Variable refresh rate, Steam support coming to Chromebooks

By Fionna Agomuoh Published March 21, 2022

Several recent reports indicate that Google is currently working on more powerful Chromebooks that might be capable of doing some gaming.

These Chromebooks are expected to include features such as displays with variable refresh rate and could even support compatibility with the gaming platform Steam.

Recommended Videos

The variable refresh rate feature was first discovered by Kevin Tofel at About Chromebook. The blogger discovered a new flag, “chrome://flags#enable-variable-refresh-rate,” within the Chrome OS 101 Dev Channel, which all but calls out the feature. However, as MSPowerUser noted, the code is currently stagnant without compatible hardware on which to display varying refresh rates.

A screenshot of a Steam Collection shows a player's backlog. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Variable refresh rate support is a feature that allows displays to adjust their refresh rate automatically based on the capacity of the workload they are under. This feature has been heavily marketed toward gaming PCs, which typically feature high refresh rates for smoother movement on displays and less lag and tearing.

However, in recent years, we’ve even seen it pop up in non-gaming devices such as the Surface Pro 8, MacBook Pro, and Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 7.

This also coincides with Google’s announcement at its Games Developer Summit last week of its Steam alpha software for Chrome OS. Google has been hinting since early 2020 at a collaboration with Steam parent company, Valve, that would bring the platform to its lightweight productivity devices.

While there remains little known about Google’s plans for the Steam rollout, the brand did also confirm to its support community that it would be “landing an early, alpha-quality version of Steam on Chrome OS in the Dev channel for a small set of Chromebooks coming soon.”

Additionally, 9to5Google reported that Acer, Asus, and HP are among the brands that will support Steam on their Chromebooks.

There is also word that Google has plans for gaming Chromebooks, complete with full RGB keyboards, according to the publication. If accurate, it is highly likely they would release with Steam on board.

Computing Writer

Fionna Agomuoh is a Computing Writer at Digital Trends. She covers a range of topics in the computing space, including…

Topics

Computing

macOS 27 means the end of the Hackintosh Era, but does anyone still need one?

Apple's latest software update shuts the door on x86, but today's Macs have already made the original Hackintosh dream surprisingly accessible.

Apple macOS 27 With Hackintosh in background

While the tech world was busy obsessing over Liquid Glass, smarter Apple Intelligence features, and all the shiny new additions arriving with macOS 27 Golden Gate, Apple quietly slipped in another announcement at WWDC 2026 that didn't get nearly as much attention. Buried in the compatibility list was a simple but significant detail: Intel Macs are no longer supported. For millions of users, that's just another software update requirement. For a passionate corner of the internet that has spent nearly two decades bending technology to its will, it's something far bigger. It's the end of the traditional Hackintosh era.

If the term sounds unfamiliar, here's the quick version. A Hackintosh is a regular PC that's been modified to run macOS instead of Windows or Linux. Using community-developed bootloaders such as OpenCore and carefully selected hardware, enthusiasts managed to convince Apple's operating system that it was running on a genuine Mac. The process was anything but straightforward, but for many, that challenge became part of the fun.

Computing

Instacart is testing camera-ready AI shopping carts that sound convenient, but equally scary

Caper Carts promise faster checkout and personalized savings, but the cameras, location tracking, and on-cart ads make grocery shopping feel a lot less private.

Basket, Shopping Cart, Machine

Instacart's AI shopping carts are moving into select Weis Markets stores in Pennsylvania, with more locations planned this year. On the surface, the Caper Cart upgrade sounds useful, since shoppers can see a running total, clip digital coupons, use loyalty rewards, weigh items, and pay from the cart.

The privacy tension comes from the hardware needed to make that work. The carts include basket-facing cameras, outward-facing cameras, location-tracking systems, scales, touchscreens, and payment terminals, turning an ordinary grocery basket into a rolling sensor platform.

Computing

OpenAI wants an all-knowing personal AI agent for everyone on Earth

The company is framing personal AGI as the mass-market endpoint of its AI race.

openai-chatgpt

OpenAI is laying out a future where advanced AI reaches billions of people, not only the companies and governments racing to control it. Its latest plan centers on an AI for everyone, a personal AGI that would work as a deeply capable assistant for daily life, work, and discovery.

The company calls this its third phase. After proving the technology could work and turning it into products used at scale, OpenAI now wants to make powerful AI broadly available while pushing systems that can accelerate science and economic growth.