landing an early, alpha-quality version of Steam on Chrome OS in the Dev channel for a small set of Chromebooks coming soon'. And it recommends coming back to the forum for even more information.

    5 Reasons why the REDMAGIC 7 is a sublime gaming phone5 Reasons why the REDMAGIC 7 is a sublime gaming phone By Pocket-lint Promotion · 3 March 2022

    This is a gaming phone that's been designed from the ground up for the absolute best performance possible.

    Is that it?

    Sorry, that's all Google has announced for now. Once the Steam alpha is available, Pocket-lint will update this guide. 


    Writing by Maggie Tillman.