- Apr 21, 2016
- 3,439
Hello,
We launched Opera GX, the world’s first gaming browser, in June 2019 during the E-3 gaming convention in Los Angeles. Opera GX is a specially tuned version of the Opera browser, with new and unique features and design meant for people who love to play computer games.
Since the initial launch in June, we have updated Opera GX more than 9 times, each time introducing new features, updating the existing ones and fixing some issues – all based on your feedback. The browser has also been downloaded more than one million times.
Our browser is still in early access mode, which means we are still shaping it to suit your needs. Right now, we’ve added some exciting new features including a Network limiter, as well as a Game release calendar and many other tweaks.
Limit the network bandwidth used by your browser to speed up your gaming and streaming
Many of us like to stream music from YouTube or a Netflix film in our browser while playing a game and streaming the gameplay in parallel. This requires a lot of bandwidth and, sometimes, your browser might get needy and use too much of it. The Network limiter solves that issue by allowing you to set maximum limits on how much of your network’s bandwidth you would like to devote to your browser. Opera GX will stick to that limit, which means your game or streaming service outside of the browser will run more smoothly with the larger net bandwidth at its disposal. That’s just one example, but there are many more.
The network limiter comes in handy if:
- Your network is slow
- You want to play a game and download something in your browser at the same time
- You want to play, stream your gameplay and download files at the same time
- You have a large family who likes to be online. If you install Opera GX on their computers and switch on the network limiter, you’ll have more bandwidth left for your games
- You like to keep watching Twitch, Netflix or YouTube while playing a game
You can limit the network usage with one of the many predefined values. Bear in mind that you will be setting a value in KB/s or MB/s (kilo- and megabytes) and that there are 8 bits to every byte (network providers usually operate in bits).
How to switch on the network limiter
You can find the Network limiter in Opera GX in the GX Control panel, which additionally allows you to limit the amount of CPU and RAM used by your browser. Both the CPU and RAM limiters have been improved. They now give you even more detailed control over the limits you set.
The set of three limiters in the GX Control panel means you can be in full control of the way your browser uses your computer’s and network’s resources. That’s kind of great.
Take a look at our video from Gamescom 2019, where we presented the Network limiter for the first time or at this video to see Opera GX in action.
Opera GX lets you know about upcoming game releases
The release calendar informs you about newest game releases
Many of us don’t have enough time to look for news about upcoming game releases – we want to use our time to play games! That’s why we thought a Release Calendar curated by the Opera GX team might come in handy. From now on, you can go to GX Corner and Opera GX will simply tell you which major game releases to expect in the coming days and months. We are also now adding more information about games in their respective tiles in the GX Corner.
The game tiles in the Deals section of the GX Corner now include more information
Twitch improvements let you filter your followed channels list and see the games the streamers are playing
The Twitch integration just got better – it lets you adjust its appearance and filter followed channels
You either use Twitch or you don’t – there is no inbetween. If you do, you’ll find our updates useful.
Opera GX features a Twitch panel which lets you follow your favorite streamers directly from your browser and get notified whenever they start to stream. Since the initial version of our browser in June, we have introduced some major improvements to this feature. You can now filter the list of followed channels. Additionally, if you hover your mouse over one of your followed streamers, the browser will display the cover of the game they are currently playing.
You can now also go to the Twitch panel’s brand-new settings page, which lets you customize the appearance of this feature by picking the perfect layout and hover style, as well as choose whether or not you want to receive sound notifications from Twitch.
Better Razer Chroma support
Opera GX launched with Razer Chroma support. This means your beautiful Razer gear will turn to the color you set for your browser using the Color picker feature in your settings. We have improved this feature by making the transitions between colors smoother with our brand new fade effect. The gear will also adjust to the brightness level of your browser’s window. If you have a Razer keyboard, mouse or mousepad, just try it out – your gear will look great in low lighting.
If you go to your browser’s settings you will also notice that the wallpapers have been improved.
Rate Opera GX features using the feedback buttons
Feedback buttons are everywhere
We have placed Feedback buttons in many parts of the browser. They are a direct way for you to let us know how you like certain features. So don’t hesitate to click on them and tell us what you think by choosing a rating of 1 to 5 hearts and leaving a comment. So far, the ratings and reviews we’ve received from you have been overwhelmingly good – we are currently at an average of more than 4.5 hearts out of five. Thank you!
Design award and one million downloads
We are also very happy that we have recently reached one million downloads – this is, of course, great for an early access program, but we are just getting started!
Opera GX celebrates one million downloads and Red Dot award
We’ve also received some good news from Berlin: our browser has been awarded the Red Dot award for its great UI design. The Red Dot is a famous design prize awarded to the best products in their respective categories. We are very happy that the jury decided to recognize the world’s first gaming browser.
We will keep updating Opera GX in the near future and we’ll of course let you know about the updates, but if you’re curious to find out everything that has changed in the newest version of your browser, make sure to click on the Changelog tile on your browser’s speed dial. Whenever the new mark appears on the tile, it means we have added some improvements – check it out.
We hope you enjoy Opera GX – use it to the fullest!
