Opera launched a first version of Opera GX, a new browser made specifically for gamers and gaming, on June 11, 2019 during the E3 2019 event.
Opera GX uses the desktop Opera web browser as its base which means that it features everything that is part of the Opera desktop browser.
Opera GX is available for Windows only at this point in time and only as an early access version. Opera plans to release a final version later this year. Interested users can download the web browser from the Opera website.
Installation is identical to that of the regular Opera browser. Note that the browser is set up to submit telemetry to Opera by default; you can disable that during setup.
The browser opens with a splash animation and a redesigned color scheme and new tab page.
The page links to new and upcoming games and lists game deals next to that. Opera GX lists games for Windows, Playstation, Xbox, Mac and Linux by default.
A click on the settings icon displays options to display deals for select platforms only, e.g. only for PC, and an option to hide both the new and interesting games listing, and the deals aggregator.
Nintendo Switch and mobile game systems are not supported at the time of writing.
The first public version of Opera GX comes with exclusive features. GX Control is by far the biggest feature that Opera’s team added to the gaming browser.
GX Control introduces options to limit RAM and CPU usage in the browser. A click on the new GX Control icon in Opera’s side panel displays the options; both are disabled by default and can be enabled by toggling them in the interface.
The RAM Limiter blocks Opera GX from exceeding the selected amount of RAM. Just select one of the available limits after enabling the option.
A test on a 32 Gigabytes of RAM system had options to limit RAM usage to 8, 16, 24 and 32 Gigabytes of RAM. The RAM Limiter features a hard limit option that prevents Opera GX from ever exceeding the selected RAM limit.
The built-in CPU Limiter works pretty much in the same way: enable it in the interface and set one of the available limits. The current version supports limiting CPU usage of the browser to 25%, 50%, or 75%.
Opera Software believes that “games can run more smoothly” when using GX Control.
Opera GX integrates with Twitch accounts. Twitch users may sign-in to their accounts to get Twitch notifications directly in the Opera GX web browser.
The browser features several game-inspired themes, sounds, and color schemes that users may enable.
Closing Words
Opera GX is a modified version of Opera with a RAM and CPU limiter, Twitch integration, and a selection of customization options catered towards gamers.
While I applaud Opera for trying something new, I’m not sold on the idea that the browser will offer better performance than, say, the desktop Opera browser.
If Opera Software tweaked certain parameters and settings, that would be something different but limiting RAM and CPU usage of the program that you use to play games seems kinda strange. I’d imagine that limiting other processes on the system would yield a better effect.
Opera GX is available as a preview version only; things may change and Opera Software could very well work on adding more features and enhancements to the browser before final release.
As of right now, it could appeal to gamers because of the themes and feeds that it provides. Gaming-wise however, it probably won’t offer any advantages over other browsers.
Here is a link to the announcement on the Opera website.
Now You: What do you think of Opera GX?
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