Acer's first gaming Chromebook is a cloud-gaming beast — and comes with a 3-month Nvidia GeForce Now free trial
Acer just unleashed its first gaming Chromebook
Acer just unleashed its first gaming Chromebook, providing top-of-the-line hardware to cloud-gaming fans. Say hello to the Chromebook 516 GE! Acer boasts that it supports the highest performance tiers Nvidia GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Amazon Luna.
The Taipei-based OEM boasted that its new gaming Chromebook features a lot of tech that matters to gamers, including 12th Gen Intel Core processors, a zippy 120Hz display, an RGB keyboard with anti-ghosting technology, advanced DTS audio, and more.
Chromebook 516 GE: Acer's first gaming Chromebook
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE comes with up to an Intel Core i7-1260P processor, up to 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM, up to 256GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage, and a 16-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 16:10 aspect ratio.
No, don't expect any dedicated graphics. This Chromebook 516 GE comes with Intel Iris Xe graphics, but keep in mind that this laptop targets cloud gamers, so having the latest and greatest graphics offerings is not a necessity. However, Acer is meeting cloud gamers' other needs. As mentioned at the outset, the Chromebook 516 GE feature 12th Gen Intel Core processors, an RGB gaming keyboard, a high-resolution display, and enhanced audio.
Most importantly, it meets the highest standards for cloud-gaming services, including GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming and Amazon Luna. Too bad Google Stadia couldn't get in on this Chromebook 516 GE action!
Owners of the Acer Chromebook 516 GE have access to 1,000+ games across the aforementioned trio of cloud-gaming platforms, so you can enjoy games like Witch 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077 and Devil May Cry 5.
“We’re excited for the Acer Chromebook 516 GE to reach the hands of eager gamers. Between the incredible mix of easy-to-use software and great hardware built for smooth cloud gaming experiences, we think this device will be game-changing," said Chris Daniel, Google's Director of Product for the ChromeOS Platform.
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For a limited time, if you purchase Acer's first gaming Chromebook, you'll receive a three-month free trial of Nvidia GeForce Now's best performance tier. We can't wait to test this Chromebook to see if it'll land on our best Chromebooks page and best Acer laptops page.
The Chromebook 516 GE laptop is only $649 and will hit store shelves in October.
Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!