Stadia’s dead, but new Chromebooks keep Google’s cloud-gaming dreams alive

Enlarge / The Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook (pictured) is one of three cloud gaming-focused Chromebooks announced today. (credit: Google)

The final nail is all but driven into Google Stadia's coffin, with Google announcing that it will shut down the game streaming service on January 18. In a meeting with the press this week, Google said it still sees cloud gaming as a huge profit driver for the company moving ahead. With Stadia on its way out, though, Google will have to rely on gaming platforms and manufacturing partners. Today, three so-called gaming Chromebooks were announced from Acer, Asus, and Lenovo, boasting high specs for Chromebooks, including refresh rates up to 144 Hz. Google said it optimized the devices for streaming games from Nvidia GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, and the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta.

Gaming Chromebooks: Specs and features

The Acer Chromebook 516 GE, Asus Chromebook Vibe CX55 Flip (CX5501) 2-in-1, and Lenovo IdeaPad Gaming Chromebook announced today stand out with more premium specs than the average, more budget-friendly Chromebook, including higher-resolution screens that support gamer-level refresh rates and beefier CPUs. Google said the computers range from $399-$799.

Here's a quick overview of the specs:

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