Earlier this week, Google and {hardware} companions ASUS, Acer and Lenovo introduced a considerably stunning initiative to construct Chromebooks expressly for cloud gaming. Whereas many Chromebooks are a riff on the basic 13-inch laptop computer, the primary spherical of those gadgets have giant, high-resolution screens with quick refresh charges, anti-ghosting keyboards, highly effective processors and some software program tweaks to raised work with cloud gaming providers like GeForce NOW.
All these laptops are set to be launched by the tip of October, however I obtained an opportunity to take a look at a pre-production model of Acer’s Chromebook 516 GE. During the last week, I’ve performed some video games with it in addition to put it by way of my day by day work routine. I’ll want to check the ultimate model earlier than giving it a correct assessment, however the Chromebook 516 GE has rather a lot going for it, whether or not you play video games or not.
Acer will provide just a few configurations of this laptop computer, however the one I attempted is up for pre-order at Greatest Purchase. It includes a Twelfth-generation Intel Core i5-1240P processor, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and a 16-inch, 2,560×1,600 show with a 120Hz refresh price. The 516 GE is bigger and heavier than numerous Chromebooks, however 3.75 kilos is fairly affordable for a 16-inch laptop computer.
As an all-purpose machine, there’s rather a lot to love concerning the 516 GE, assuming you’re OK with a pc that isn’t tremendous moveable. The display is solely nice to work on – with an efficient 1,600 x 1,000 decision by default, there’s loads of vertical area, and I used to be simply in a position to have giant home windows (like a Google Doc and Slack) subsequent to one another with out feeling cramped. Its brightness ranking of 350 nits isn’t going to blow you away, however it felt like a lot to me, and colours had been properly saturated with out being exaggerated. And whereas the 120Hz refresh price doesn’t change the fundamental expertise of utilizing a Chromebook, issues like scrolling by way of YouTube or resizing home windows did really feel easy and fluid.
The keyboard and trackpad are additionally nice. The keyboard is giant and spacious, and the keys have loads of journey. It’s equally suited to an extended writing session or enjoying video games. And the pc’s giant deck means the trackpad can also be one of many greater ones I’ve used on a Chromebook; it’s easy and responsive. In a nod to its gaming heritage, the keyboard has an RGB LED backlight and a top level view across the WASD keys, however these are about the one thrives that make this pc really feel like a “gaming laptop computer.”
The actual query with this laptop computer, although, is whether or not it really presents a greater cloud gaming expertise than different choices (together with different Chromebooks). I’m not able to move judgment on that but, however each NVIDIA’s GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming labored with none points right here. I simply plugged in my Xbox Controller and obtained to enterprise. On GeForce Now, which I linked to my Steam account, I spent a while enjoying Portal and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, whereas I attempted out favorites like Forza Horizon 5 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge through my Sport Move subscription.
There’s little question that this show elevates the expertise, each merely due to its sheer dimension and its decision. I haven’t tried any video games that performed at 120Hz but, however every part I did play regarded wonderful – assuming my connection stayed strong. The 516 GE has a WiFI 6E chip inside, however as I don’t have a 6E router but, that didn’t do me any good. And even once I was in the identical room as my router, with a powerful sign, the standard of my sport streams diverse considerably. Total, GeForce Now feels way more dependable than Xbox Cloud Gaming. When enjoying Xbox video games, the image glitched out in important, game-disrupting vogue fairly often. GeForce Now, however, I’d expertise the occasional burst of dropped frames, however the visuals hardly ever began tearing and distorting like they did on Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Neither had been practically nearly as good as enjoying a regionally put in sport, and the general expertise isn’t all that completely different from what I’ve skilled doing cloud gaming on my MacBook Professional or different laptops. Acer could make a fantastic laptop computer, however there’s solely a lot they will do about iffy streaming high quality. And my web connection isn’t precisely sluggish – I obtained about 170 Mbps down in a pace check I took once I was accomplished enjoying.
For $650, Acer’s Chromebook 516 GE looks as if a strong worth – the mixture of a strong {hardware}, a fantastic display and keyboard and strong construct high quality make it a compelling gadget. Chromebooks with an i5 processor often price a minimum of this a lot if no more, and the 516 GE has a good variety of options that make it distinctive. Whether or not this helps Google’s initiative to persuade folks Chromebooks are price gaming on is one other story altogether, however on the very least, Acer’s newest will seemingly be price a glance as soon as it’s accessible.
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