In a confusing announcement, a new suite of three Google Chromebooks specifically tailored for cloud gaming has been revealed less than two weeks after it was reported that Google Stadia will be shutting down with very little warning. It’s as if different departments at Google don’t actually talk to one another, let alone other developers who were in the middle of making games for a platform whose service will be ending on January 18, 2023.
Google Stadia would have worked well with these Chromebook specs
Described as “the world’s first laptops built for cloud gaming,” the three new Chromebooks are Lenovo’s Ideapad Gaming Chromebook, ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip, and Acer Chromebook 516 GE. All of them will include 120Hz+ high-resolution screens, RGM gaming keyboards with anti-ghosting features, and WiFi6 or 6E. They will support other cloud gaming services like Nvidia’s GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, and Microsoft’s Xbox Cloud Gaming, even providing a three-month trial to both Amazon Luna+ and the GeForce Now RTX3080 tier.
It’s regrettable that these Chromebooks don’t feature or mention Google Stadia, and did not arrive several years ago when Stadia was still a viable platform. Fans have reacted negatively to the new Youtube trailer for the Chromebooks at the time of this writing. The comments don’t pull back any punches, with some describing this announcement as a joke that shows Google’s lack of vision and internal communication.
