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This is a feature we’ve been waiting on for quite some time, and in the What’s New in ChromeOS session at Google I/O, we got a good look at what the final version of the new Game Dashboard will finally deliver for Chromebook users. It’s a pretty awesome smattering of features for use while in-game, and I just tried it out for myself in the Beta Channel of ChromeOS 125.
If you want to do the same, you can simply head to the Beta Channel by going to Settings > About ChromeOS > Additional details > Change channel. Choose the Beta Channel, wait for the update to install, and then restart to complete the transition. Once there, you can turn on the feature by enabling the flag found here: chrome://flags/#game-dashboard
Once all that is done, you’ll get a new Game Dashboard pop-up when you launch into any game. And if for whatever reason you don’t see it, simply hit SEARCH+G to enable the overlay. From there, you can start using some of these new, interesting, game-focused features.
Button mapping
First up is button mapping, and it is really robust. You can add a D-pad or any other button to any game and decide what keyboard key will be responsible for it. You just drag the target around the screen until you have the location you want, click on it, and choose the keyboard key that it will be bound to. Super simple and effective for making touch-only games workable on any Chromebook!
Gameplay recording
Another feature that is awesome to see is the built in gameplay recorder. With Chromebooks being so good at this sort of thing already (the ChromeOS screen capture tool is without peer), I’m not surprised to see this be so good out of the gate. Whether you are playing a local Android game, web-based game, or even streaming via GeForce NOW, the recording feature can get your gameplay and your face captured for later.
Even better, this recording tool has the ability to capture both in-game audio along with your microphone, so you can make some adjustments to your mic gain in the ChromeOS quick settings panel and really dial things in so that your game audio and your voice work together well with no additional tools needed.
Other quick tools
Additionally, the new Game Dashboard allows gamers to take screenshots, change the window size for games, and choose how to hide or show the quick settings toolbar for the Game Dashboard as well. It’s fully realized at this point, and one of those features that I’m now glad the ChromeOS team took the time to get right.
Mouse and controller mapping down the road
It’s not live right now, but the ChromeOS team did mention that mapping mouse and controller actions would come down the road as well. For games that need swiping actions like Fortnite or PUBG, this will make a huge difference and allow those titles to fully be leveraged (once set up properly) on Chromebooks that don’t have a touchscreen.
My hope is this feature evolves over time like we’ve seen with the screen capture tool or Virtual Desks on ChromeOS. This is a robust start, but adding mouse and controller support down the road, additional options for live streaming and more could take this feature from good to exceptional as it begins to be implemented. And for a baked-in Chromebook feature, I love to see it. Hopefully we’ll all get to have it at our disposal when ChromeOS 125 arrives next week.
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