Google's Chrome browser is going to get an update with a few interesting capabilities in early 2012. At a recent conference, Google developer advocate Paul Kinlan revealed that the browser would be getting plug and play support for microphones, webcams, and game pads.
Kinlan unveiled the news of the Chrome update at the Develop conference in Liverpool on Thursday. He noted that the Chrome update that would bring plug and play support for these devices would be coming in the first quarter of 2012. He also hinted at the possibility for augmented reality games and player tracking.
Support for gamepads, microphones, and webcams without plugins offers Google the option to leverage their browser towards an OnLive-like service that could provide streaming games. The other benefit to this update would be that developers could create games specifically for Chrome that are more complicated and require a gamepad, without having to worry about drivers.
The other thing that Kinlan announced that would support an OnLive type service is the inclusion of the real time communications protocol WebRTC. That protocol gives browsers the ability to do things like real time, seamless video chat, and streaming games via Java APIs built right into the browser. For the user that means nothing to install or update as long as their version of Chrome is up to date.
These additions show that Google is not only committed to Chrome but also that they are interested in making it more than just another web browser to compete with IE or Firefox. It will be interesting to see how developers use these new features in 2012 and beyond.
