A new ChromeOS gaming overlay puts touch-based Android games on your PC
In a move that feels a little late, coming years after Chromebooks got access to Android apps and games, Google says that ChromeOS users will get access to an “early Alpha” of game controls optimized for certain touchscreen-only games. Mobile games are obviously made for use on phones with touchscreens, which many computers don’t have. To bridge the gap, starting with ChromeOS 105, Google’s operating system can turn key presses into simulated touches.
According to Google, “We see game controls as a way to overcome initial challenges with the ChromeOS gaming experience while users wait for developers to fully optimize their apps for ChromeOS,” even as it pushes for game developers to include input support that works across phones, tablets, and computers.
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Android Police spotted the first signs of the feature over a year ago, which Google also referenced by mentioning the public beta of a “gaming overlay” while announcing plans for a Steam Alpha earlier this year. In the future, Google says gamers will have access to an editor that should enable this same control mapping for any games in Google Play that will work on a Chromebook, as well as extended support for mouse, gamepad, and other kinds of touch controls.
Google’s announcement included a list of all the supported games so far (which you can read below), with joystick action games like Pixel Blade R — Revolution, a series of 2048 variants to try out swipe controls, plus a few single- and multi-button control games like Hill Climb Racing and Tap Titans 2.
If you have a gaming PC, game console, or even your own phone to play on, then you might not be looking for a way to play more mobile games from the keyboard. But for kids who have a Chromebook as their
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