What you need to know
- The first Chromebooks with full RGB keyboards could launch later this year.
- Recent changes to Chrome OS code suggest at least two gaming Chromebooks with RGB keyboards are currently in development.
- A Chrome OS tablet with a detachable RGB keyboard could also be on the way.
Back in July last year, NVIDIA announced plans of bringing its DLSS and ray tracing technologies to Chromebooks. It even showcased a demo at GDC 2021, showing off Wolfenstein: Youngblood and "The Bistro" demo running on an RTX 3060 GPU coupled with a Chromebook powered by MediaTek's Kompanio 1200 chipset.
While no company has confirmed plans of launching a Chrome OS device with RTX graphics yet, a new report from 9to5Google suggests gaming Chromebooks with full RGB keyboards could soon become a reality.
Per the report, at least three manufacturers are currently testing Chromebooks with RGB keyboards. The first two are said to be codenamed Vell and Taniks, respectively. Both devices are apparently based on Intel's 12th generation Alder Lake chips.
Vell is being developed by Quanta, which is an ODM that makes Chromebooks for several brands. However, the folks at 9to5Google believe Quanta could be making Vell for HP. And while there's no solid evidence, it is likely that the gaming Chromebook could be a part of HP's OMEN lineup.
Taniks, on the other hand, will likely be part of Lenovo's Legion series of gaming laptops. A third Chrome OS device codenamed Ripple is also said to be in the works. Unlike the other two devices, however, Ripple is believed to be a Chrome OS tablet with a detachable keyboard.
While there's no word on exactly when these "gaming Chromebooks" will hit the market, the new feature flag for Chrome OS RGB support seems to suggest manufacturers are serious about launching a new line of gaming-focused Chromebooks. The launch of gaming Chromebooks will also likely pave the way for Steam gaming to finally become a thing on the best Chromebooks.
