Following growing popularity, Steam may finally be coming to Chromebooks, according to one Google Community post. As such, some Chrome OS could expect an alpha version of Steam to test out soon.
Valve and Steam have been experiencing a lot of hype and fanfare as of late, largely due to the reception around its Steam Deck device. With its launch last month, the console has been gaining popularity to such a level that Steam Deck demand has seemingly exceeded Valve's expectations. But Steam itself has been enjoying a lot of success during the past few years. In 2021 alone, Steam added over 31 million new users. A combination of accessibility, a large gaming library, frequent discounts on popular titles, and other factors have contributed to the platform's growth over the years. It's in this backdrop that Valve continues to explore expansion opportunities. One of its latest efforts appears to be making Steam available on Chromebooks.
Google may no longer be pushing a piece of the gaming market since its Stadia rebranding, but the tech giant is actively looking to bring gaming tools and services to its platforms. Google has previously stated that the company has been working with Valve to bring Steam to Chrome OS. Recently, a keynote presentation at the Google for Games Developer Summit even mentioned that "the Steam alpha just launched." However, a community post later clarified that an early, "alpha-quality" version of Steam will be landing in the Dev channel for a select few Chromebooks soon. Although Google is yet to share specific details on this, a recently posted code change shines a light on what users can expect.
The post lists out a few Chromebook models that support Steam:
- Acer Chromebook 514
- Acer Chromebook 515
- Acer Chromebook Spin 713
- ASUS Chromebook Flip CX5
- ASUS Chromebook CX9
- Elemi – HP Pro c640 G2 Chromebook
- Lindar (unreleased Lenovo Chromebook)
The code change also specifies requirements, including a minimum 11th gen Core i5/i7 processor and 7GB of RAM. This means the initial availability for Steam will probably be limited to the higher-end Chromebooks. However, this list will likely expand to support more devices in the months to come. For instance, Google is reportedly testing Steam on 10th gen processors and AMD chips already. So users could expect more standard Chromebook models to handle much more than Minecraft on Chrome OS.
Steam's launch on Chromebooks is only one of the latest efforts from Valve to expand its userbase. Amidst adding Chrome OS to Steam's list of supported devices, Valve is also looking at other opportunities ranging from a possible Game Pass-like Steam subscription service to a few of its own upcoming titles in development. Clearly, the company's ambitions are growing. However, this also means that Valve's attention as a company will be diverted to a number of varying initiatives.
Source: Google, Chromium Gerrit