Google Stadia isn’t formally lifeless but, however the finish is nigh: the sport streaming service will shut down for good in simply a few weeks, on 18 January.
That’s unhealthy timing for Asus, which simply unveiled the Chromebook Vibe CX34 Flip: a Google-powered gaming machine that was initially meant to bear the Stadia branding, and nonetheless contains a white physique with vibrant orange accented WASD keys which might be a lifeless match for the defunct Stadia visuals.
Thankfully Asus had simply sufficient time to adapt to Stadia’s cancellation, introduced again in September 2022, and has as a substitute partnered with Nvidia to supply three free months of its GeForce Now streaming service to anybody who picks up the CX34 Flip.
Asus
So what precisely makes this a gaming Chromebook? Unsurprisingly for a ChromeOS machine, it isn’t about pure energy, although with as much as a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM, it’s no slouch in that division.
That may assist this breeze by means of many of the Android video games accessible on ChromeOS by means of the Play Retailer, to not point out emulated titles, however for probably the most half it is a laptop computer constructed primarily for cloud gaming.
Meaning the emphasis is as a substitute on the show, which with a 144Hz refresh charge and 9ms response charge could be quick for any laptop computer, not to mention a Chromebook.
Help for Wi-Fi 6E ought to assist ship easy networking as long as your router is as much as the duty, although disappointingly there’s no choice for a 5G mannequin. Asus admits it did think about a 5G model, however in the end determined it wasn’t well worth the added value or the effort of coping with numerous telecoms corporations worldwide.
A four-zone RGB-lit keyboard with anti-ghosting tech provides to the laptop computer’s gaming credentials, with a free gaming mouse additionally set to be bundled in for consumers.
Asus
After all, not many individuals will purchase a Chromebook solely for gaming, even within the streaming age, so Asus says it’s tried equally arduous to make this equally suited to different stuff. Because the identify suggests, it’s a convertible laptop computer with a 360-degree hinge, and in addition packs an included stylus with a devoted slot within the physique.
Throw in round 10 hours of battery life, as much as 512GB of storage, and a collection of ports together with HDMI and a microSD slot, and you’ve got a completely kitted out Chromebook that simply occurs to come back with a light-up keyboard and the perfect freebies to sport on the go.
What we don’t know but is strictly how a lot the CX34 Flip will value, or when it will likely be out there – however don’t anticipate to get your palms on one till after the Stadia servers are shut down for good this month.