ChromeOS is testing keyboard controls for Android games
techcrunch.comChromeOS users can already access a lot of Android games through Google Play, but many of them are made with a touchscreen interface in mind. That can make it difficult for users to play these titles using a keyboard and a mouse. To solve this problem, Google today announced that with ChromeOS 105, it’s testing keyboard controls for select titles.
The company said that it’s simulating touch controls through keyboard presses to map touchscreen controls to a desktop system. It also insisted that developers should implement keyboard controls in their games so they would work better on Chromebooks without a touchscreen.
“By translating key presses into simulated touch events, the game controls feature allows players to use their keyboard to interact with on-screen buttons and virtual joysticks, resulting in a vastly improved experience for games with limited or missing keyboard support,” the company said in a blog post.
If you’re running ChromeOS 105 on a device with a keyboard and mouse (or a touchpad), you’ll see a keyboard overlay denoting controls that will simulate touch behavior on a supported game. With this release, users will be able to disable/enable keyboard overlay, disable game controls, and customize control keys in a game (available through a settings square located on the right-center of the screen). They can still use the mouse for accessing in-game menus and dialogs.
Keyboard controls test for Android games on ChromeOSImage Credits: Google
For the initial phase, Google has concentrated on four kinds of games that will support keyboard controls: joystick, single button, multi-button, and swipe games. Here’s the list of supported games at launch:
Joystick Games
Single Button Games
Multi-button Games
Swipe Games
