Steam for ChromeOS, or what is the same, Steam for Chromebooksis already in the beta phase and opening the doors to more players, or what is the same, to ‘betatesters’ who hit it hard and confirm that things are going the right way.
Well, actually equating Chromebooks with ChromeOS is still valid, because it’s only the former if you have the latter, but since Google released Chrome OS Flex for use on any PC, the latter is no longer equivalent to the latter. first. And one more note: Chrome OS is now ChromeOS.
But let’s stop the gibberish and focus on the ones that matter, and that is after half a year of testing, after the official arrival of Steam on Chromebooks or, rather, Steam for ChromeOS, was announced, that distinction does matter here , the company announces another step forward: the alpha phase is behind and the beta is entered.
What does this mean? That Steam development for ChromeOS settles down and experience stabilizes, so there is less and less left for the premiere of the service as it happens, with all -or almost all- of the law. But not so fast: there are few players, beta testers who are going to be able to jump on the bandwagon, for very different reasons.
The first and most essential is that games are not one of the niches that Google is targeting with its operating system, although there is no doubt that when Steam is ready for ChromeOS, it will be an interesting shock to the platform, seeing that it can also be installed on any PC. Going to the crux of the matter, however, there are other considerations that can be overlooked.
For example, right now you can only test Steam for ChromeOS on select Chromebook models, those that have the hardware that meets the requirements of the Steam client and some others; and that even with a compatible Chromebook, it is necessary to be using the Dev or Canary version of the system, both unstable and only recommended for development work, as well as following a cumbersome process that the ordinary user will not want to know anything about. All this is as is.
In other words, Steam for ChromeOS is only available to developers interested in the subject or the very coffee and reckless. At the same time, represents a milestone in the development of this characteristic to take into account, since it marks the halfway point before the invention is made available to everyone… that it meets the requirements of yore, of course.
As Google clearly has, it is a level that its ChromeOS and, therefore, its Chromebooks, have to reach. Beware that Valve is also clear: more Steam Deck, more SteamOS and Chromebook. Thus, in block, since the work is reused in different areas, all on the Linux side.
Speaking of which, ChromeOS Flex left its beta phase a few months ago, so if you’re interested in trying it out, this one is within everyone’s reach. Don’t miss our ChromeOS Flex installation guide to see it in full detail.