Acer Unleashes its First Gaming Chromebook, the Acer Chromebook 516 GE

[TheLostSwede]

Acer today debuts its first Chromebook optimized for Cloud gaming - the Acer Chromebook 516 GE. With it, customers can enjoy a top-tier gaming experience with instant access to full PC and console games powered by the cloud. The new Acer Chromebook 516 GE is powered by the latest technology and features that matter most to gamers - 12th Gen Intel Core processors, a fast 120 Hz display, an RGB keyboard with anti-ghosting technology, advanced DTS audio, and most importantly, support for leading cloud gaming platforms including the highest performance tier of NVIDIA's GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta), and Amazon Luna.

"The Acer Chromebook 516 GE sets the stage for a new era of Chromebooks with the focus squarely on gaming; it combines the ideal collection of gaming hardware, game-streaming support for NVIDIA GeForce NOW's top tier and easy access to popular game titles from the leading cloud gaming platforms," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Chromebooks have secured their position as an indispensable tool for education, work, entertainment and personal productivity, so now it's time to have more fun."




"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 for those looking for a way to play their favorite games with a hassle-free, smooth, and high-fidelity experience." said Chris Daniel, Director of Product for the ChromeOS Platform, Google.

Powerful Performance and Graphics with Vibrant 120 Hz Display
Every aspect of the Acer Chromebook 516 GE is designed for customers to venture into a new world of gaming. The new Chromebook supports the highest performance tier of NVIDIA GeForce NOW to enable next-generation cloud gaming on the Acer Chromebook 516 GE. Streamed from NVIDIA GeForce NOW's SuperPOD, a powerful gaming supercomputer in the cloud, the highest performance tier of NVIDIA GeForce NOW enables games to be streamed at up to 1600p and 120 frames per second with cutting-edge graphics features like ray tracing and more.

To amplify these new graphics, the Chromebook is powered by up to 12th Gen Intel Core i7 "P-series" processors for the latest in responsive performance and video decoding technology, ideal for cloud gaming. The Acer Chromebook 516 GE also utilizes 16 GB LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256 GB PCIe NVMe SSD storage to further boost responsiveness, making it one of the best Chromebooks for gaming to date.

The Acer Chromebook 516 GE showcases stunning game visuals on its ultra-smooth 120 Hz high-resolution WQXGA (2560x1600) IPS display. The fast refresh rate enables high FPS gameplay, so players don't miss a millisecond of action. Its 16-inch narrow-bezel and 16:10 aspect ratio vivid display bring immersive visuals to life, while the 100% sRGB color gamut support delivers a wide range of accurate and vibrant colors.

Gaming-Focused Design and Unparalleled Audio
Gaming on Chromebook is further enhanced with the unparalleled audio capabilities of the new Acer Chromebook 516 GE. DTS audio delivers high-quality, distortion-free sound on the two upward-firing speakers and two downward-firing speakers. Unwanted sound vibrations are also eliminated by the force-canceling woofers that project in opposite directions in perfect unison.

The Chromebook 516 GE's gaming keyboard features anti-ghosting technology to register fast and accurate keyboard inputs and key combinations. The keyboard also offers vibrantly colored preset backlight color modes to add excitement to users' gameplay. Users can select from one of seven colors or a predefined 4-zone color option.

Connectivity for Gaming and More
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE ensures a stable and super-fast connection for an uninterrupted Cloud gaming experience with its RJ-45 2.5G Gigabit Ethernet LAN port. In addition, fast and reliable Wi-Fi 6E makes it a powerful on-the-go device to stay connected while enjoying the latest Cloud games. The Chromebook features the latest connectivity ports for connecting to larger displays and more, including dual USB Type C, USB Type A, HDMI, and Bluetooth 5.2 enabling wire-free accessory connections.

The Acer Chromebook 516 GE's long 9-hour battery ensures the continued enjoyment of gaming. The Chromebook also features a full HD flare-reducing webcam with temporal noise reduction technology to increase visual fidelity. The dual microphones complement the quad speakers to ensure high-quality input matches the audio output.

Access to full PC and Console Games
Acer Chromebook 516 GE customers can enjoy thrilling gameplay right out of the box since it does not require any installations or downloads. With access to full PC and console games in the cloud, via the Everything Button, Acer customers can simply tap, search and stream games to their Chromebook 516 GE. Additionally, more games and bundles will be added, bringing increased value and excitement to all gaming enthusiasts.

In addition, to support cloud gaming on ChromeOS, Google is also providing for a limited time with the purchase of an Acer Chromebook 516 GE, a 3-month free trial of NVIDIA GeForce NOW's highest performance tier, and Amazon Luna, giving everyone a chance to try out selected games at no cost and experience just how easy cloud gaming can be.

Pricing and Availability
The Acer Chromebook 516 GE laptop will be available in the United States in October starting at USD 649.99; in EMEA in December starting at EUR 999.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[GenericNinja]

So you are releasing a Google game streaming laptop basically the week after the utter failure of the Google Stadia game streaming service... Bold choice lets see how it works out for them.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
USD verses EUR is pretty lopsided

 

[TheLostSwede]

Hi,
USD verses EUR is pretty lopsided

20+ percent VAT in most EU countries, but yes, even so.

 

[Chaitanya]

Hi,
USD verses EUR is pretty lopsided

GBP is not too far behind now.

Also its not a "gaming" product without RGB Puke all over it.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

So you are releasing a Google game streaming laptop basically the week after the utter failure of the Google Stadia game streaming service... Bold choice lets see how it works out for them.

It says it's for nVidia's streaming service up in the cloud which is called POD.

There is also the fact that gaming is going to the cloud in the near future. Developers, hardware makers, console companies have all stated this pretty openly. It's already partly the case for a fair amount of games but it's going to be fully the case. That's the next evolution. So Acer isn't dumb, people who think they are going to avoid the future of gaming being in the cloud are just niave at this point. It's like those who said physical media will stay and Steam is now the future and look what happened there? And just as with digital downloads the PC is going to be the first up into the cloud!

 

[cvaldes]

So you are releasing a Google game streaming laptop basically the week after the utter failure of the Google Stadia game streaming service... Bold choice lets see how it works out for them.

Clearly Acer did not start working on this Chromebook a month ago. Most likely it has been on a roadmap for a year. The Stadia closure is very inconvenient and it's obvious that a Stadia manager was supposed to give some flowery approval. It is very likely that finished units were rolling off a manufacturing line when Google announced Stadia's shuttering.

Today ASUS and Lenovo also announced similar cloud gaming-focused Chromebooks so clearly this was intended to be a splashy launch event for Stadia's untimely shuttering.

It says it's for nVidia's streaming service up in the cloud which is called POD.

No. NIVIDIA's streaming service is called GeForce NOW. The machine the service runs on is called SuperPOD.

NVIDIA markets the former to consumers since that's what they pay for: the service. Whatever they call the machine that hosts it isn't really relevant to Joe Consumer. In the same way, consumers know about Spotify the music, not the machines they run on, like the DodgyCorp FML 420 XL Super Cluster.

There is also the fact that gaming is going to the cloud in the near future. Developers, hardware makers, console companies have all stated this pretty openly. It's already partly the case for a fair amount of games but it's going to be fully the case. That's the next evolution. So Acer isn't dumb, people who think they are going to avoid the future of gaming being in the cloud are just niave at this point. It's like those who said physical media will stay and Steam is now the future and look what happened there? And just as with digital downloads the PC is going to be the first up into the cloud!

All gaming platforms will start migrating to the cloud. My guess is that it will be based more on content type rather than platform. Games that aren't so sensitive to input latency will head to the cloud first. Fast action FPS titles like Apex Legends will stay on local hardware for a long time.

For sure, there will probably always be a niche group of PC gaming enthusiasts who will keep it alive as long as the games themselves are designed and developed on PC. In that sense, PC gaming will be the most tenacious in clinging to local hardware.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Clearly Acer did not start working on this Chromebook a month ago. Most likely it has been on a roadmap for a year. The Stadia closure is very inconvenient and it's obvious that a Stadia manager was supposed to give some flowery approval. It is very likely that finished units were rolling off a manufacturing line when Google announced Stadia's shuttering.

Today ASUS and Lenovo also announced similar cloud gaming-focused Chromebooks so clearly this was intended to be a splashy launch event for Stadia's untimely shuttering.



No. NIVIDIA's streaming service is called GeForce NOW. The machine the service runs on is called SuperPOD.

NVIDIA markets the former to consumers since that's what they pay for: the service. Whatever they call the machine that hosts it isn't really relevant to Joe Consumer. In the same way, consumers know about Spotify the music, not the machines they run on, like the DodgyCorp FML 420 XL Super Cluster.



All gaming platforms will start migrating to the cloud. My guess is that it will be based more on content type rather than platform. Games that aren't so sensitive to input latency will head to the cloud first. Fast action FPS titles like Apex Legends will stay on local hardware for a long time.

For sure, there will probably always be a niche group of PC gaming enthusiasts who will keep it alive as long as the games themselves are designed and developed on PC. In that sense, PC gaming will be the most tenacious in clinging to local hardware.

We've been hearing that for over a decade now. Still hasnt happened, and as stadia shown, still isnt happening either. GeforceNOW is still a tiny drop in the bucket compared to local sales, and no matter how much you beg and plead, you cant beat physics. Latency will kill cloud gaming. EVERY. TIME.

 

[cvaldes]

We've been hearing that for over a decade now. Still hasnt happened, and as stadia shown, still isnt happening either. GeforceNOW is still a tiny drop in the bucket compared to local sales, and no matter how much you beg and plead, you cant beat physics. Latency will kill cloud gaming. EVERY. TIME.

Well, despite all the skepticism, big companies like Microsoft and Amazon believe that gaming is headed to the cloud. It's not if at this point, it's when, how, which ones. And remember that it's not just service providers, there are content creators (including top directors like Hideo Kojima) who are thinking of the next generation titles focused on cloud gaming.

No one expects all titles to go to the cloud overnight. It will happen gradually starting with titles that are turn-based strategy or card games not reflex-reliant FPS.

Remember that the vast majority of people who play games would be described as "casual" and mobile gaming makes more revenue than console and PC gaming. Input latency is less important with Minecraft than Valorant.

One thing consistent about these cloud gaming discussions is the preponderance of participants who only see gaming as fast action FPS titles. They ignore basically every other game that isn't this type despite the fact titles like Minecraft, Animal Crossing, Farmville, Candy Crush are some of the most popular games of all time.

 

[bonehead123]

Well, cloud gammin will either flourish, or it will die, as the recent crash & burn of Stadia has proven all too well.....

And the release of a few overpriced, circus-lite 'em up rainbow pukey poopoo chromebooks aint gonna change that equation by much either, at least not for a while yet...

You'da thought that with all of it's gazzilllions of $$, massive R&D resources, and global reach, googley of all companies should have been able to make it work, but now with them out of the way, perhaps several of those "other" gazzilllionaire companies will join forces & really start to push harder for it....

yea right

 

[cvaldes]

I'm not surprised that Google Stadia failed. Alphabet is not a gaming company, hell they can't even figure out social networking.

The writing was on the wall the moment Google closed their in-house game studio. Content is king and throwing all the money in the world at infrastructure isn't the way to succeed in the entertainment industry.

Microsoft has stated their belief that cloud streaming is part of gaming's future and in particular are looking at it as an eventual console replacement. Microsoft -- like others -- doesn't make a tidy profit on console hardware. It mostly breaks even over the life of the console. They make their big bucks from content sales (individual games and now Xbox Game Pass) as well as accessories (like Xbox gamepads).

Both Sony and Nintendo are also looking at cloud gaming.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Well, despite all the skepticism, big companies like Microsoft and Amazon believe that gaming is headed to the cloud. It's not if at this point, it's when, how, which ones. And remember that it's not just service providers, there are content creators (including top directors like Hideo Kojima) who are thinking of the next generation titles focused on cloud gaming.

No one expects all titles to go to the cloud overnight. It will happen gradually starting with titles that are turn-based strategy or card games not reflex-reliant FPS.

Remember that the vast majority of people who play games would be described as "casual" and mobile gaming makes more revenue than console and PC gaming. Input latency is less important with Minecraft than Valorant.

One thing consistent about these cloud gaming discussions is the preponderance of participants who only see gaming as fast action FPS titles. They ignore basically every other game that isn't this type despite the fact titles like Minecraft, Animal Crossing, Farmville, Candy Crush are some of the most popular games of all time.

Onlive, Playstation now, Stadia. Which generation of cloud gaming do you think first claimed to be the "future of gaming" and talk abound of how physical consoles were on their way out and how only the fast paced games would be rendered locally?

Trick question: they all did. nobody wants to play games with notable input lag and heavy subscriptions.

Well, cloud gammin will either flourish, or it will die, as the recent crash & burn of Stadia has proven all too well.....

And the release of a few overpriced, circus-lite 'em up rainbow pukey poopoo chromebooks aint gonna change that equation by much either, at least not for a while yet...

You'da thought that with all of it's gazzilllions of $$, massive R&D resources, and global reach, googley of all companies should have been able to make it work, but now with them out of the way, perhaps several of those "other" gazzilllionaire companies will join forces & really start to push harder for it....

yea right

I think the fact that stadia was often unplayable when running on Google's own Google Fiber service says a lot about the "future" of cloud gaming.

 

[ixi]

I like the design, sad that intel only at least by image.

Ehmm, gamers play witcher witch touch pad and ohe arm??? Acer just showed us that they have no idea what a gamer is -_-.

I'm not surprised that Google Stadia failed. Alphabet is not a gaming company, hell they can't even figure out social networking.

The writing was on the wall the moment Google closed their in-house game studio. Content is king and throwing all the money in the world at infrastructure isn't the way to succeed in the entertainment industry.

Microsoft has stated their belief that cloud streaming is part of gaming's future and in particular are looking at it as an eventual console replacement. Microsoft -- like others -- doesn't make a tidy profit on console hardware. It mostly breaks even over the life of the console. They make their big bucks from content sales (individual games and now Xbox Game Pass) as well as accessories (like Xbox gamepads).

Both Sony and Nintendo are also looking at cloud gaming.

Tried on NS cloud (stream) gaming, experience was not that great. Played RE5 and Control. Delay around 1sec. In my opinion that is too big for acceptable experience.


I do hope streaming aka cloud gaming will be forgotten fast...

 

[cvaldes]

Onlive, Playstation now, Stadia. Which generation of cloud gaming do you think first claimed to be the "future of gaming" and talk abound of how physical consoles were on their way out and how only the fast paced games would be rendered locally?

Trick question: they all did. nobody wants to play games with notable input lag and heavy subscriptions.

For sure being first to market is no guarantee of victory.

Input lag will get better.

As for the subscription model, it's gaining more adoption with each passing week. It starts with services like Xbox Game Pass. A feature like cloud streaming can be an add-on charge or something offered to premium members as one part of a bundled service after a "try free for one month" teaser.

No one believes that cloud gaming will arrive overnight and all PC/console gamers will junk their gear the following day. My guess is that it will be a ten year period for wider adoption and that it will be closely tied to content type, maybe targeting children games on mobile first.

Remember that the service operators who run cloud streaming gaming don't need to please everyone. They just need to please a sizable audience much of the time.

I think the fact that stadia was often unplayable when running on Google's own Google Fiber service says a lot about the "future" of cloud gaming.

That's too bad although I know nothing about Google Fiber performance since it isn't available in my area.

I have tried Stadia on a number of devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows PC, LG television) including Google's own hardware (Stadia controller + Chromecast). Was the experience wonderful enough for me to toss my Switch? No, most certainly not. Was it playable? Yes, I'd say so.

I'm no diehard gamer and there are lots of people who would use the same description. Sure I have a well-appointed gaming PC but it's actually quite new (pandemic era) and I don't actually spend many hours gaming.

 

[Gmr_Chick]

Ehmm, gamers play witcher witch touch pad and ohe arm??? Acer just showed us that they have no idea what a gamer is -_-.

LOL, I was hoping somebody else caught this! Like, Acer literally photoshopped in a screenshot, for fuck's sake I mean, the dude isn't even attempting to look like he's actually playing the game

 

[cvaldes]

LOL, I was hoping somebody else caught this! Like, Acer literally photoshopped in a screenshot, for fuck's sake I mean, the dude isn't even attempting to look like he's actually playing the game

They had to photoshop the screenshot in. The original image featured Google Stadia.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

Well, despite all the skepticism, big companies like Microsoft and Amazon believe that gaming is headed to the cloud. It's not if at this point, it's when, how, which ones. And remember that it's not just service providers, there are content creators (including top directors like Hideo Kojima) who are thinking of the next generation titles focused on cloud gaming.

No one expects all titles to go to the cloud overnight. It will happen gradually starting with titles that are turn-based strategy or card games not reflex-reliant FPS.

Remember that the vast majority of people who play games would be described as "casual" and mobile gaming makes more revenue than console and PC gaming. Input latency is less important with Minecraft than Valorant.

One thing consistent about these cloud gaming discussions is the preponderance of participants who only see gaming as fast action FPS titles. They ignore basically every other game that isn't this type despite the fact titles like Minecraft, Animal Crossing, Farmville, Candy Crush are some of the most popular games of all time.

Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Amazon, nvidia, intel. And yes most large devs are saying it's going to the cloud. The last hold out was Nintendo and then even they came out and said it's going to happen.

PC won't be the last holdouts. The PC platform will be the first. The last holdout is probably going to be Nintendo.

Everyone from the chip makers, the OS makers, the console makers, the publishers, the hardware OEMs, the developers are saying "it's all going to the cloud that's the future and the PC is going to lead the charge" and then there are a minority of PC gamers screaming "I don't like this, thus it won't happen" which is the same thing that happened with Steam when it came out. It took a while, but it took over and panned out. We don't get a vote in this, the companies do. You get to pick and choose which cloud service you want or just play old games!