We've moved on from denigrating Chrome OS as a glorified browser. Google has been improving the capabilities of the operating system, and it appears that the company's next destination is the Chromebook gaming experience. In January, we discovered fresh Chrome OS code updates that hinted at complete RGB keyboard functionality. New rumours imply that Google is working on delivering complete support for variable refresh rate (VRR) screens to Chrome OS in less than two months.
According to About Chromebooks, support for variable refresh rate screens is now available in the Chrome OS 101 Dev Channel. To try it out, go to chrome:/flags#allow-variable-refresh-rate and activate the flag. This activates the functionality in the programme, but you'll still require suitable hardware to see any change in viewing. There aren't many — if any — Chromebook displays with built-in VRR displays, but the article mentions that the functionality may be feasible to enable by connecting your computer to an external monitor that supports variable refresh rates.
Stuttering and screen tearing may have occurred a few times for experienced gamers. (For those who are unfamiliar, screen tearing is a visual artefact in which a display exhibits information from several frames in a single screen draw.) Multiple components of your screen are out of sync, which is caused by a mismatch between your display's refresh rate and graphics card. By matching the frame rates from your GPU, variable refresh rate displays assist to eliminate such viewing issues. Windows supports this function particularly for gaming, and newer TVs are also equipped with it, making them ideal for consoles such as the Xbox Series X. Even phones with adjustable refresh rate displays, such as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, may save battery life on screens that don't require it.
It's fantastic that Google has added VRR functionality to Chrome OS. Unfortunately, users will not be able to benefit from it until manufacturers begin equipping Chromebooks with native variable refresh rate screens and dedicated Nvidia or AMD GPUs.
