Chrome browser gets tuned for gaming

Google on Tuesday released a Chrome upgrade that improves how the browser renders 3D applications, including mouse-controlled games.

The improvement comes via the inclusion of the Pointer Lock JavaScript API, commonly referred to as Mouse Lock, Google said in a blog post.

"Now, 3D applications such as first-person games can allow users to control their perspective naturally with the mouse, without moving outside the window or bumping into the edge of their screen," wrote Vincent Scheib, a Google software engineer.

In addition to games, the enhancement will also make the browser better for scientific visualization, training, simulation and modeling applications, according to Scheib.

The Chrome upgrade, version 22, also includes Windows 8 enhancements and further fine-tuning for users of Apple computers with Retina displays.

Chrome 22 also includes fixes for more than 20 security holes, including one rated "critical" and several classified as "high" importance.

Google paid US$5,000 to those who reported the critical vulnerability, described as a Windows kernel memory corruption. The company also paid $15,000 to the man who reported two of the high-rated security problems, both related to universal cross-site scripting (UXSS) vulnerabilities.