Okay Geek Farm
Google adding gamepad support for Chrome
Ricardo Trejo
New outlets for gaming are popping up in the unlikliest of places nowadays. I mean, when the iPhone first came on the scene, with its App Store featuring $0.99 cent games, I doubt anyone really thought they would be raking in enough cash to make even Nintendo jealous. Well, that just goes to show the power of what new concepts and platforms can achieve. Everyone’s got a phone, hence the need for games on it. Well, everyone goes online and uses a browser to access it, right? So why not add controller support for that browser and get your gaming fix without the need of a console? Well, Google seems to be laying down the framework according to reports.
“The news was revealed by Google developer advocate Paul Kinlan during a talk earler today at Develop Liverpool. Due in the first quarter of next year, the update will also see Chrome support cameras and microphones without the need for plug-ins, with Kinlan hinting at the possibilities for augmented reality games and player tracking.
Also planned is support for WebRTC, an open-source video chat application that will run directly in-browser with no plug-in required.”
So what’s this all mean? Well, simply it points to a future in which your Chrome browser can run applications without them being necessarily installed onto your machine. Streaming services for gaming, and also apps like Skype could one day be used without the need of a standalone client outside of the web browser. And if you take it a step further webapps for Chrome are already here, and they’re done in the same fashion as apps for iOS — y’know, where you don’t have to install programs into folders, but rather have them simply installed and added discreetly.
With that said, it sounds like Chromebooks could become a true viable option in the future with updates and strides like this.
