New information has emerged indicating that Google has halted several projects aimed at producing Nvidia-powered Chromebooks. Earlier in May, rumors had spread about Google's intention to introduce various Chromebooks equipped with Nvidia graphics cards, aiming to make a significant entry into the gaming sector. The excitement around these laptops was palpable, given the current subpar gaming experience on Chromebooks due to the limitations of integrated GPUs.
However, a recent developer comment discovered by About Chromebooks on Google's Chromium Gerrit an open-source code review platform, revealed that projects named “Herobrine,” “Hades,” and “Agah” have been terminated. The comment further indicated that the infrastructure for these projects had been shut down. Notably, these laptops were confirmed to feature Nvidia GPUs, as evidenced by the brand's mention in their build files.
No Gaming Chromebooks
The cancellation also extends to specific Chromebook models that were anticipated to utilize the same boards as the aforementioned projects. Consequently, projects “Cora” and “Zeus” have also been discontinued. This revelation comes on the heels of another report from August 11, which stated that Google had ceased work on six Chromebooks powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon. In total, 11 devices have been discontinued, though the reasons for such a decision remain unclear. Google has yet to comment on these developments.
Performance Concerns and Future Prospects
Despite the setbacks, it's still feasible to play older games on a Chromebook. However, challenges persist, as demonstrated by the struggles to run “Shadow of the Tomb Raider” on current hardware. Even with the lowest graphics settings and several features disabled, the game could only achieve an average frame rate of 17 fps. Some analysts suggest that the cancellation of the Nvidia-powered Chromebooks might be a blessing in disguise, given the potential challenges of integrating high-end graphics cards into Chromebooks, which are known for their limited repairability and overheating issues.
Nevertheless, there's still hope for the future. While the aforementioned projects have been halted, there's no indication that Google has entirely abandoned the idea of Nvidia-powered Chromebooks.
Kevin C. Tofel from About Chromebooks expressed his disappointment, stating, “I really expected Chromebooks with Nvidia GPUs to address my Steam gaming concerns.” He further shared his personal experience, mentioning, “I've been playing my two recently purchased games on a laptop with an old Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU. And it works astoundingly well.” Tofel remains hopeful for future Chromebook developments, suggesting that other options might emerge, such as devices with discrete AMD GPUs.
