Opera GX is an offshoot of the brand’s regular browser that adds in performance turning controls, which should be somewhat familiar to PC gamers. By popping open the sidebar, users can access GX control and limit how much memory and the CPU usage their system is allocating to the web browser. As we all know browsers like Chrome—if left unchecked—will devour every last gigabyte of memory you have in your system.
Of course, limiting the amount of RAM available to Opera GX will have some adverse effects like slower page loads and limiting the amount webpages you’re able to store to cache.
Another feature of this Opera GX sidebar is Twitch integration, which allows users to see whether all their favorite streamers are currently going live or not. And just like the regular Opera browser, users can pop out a Twitch or YouTube video into its own picture-and-picture window to keep watching even while playing a game in fullscreen.
Opera GX also features a curated page of information for gamers called GX Corner. At the top of the page is a row of upcoming titles followed shortly by another row of games currently on sale or are available for free. Lastly, GX Corner also aggregates daily news on games, entertainment, and technology.
Opera GX includes the flashier features built into the regular Opera, too, including a free VPN service, an ad blocker, and pop-out panels with access to chat services like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.
Opera has made a habit of releasing multiple versions of its browser to experiment with new features, stir up buzz, and potentially gain more users. Most of those don’t go far, but they do help Opera improve its core browser. Chrome still vastly dominates the market, but releases like this get Opera’s name back in the news and can help to drum up interest.
