WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:08.960 forget what you know about Chromebooks this is a gaming laptop now steam is 00:00:06.520 --> 00:00:13.040 finally coming to Chromebooks baby and that means that you and all of your 00:00:10.719 --> 00:00:19.880 Chromebook friends can finally join the elite League of Gamers or does it we 00:00:17.119 --> 00:00:24.640 tried the steam Alpha and it's cool but it might actually be Chrome itself that 00:00:22.400 --> 00:00:29.320 isn't ready for gaming let me explain why after our sponsor build Redux build 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:32.920 Redux offers competitive pricing as compared to building a PC yourself their 00:00:31.400 --> 00:00:38.120 website makes it easy to configure your build alongside their helpful support 00:00:35.160 --> 00:00:43.559 guides head to build ru.com Linus and start creating your PC Today the easy 00:00:41.239 --> 00:00:49.440 way the thing that makes Chromebooks great is also what makes them awful for 00:00:46.239 --> 00:00:51.239 gamers a laser focus on Simplicity you 00:00:49.440 --> 00:00:56.199 can do browser things and maybe run a couple of Android apps but that's about 00:00:53.120 --> 00:00:58.320 it sure in 2018 Google added a Linux 00:00:56.199 --> 00:01:01.600 implementation called crostini that allows you to use pretty much any 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:06.119 desktop environment you'd want on your Chromebook but that's not an improvement 00:01:03.960 --> 00:01:11.080 to Chrome OS you can do that on any computer but with the introduction of 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:13.360 native steam gaming this 11-year-old OS 00:01:11.080 --> 00:01:17.159 much like an 11-year-old human looks like it will be doing a lot of growing 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:20.240 and changing in the coming years so how does steam on Chromebooks work well 00:01:18.920 --> 00:01:24.000 since it's an alpha you'll have to switch to the dev channel change a few 00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:28.320 flags and type a couple lines into the terminal and boom you're up and running 00:01:26.759 --> 00:01:34.439 assuming of course you have a supported Chromebook we have 00:01:30.799 --> 00:01:38.159 two the Acer Chromebook spin 713 and the 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:39.799 ASUS Chromebook CX9 so why these two 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:44.960 well they are among the six supported devices that can run this Alpha Yes you 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:48.880 heard correctly just six 11th gen Intel Chromebooks are supported for the alpha 00:01:46.880 --> 00:01:53.960 support should expand as this rolls out but for now like the Food Network you 00:01:51.320 --> 00:02:00.000 can get a taste vicariously through our video yum tasty first up let's talk 00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:04.200 about gaming performance we were hoping compare Steam on Chrome OS to these same 00:02:02.240 --> 00:02:10.160 machines running Windows by swapping the m.2 ssds but uh yeah no they won't even 00:02:07.880 --> 00:02:14.319 boot up turns out these Chromebooks use core boot instead of UEFI meaning we'd 00:02:12.360 --> 00:02:17.239 have to flash firmware onto them but since these are un loan from their 00:02:15.480 --> 00:02:21.280 respective manufacturers we couldn't do that that means a one toone comparison 00:02:19.400 --> 00:02:25.160 on the same laptop will have to wait until steam is available on Chrome OS 00:02:23.239 --> 00:02:30.720 Flex the version of the OS you can install on any machine for now what we 00:02:28.040 --> 00:02:37.400 can do is compare the steam to running Steam games in crostini on the same 00:02:33.800 --> 00:02:41.159 machine now remember it's an alpha there 00:02:37.400 --> 00:02:42.760 are a bunch of issues like no dx12 games 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:48.120 weird performance and scaling at non-native resolutions and a Kanye West 00:02:45.480 --> 00:02:51.680 level of General instability so while you should take these results with a 00:02:49.640 --> 00:02:57.440 pinch of salt if you're chomping at the bit to pee some G's on your cbook here's 00:02:54.760 --> 00:03:02.239 what you can expect our limited benching gave us some strange results you could 00:02:59.200 --> 00:03:04.400 say they were a little bananas LTT 00:03:02.239 --> 00:03:08.120 store.com halflife loss Coast worked swimmingly with very slight gains in the 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:11.720 alpha over the Linux implementation but when we look at the Tallow principle 00:03:09.680 --> 00:03:15.720 well things get interesting in Christini the game was unplayable scoring between 00:03:13.519 --> 00:03:20.440 0 and three frames per second but when it ran through the alpha well look at 00:03:17.959 --> 00:03:24.599 that that's a playable game but curiously it performed substantially 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:28.439 better on our lower spec I5 Chromebook a strange Trend we noticed in all of our 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:32.080 benchmarks despite the i7 equipped CX9 possessing more execution unit than the 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:35.439 GPU on the I5 we think it's a driver issue on the Intel side of things 00:03:33.560 --> 00:03:40.519 because it persisted in both Christini and the alpha but we were unable to nail 00:03:38.319 --> 00:03:43.760 down exactly what was happening in other Alpha weirdness we tried to Benchmark 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:48.680 shadow of the Tomb Raider but that just stopped working altogether after an OS 00:03:45.680 --> 00:03:50.720 update that's what an Alpha's like folks 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:55.040 now the bugs are to be expected but the thing that shakes my belief that gaming 00:03:52.560 --> 00:04:00.959 could succeed on chromos is that PC gaming often requires tinkering and 00:03:57.200 --> 00:04:03.120 Chrome OS is by definition a limited OS 00:04:00.959 --> 00:04:07.519 for example file management is horrendously obfuscated you can't tell 00:04:05.840 --> 00:04:12.360 where your files are located in relation to other folders or even navigate to 00:04:09.720 --> 00:04:16.600 your steam game files you can see the file structure by using steam's file 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:20.359 browser but you can't do anything with it if Google wants to take gaming 00:04:18.639 --> 00:04:24.400 seriously they need to make it easier for people to troubleshoot and manage 00:04:21.959 --> 00:04:28.720 their device you know it's like medium level tinkering Chrome OS has this 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:33.440 massive Chasm between the limited things typical users can do and the unlimited 00:04:31.320 --> 00:04:36.960 possibilities available to developers but what about Gamers it's like you get 00:04:35.160 --> 00:04:41.919 the choice between a tricycle or a unicycle I need a middle ground where 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:45.240 can I do things like install a mod or tweak Graphics or power management 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:48.880 settings without needing Dev level knowledge of the OS you can't just power 00:04:47.400 --> 00:04:52.720 wash your problems away when you have a quarter terabyte of content to 00:04:50.440 --> 00:04:57.320 redownload but let's talk about why Google is bringing steam to Chrome OS at 00:04:54.759 --> 00:05:01.720 all back in 2013 Google took a stab at making Chromebooks premium with the 00:04:59.360 --> 00:05:06.560 Chrome book pixel a laptop that was just a couple hundred shy of directly 00:05:03.960 --> 00:05:11.919 competing with the MacBook Pro and it was a flop reviewers liked the hardware 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:18.240 but no one wanted Chrome OS so Google tried again and then again and again and 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:22.600 after nearly a decade I think that Google has finally realized that if they 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:28.440 want to sell a premium Chromebook they need to sell the idea of a premium OS 00:05:25.800 --> 00:05:32.759 and gaming is part of that idea especially for the next generation of 00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:37.039 Chromebook buyers you see Google has been invading schools all over the world 00:05:35.280 --> 00:05:40.759 leading to scores of children being brought up on Google's OS and as they 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:44.520 switch from their school provided laptops to their own personal devices 00:05:42.880 --> 00:05:49.800 Google is hoping they don't want to jump ship by making Chrome OS a compelling 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:54.319 package as a sole personal computer Google would love for you to switch but 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:58.360 they're trying to get your kids to stay and gaming will be a core part of that 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:03.000 retention plan wait a second how does stadia fit into all this 00:06:00.280 --> 00:06:06.319 aha you forgot about stadia didn't you in classic Google fashion it seems like 00:06:04.919 --> 00:06:09.840 the left hand doesn't really know what the right hand is doing because bringing 00:06:08.120 --> 00:06:14.400 steam to Chromebook seems like it's going to harm stadia's growth I mean 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:18.759 sure local gaming and game streaming are different but stadia is Google's gaming 00:06:16.919 --> 00:06:22.680 brand and it seems like they're fine to just kind of leave it in the wings 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:28.039 rather than make any effort to integrate it into Chrome OS in my opinion that 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:32.440 would be a more logical move stadia as a cloud-based service is more in line with 00:06:30.280 --> 00:06:36.039 chrome os's vision of a cloud-based future whereas traditional PC gaming 00:06:34.520 --> 00:06:41.360 that is being introduced by this steam Alpha is kind of antithetical to how 00:06:38.280 --> 00:06:42.720 Chrome OS has always worked oh this one 00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:46.160 died how appropriate and there are other reasons 00:06:44.680 --> 00:06:50.479 I don't want a game on a Chromebook anyway the OS sucks at translating 00:06:48.479 --> 00:06:55.000 trackpad inputs to Accurate Mouse movement window management is slow and 00:06:53.000 --> 00:07:00.360 frustrating and the design language has a general lack of information density 00:06:57.560 --> 00:07:04.240 and I can't change any of it while I certainly welcome the idea of 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:08.800 playing games I already own on my Chromebook for this to work properly 00:07:06.520 --> 00:07:13.280 Google needs to really commit to making gaming a good experience and that means 00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:18.759 that Chrome OS will have to become something it's never been that might be 00:07:16.319 --> 00:07:22.479 good for gamers but bad for people who are happy with Chrome's lightweight 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:28.240 Simplicity it's a balance that will be hard to find but Google I think you 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:30.560 could do it so long as you don't abandon 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:35.520 the project today's video is brought to you by privacy.com privacy.com lets you 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:38.800 buy things online using virtual cards rather than your real credit cards 00:07:37.280 --> 00:07:43.800 Mother's Day is coming up and the last thing you should be worrying about is 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00:08:17.800 --> 00:08:23.120 out the one where lonus struggles to buy his son a Chromebook against lonus as 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:26.120 will we make him do these things for content