Microsoft Edge is based on the Chromium engine these days, and while the browser tends to follow in the footsteps of Chrome, there are occasions when it leads the way. The latest example of this can be seen in the most recent Canary build of Edge where Microsoft has been spotted testing a RAM slider.
Aimed primarily at gamers, the feature will give users control over how much memory the browser is able to use. Two questions immediately spring to mind — when will this ship, and how long before Chrome follows suit?
The latest Canary build of Microsoft Edge has been found to include a new section within Settings which can be used to implement ‘resource controls’ either when a game is running, or at all times. With browsers being notorious memory hogs, this is something that will be welcomed by gamers who don’t want to have to remember to close Edge in order to get the best gaming performance.
It was, once again, Leopeva64 who first spotted Microsoft’s unannounced tests. They shared the news, along with screenshots, on X:
Although the interface for controlling memory usage places a focus on gaming, limiting the browser’s use of RAM is something that could benefit non-gamers as well. If this is a feature that Microsoft intends to roll out more widely, it would be good to see the ability to have RAM limitation imposed on Edge whenever specific apps are running — such as image or video editing tools.
For now, though, there is no word on when or if this feature will trickle down from the Canary build.
Image credit: Simon Lehmann / Dreamstime.com