[ad_1]
One of the first “gaming” ChromeOS devices, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is perfect for cloud gaming, even if that’s an oxymoron.
Why buy a gaming Chromebook?
Thanks to services like Xbox Game Pass, Nvidia GeForce Now, and (for a short time) Stadia, Chromebooks have become gaming-ready devices almost overnight. Using the best ChromeOS phone you have for work, school, or personal use, you can play AAA quality games, as long as you have a stable internet connection.
But if the Chromebook you have is the best, why would anyone want a “gaming Chromebook?” This is the tough question that companies like Google and Acer are trying to answer, and for many people, the truth is that you do not it is necessary.
But gaming Chromebooks are built for those who want the highest quality and experience from gaming without shelling out for a local gaming laptop or PC/console combination and monitor. . For a few hundred dollars more, you can get a Windows 11 gaming laptop, but it won’t be as good as the RTX 3080 graphics that GeForce Now can offer. In addition, you will use more power (reducing battery life), generate more heat, and therefore need more fans.
With a gaming Chromebook like the Acer Chromebook 516 GE, you can push Nvidia GeForce Now close to its limits, easily running games at Ultra graphics, 1600p resolution, and 120 frames per second. All the while, the fans are quiet, you have more storage space for other uses, and your battery life is as good as any other Chromebook.
High resolution display
The main difference in the Acer Chromebook 516 GE that separates it from most ChromeOS devices is the inclusion of a (16-inch, 2560 × 1600, IPS) 120Hz refresh rate display. Until this year, most Chromebooks were locked at 60Hz until you connected a fast external monitor.
As mentioned, this high-end display is designed for GeForce Now’s RTX 3080 tier. A new experience to play Cyberpunk 2077 at 120 frames per second on a Chromebook. If you have not had the advantage of playing at a high level of relaxation, the difference is even more surprising, with the feeling that everything is easier and more realistic.
To make sure every Chromebook player has the chance to get that experience, Google and Nvidia are offering a three-month free trial of GeForce Now’s RTX 3080 tier. You get a three-month trial of Amazon Luna.
Unfortunately, GeForce Now is the only game streaming service available today that offers 120fps gaming on ChromeOS, with everything else locked at 60fps, it’s actually playable. Even better, the other ways to play on ChromeOS – Android games on the Play Store and PC games through the Steam beta – have the same 60fps cap.
A short story: the high refresh rate of the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is only used for GeForce Now and daily web browsing. This is not a flaw in Acer’s design, but hopefully it’s just a limitation of ChromeOS.
Otherwise, the screen is glossy and has a matte finish, both of which help in using the Chromebook during the day, while attracting dust. Notably, Acer chose not to include a touchpad in the Chromebook 516 GE, which is unusual for ChromeOS. That said, I don’t see myself losing the ability to use the print.
Equipment
Of course, there’s more to making a good cloud gaming device than just attaching a pretty display. For starters, every gaming Chromebook has an anti-ghosting keyboard (with RGB lighting, because play games), is the technology that ensures that all your keystrokes are sent correctly to your game. Traditional Chromebooks don’t have this, so if you’re a keyboard-and-mouse type of gamer, that’s all the more reason to upgrade.
The keyboard on the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is well laid out, with everything feeling precise and comfortable. The built-in RGB lighting is a bit of a letdown here, offering light and color rather than a bold effect, but RGB isn’t something I care much for either.
In addition to that, Acer has included a useful feature on the Chromebook 516 GE that is not offered by any of the other players – a full 2.5-Gigabit Ethernet port. Although Wi-Fi technology has improved significantly in recent years – with Wi-Fi 6E supporting this feature – a fixed Ethernet cable will still provide a stable experience for gaming. cloud.
Digging into the rest of the spec sheet, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE I tested comes with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of NVMe storage. Most of these advanced features keep ChromeOS running smoothly at a high refresh rate, run some games through Steam, or serve as a developer tool.
All of that is packed into a sleek chassis with up-standing speakers and a decent amount of ports. The two-tone design of the lid makes the Acer Chromebook 516 GE fun to use in public without looking like an edgy “gaming” laptop. That said, I know the Chromebook needs to be fed because it’s prone to scratches.
Should you buy the Acer Chromebook 516GE?
The best customer for the Acer Chromebook 516 GE today is someone who does most of their gaming through GeForce Now and prefers to play with a keyboard and mouse. For $650, you can bring the full power of modern cloud gaming anywhere (including internet access) without compromising screen size or features bad control.
With time, as more cloud gaming services get higher framerate flow, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE will be easy to recommend. Even outside of gaming use, having a Chromebook with a high refresh rate is fun, but ChromeOS still has more to do than I’d expect from someone on that spec alone.
For someone who takes cloud gaming seriously, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE strikes a perfect balance between “ready-to-play” and useful as a simple laptop. Unlike other gaming devices, like the upcoming Razer Edge, you get a full computer experience thanks to ChromeOS.
For a limited time, Best Buy is offering the Acer Chromebook 516 GE for $549 — a $100 discount — making it a more powerful choice to get through the holidays.
FTC: We use affiliate links. More.
Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:
[ad_2]
Source link
