Latest news with #Valve
Android Authority
2 days ago
- Android Authority
Game over: Chrome OS pulls the plug on Steam gaming
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR Steam on Chrome OS support began as a beta test in early 2022. After graduating to a beta later that year, progress slowed down. Now users are being informed that the beta is slated to end as 2026 gets started. Choosing a Chromebook over a standard PC laptop can make sense for a lot of good reasons, from wanting to take advantage of the platform's track record of security, to just hoping to save some money on affordable hardware. But one pro we rarely see on that list is 'good for gaming.' Over the past few years, though, there's been the hope that the gaming landscape on Chrome OS could be getting a lot better, and one area with a ton of potential was support for Steam and its vast library of games. Sadly, it now look like that effort will never have the chance to leave beta. Steam support on Chrome OS has been in an experimental stage for years now, first arriving as an early alpha back in 2022. You needed a decently powerful Chromebook, and getting it up and running was bit more complicated than installing your standard app, but in the end it worked, and made Chromebooks feel a heck of a lot more premium. Well, fast-forward to this week, and it's just bad news all around for Steam on 'exotic' platforms. Just the other day Valve shared that it was ending Steam support on older Mac OS release, and now 9to5Google has spotted that Steam support on Chrome OS has ticking clock attached to it. Users attempting to install the Steam beta on a Chromebook are now being presented with a message informing them of plans to wind the beta down at the end of the year — and not in the good 'beta graduating to a stable build' way, either. Instead, you'll no longer be able to play your Steam games on a Chromebook at all once 2026 rolls around. While this is undeniably bad news for Chrome gaming, users still have several other options available to them. Chromebook owners can always install Android games, certainly, and with emulators on Chrome you can run your favorite titles from retro platforms. And if you're craving something a little more beefy and modern, you can always tap into cloud gaming through a service like Amazon Luna, NVIDIA GeForce Now, or Xbox Cloud Gaming. Follow
Engadget
2 days ago
- Engadget
Steam for Chromebooks is reportedly being discontinued
The dream of Chromebooks that double as gaming laptops appears to be on its last legs. 9to5Google reports that Google is ending support for Steam for Chromebooks starting January 1, 2026. Porting the application launcher was part of an extended push from the company to make Chromebooks a place to play games. Companies like ASUS and Acer announced and released gaming Chromebooks, but the idea never seemed to catch on. Google's plan to retire Steam for Chromebooks was discovered when 9to5Google tried to install the launcher on a new laptop. "The Steam for Chromebook Beta program will conclude on January 1st, 2026," a new notice reads when you download Steam. "After this date, games installed as part of the Beta will no longer be available to play on your device. We appreciate your participation in and contribution to learnings from the beta program, which will inform the future of Chromebook gaming." Engadget has contacted Google and Valve for confirmation that Steam for Chromebooks is being discontinued. We'll update this article if we hear back. Reports that Steam would eventually be available on ChromeOS started as far back as 2020. The joint effort to port the launcher to Chromebooks was a surprise announcement at GDC 2022. Google released a Steam alpha that March, which ultimately worked better than expected. A beta version of the app came a few months later in November, adding support for several new Chromebooks. The app has existed in beta since then, without any major updates from Google or Valve. One reason Google could be giving up is that the number of games that can actually run on Chromebooks is limited, thanks to the underpowered CPUs and integrated graphics that most ChromeOS devices use. Valve's Proton compatibility software — which helps Windows games run on the Linux-based Steam Deck — is technically available for Chromebooks, but it can't make up for a lack of processing power. Without Steam, using either NVIDIA GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming is the best option for running modern console and PC games on your Chromebook. ChromeOS can also runs Android apps, but then you have to be comfortable playing what you can get from the Play Store.
Digital Trends
3 days ago
- Digital Trends
Google ending Steam support for Steam; Chromebook users to rely on Android and cloud gaming services
What's happened? Google has confirmed that Steam for Chromebook Beta, launched in March 2022 in partnership with Valve, will no lnger be available starting January 1, 2026. The program allowed select Chromebooks to run Linux-based Steam games natively through ChromeOS's Linux (Crostini) environment. Users trying to install Steam from the ChromeOS Launcher will now see a discontinuation notice stating that installed games will no longer be playable after January 1, 2026. This is important because? Steam for Chromebook was one of Google's most ambitious pushes to position ChromeOS as a serious gaming platform, competing with Windows PCs, Android, and cloud services. The beta demonstrated that Chromebooks could run native PC titles, although performance was limited to higher-end models and a narrow set of compatible games. The announcement of a shutdown points to a retreat from native gaming in favor of cloud streaming and Android apps, effectively ending the experiment without a full public release. Recommended Videos Why should I care? If you've been using your Chromebook for native Steam gaming, those titles will become inaccessible starting next year. Google has no current native alternative for running PC games directly on ChromeOS. While Android and cloud streaming options like Nvidia GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming remain available, they don't replace the offline experience that native Steam gaming offered. The move may also discourage Chromebook buyers who were counting on local gaming capabilities. What's next? On January 1, 2026, all installed games via the Steam platform will be removed from Chromebooks. Users will need to pivot to Android titles from the Google Play Store or adopt cloud-based gaming services. Google hints at future gaming plans tied to ChromeOS's architecture becoming closer to Android's, but no specific replacement for Steam support has been announced. Expect more updates, possibly at next year's Google I/O, as the company reshapes ChromeOS gaming strategy.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Billionaire gaming CEO buys superyacht company that built his and Jeff Bezos' boats
Billionaire Gabe Newell bought Oceanco, the Dutch superyacht builder behind Jeff Bezos' Koru. Newell, the cofounder of video game developer Valve, owns at least one Oceanco superyacht. The shipyard is known for building fully customized yachts that cost well into the nine figures. Some gamers spend weekends on the couch. Others spend them luxuriating in the most expensive assets money can buy. Gabe Newell, the cofounder of video game developer Valve Corporation, has purchased Oceanco, the Dutch builder behind some of the world's most prominent superyachts. The amount that Newell, who Forbes reports is worth $9.5 billion, paid for the shipbuilder has not been disclosed. The previous owner, Mohammed Al Barwani, purchased Oceanco in 2010. Neither Newell nor Oceanco responded to requests for comment from Business Insider. Newell's Valve is behind some of the most beloved video games, including the "Half-Life" and "Portal" series. It also created Steam, the biggest PC gaming platform, and the handheld PC gaming device Steam Deck. With Oceanco, he's moving into sun decks and main decks. The shipyard has built some of the most renowned superyachts and only delivers a couple of fully customized vessels, which cost well into the nine figures, each year. Its largest build to date is Koru, Jeff Bezos's 127-meter-long sailing yacht, which was delivered in 2023 to much fanfare and has been praised for its aesthetics. The Koru build had its controversial moments. Oceanco initially requested that a historic bridge be dismantled to deliver the yacht, but then rescinded the request. Separately, the company was fined for failing to properly trace the teak used to craft some of Koru's furniture and interiors. Oceanco is also behind Alfa Nero, the 82-meter yacht seized from a Russian oligarch in 2023, and Bravo Eugenia, the 109-meter yacht owned by billionaire Jerry Jones. Newell owns at least one Oceanco design: Draak, a 91.5-meter-long yacht with a helipad, spa, gym, and swimming pool. He is also rumored to be the future owner of Oceanco Y722, a 111-meter project expected to be delivered later this year. While the prices of Oceanco's new deliveries are largely kept under wraps, the six yachts for sale from the builder range in price from $5.8 million for a 49-meter vessel built in 1995 to $341 million for a 105-meter superyacht built in 2000. Newell will take a hands-off approach and plans to "leave the team alone," according to a press release from August 1 announcing the acquisition. There is hope, however, that his tech background will influence production. "What happens when you let yachtbuilders talk to worldbuilders? When craftsmen get access to tech usually reserved for game devs and mad scientists?" the press release says. "You get innovation that doesn't just look good. It feels good." Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Verge
4 days ago
- The Verge
Steam is dropping support for macOS 11 Big Sur.
Posted Aug 6, 2025 at 5:30 PM UTC Steam is dropping support for macOS 11 Big Sur. The change kicks in on October 15th, 2025. 'This change is required as core features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older versions of macOS,' Valve says. 'In addition, future versions of Steam will require macOS feature and security updates only present in macOS 12 and above.' Steam Support :: Steam macOS 11 Support [ Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Jay Peters Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Jay Peters Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All PC Gaming
