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Google Reveals ‘First Laptops Built For Cloud Gaming’ Just After Killing Stadia

Well, this is awkward. Google has announced what it’s calling “the world’s first laptops built for cloud gaming,” less than two weeks after announcing plans to shut down Stadia. It worked with Acer, ASUS and Lenovo on three gaming-focused Chromebooks.

Google says the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip and Lenovo Ideapad Gaming Chromebook all have refresh rates of at least 120Hz, displays with up to 1600p resolution, immersive audio and, critically for cloud gaming, WiFi 6 or 6E connectivity. Some models have RGB keyboards too. Subject to availability, you may get a SteelSeries Rival 3 gaming mouse at no extra cost if you pick up one of these Chromebooks.

All three laptops were benchmarked by GameBench to ensure that they’re capable of running games at 120 frames per second at 1080p resolution. You should get input latency of under 85 ms as well. Google notes that’s “console-class” input latency.

Let’s take a look at the specs for each of the Chromebooks (or at least the details I received in advance).

Acer Chromebook 516 GE

  • 16-inch, 120Hz 1600p display
  • RGB anti-ghosting keyboard
  • Wi-Fi 6E
  • Ethernet port
  • Four DTS and force-cancelling speakers
  • 12th-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor
  • Intel Iris Xe graphics
  • Up to 16GB of RAM
  • Up to 256GB of solid state drive storage
  • Two microphones
  • Combo audio jack
  • 1080p webcam that captures video at up to 60 frames per second
  • DisplayPort support
  • Dual USB-C, USB-A and HDMI ports
  • 65Wh battery with up to 9 hours of battery life
  • 3.75 lbs (1.7kg)

The Acer Chromebook 516 GE starts at $650 and will be available from Best Buy this month in the US. It will hit the EMEA region in December and start at €999.

ASUS Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip

  • 2-in-1 convertible Chromebook that can be used in tablet mode
  • 144Hz Full HD (1080p) display
  • Anti-ghosting keyboard
  • Wi-Fi 6
  • Dual Harmon Kardon-certified speakers
  • Up to an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU
  • Up to 16GB of RAM
  • Up to 512GB of storage
  • HDMI 2.0 output
  • Up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge

Pricing and availability for this model wasn’t available at the time of publication, but it should go on sale this month as well.

Lenovo Ideapad Gaming Chromebook

  • 16-inch 120Hz WQXGA display
  • RGB anti-ghosting keyboard
  • Wi-Fi 6E
  • Quad speaker system
  • 12th-gen Intel Core i3 or i5 CPU
  • 8GB of RAM
  • Up to 512GB of SSD storage
  • 4 lbs (1.82 kg)
  • Up to 11 hours of battery life

The Lenovo Ideapad Gaming Chromebook starts at $599 and it should be available this month.

It’s worth noting, for the sake of clarification, that these are all ChromeOS devices, not Windows machines. They’re decently specced for the prices, assuming the ASUS model is in the same range.

One might argue, however, that for the same price, you could pick up a budget Windows laptop and still access cloud gaming services. You could also buy an Xbox Series S and get 20 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate access for $600, but you wouldn’t be able to use that for work or other tasks. Alternatively, you could pick up a Steam Deck and set up cloud gaming services on that device.

Still, these Chromebooks could be a decent entry point for those intrigued by the idea of ​​cloud gaming — even if one of the major selling points of cloud gaming is that it will work on practically any modern device. The displays seem solid and WiFi 6E should come in especially handy, as long as you have a capable router.

Google is bringing some neat cloud gaming features to these Chromebooks. For one thing, the devices will support Xbox Cloud Gaming, Amazon Luna and NVIDIA GeForce Now. In the latter case, Google worked with NVIDIA to ensure these Chromebooks support GeForce Now’s highest RTX 3080 tier. That enables cloud gaming at 120 fps at a resolution of 1600p on these systems, which come with the GeForce Now app preinstalled.

You’ll also be able to install Xbox Cloud Gaming as a web app on your Chromebook. Additionally, these Chromebooks will come with three-month trials for both the GeForce Now RTX 3080 tier and Amazon Luna.

Meanwhile, it could be pretty easy for you to find and start playing games on these services through ChromeOS. If you search for a game in the launcher (ie through the Everything Button), you’ll see where it is available. You’ll then be able to load up the game with a single click. To begin with, this feature will be compatible with GeForce Now and the Play Store.

It’s good to see that Google hasn’t entirely given up on cloud gaming. Still, the timing of this announcement comes at a very odd time.

This Chromebook announcement was surely in the works long before Google said at the end of September that it was sunsetting its own cloud gaming service. According to reports, the news blindsided most of the Stadia team as much as anyone.

I’m a fan of cloud gaming and it’s a shame Google didn’t stick with Stadia. Despite the criticisms people had of the business model, missing features and lack of major exclusives, the core game streaming tech works great. You’d have to imagine that, at least until a couple of weeks ago, there were plans to offer a few months of Stadia Pro access at no extra cost with these Chromebooks instead of GeForce Now or Luna.

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