Google To Make Chromebook A Gaming Platform

There have been rumors for some time that Google should work to make the Steam gaming platform available for Chrome OS-based devices. This is now being confirmed, making it clear that Google is using Ubuntu’s help to bring Steam to Chromebooks.

As 9to5Google reports, the team has discovered code changes in Google’s open-source repositories that affect a project codenamed “Borealis”. This is reportedly a full Linux distribution, which in this case is based on Ubuntu, and is believed to “integrate” into Chrome OS instead of running on the Chromebook with its own desktop experience.

‘Borealis’ already has Steam on board

Like the previously spotted “Project Crostini”, “Borealis” is a Linux distribution that Google uses as the basis for a virtual machine to give Chrome OS more functionality. The difference is, however, that “Borealis” already comes with a Steam version. Obviously, Google’s plans to get Chrome OS fit for gaming with the help of Linux, announced at the beginning of the year, are coming closer to reality. This is also indicated by a recent change in Chrome Gerrit, according to which Google internally tests “Borealis” on Chromebooks, which are grouped under the code name “Hatch”.

Under “Hatch” several devices are summarized, which are all based on Intel’s core SoCs of the 10th generation. The range, therefore, extends from high-end devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook to cheaper models from Lenovo and Acer. This probably means that these devices should first be supplied with the Steam integration. Thanks to the “Proton” compatibility layer for Linux developed by Valve, the devices will also be able to use Steam games that were actually developed for Windows.