The Google Play Store has a vast selection of games you can enjoy on almost every Android device, provided this device offers a touchscreen interface. Unless you have one of the best Chromebooks that comes with a touchscreen, you can bid adieu to any chance of enjoying the majority of mobile games to their fullest, all because they weren’t designed for keyboard and mouse inputs, to begin with. Thankfully, things are changing. Google is introducing an early test where keyboard inputs on your Chromebook emulate actual touch input in a handful of Android games.
Starting with ChromeOS 105, Google is introducing an alpha test for specific game controls where key presses on a physical keyboard substitute in-game touch events. These simulated touches allow interaction with on-screen buttons and joysticks. The implementation reminds us of how Android emulators like BlueStacks on Windows workaround touch controls. Here, Google is extending first-party support with a focus on eight joystick-controlled games, eleven single-button titles, six multi-button control games, and five games that offer swipe controls.
Interestingly, all the games with swipe controls in this alpha test are variations of the number game 2048. But don’t worry; the original is also on the list. Other hit games in this test include Hill Climb Racing, Geometry Dash Lite, and Archero (seen below).
As long as you have a keyboard and mouse hooked up to your Chromebook, you can define your key bindings for virtual button presses and touch-and-drag actions for on-screen joysticks in supported games. When you launch a supported title, you’ll see an overlay that showcases the default key bindings. You can change these bindings and assign different keys in the controls menu accessible by clicking the white square along the right side of the screen.
Google notes that the new alpha test doesn’t mean developers can skirt the requirement for keyboard support in apps, though. The current test for keyboard controls is merely a way to better the gaming experience on ChromeOS while developers continue to optimize their apps for the OS requirement. Ultimately, more support from game developers means you’ll be able to enjoy a more consistent experience across devices, irrespective of a title’s input methods and display size. Until then, you may need to use the mouse to navigate through in-game menus, even on Chrome 105.
If things go to plan in this alpha test, we expect the list of supported games to swell, so your reliance on third-party emulators and other janky solutions may soon see a reduction. While Google sorts it out, perhaps consider installing the ChromeOS 105 update and upgrading to one of the best Chromebook keyboards out there before you start gaming on the OS.
