Today we have several options for those who have a personalized way to browse the internet. There are those who like minimalist browsers, super safe, ultra-customizable, or just those that give access to that more practical tool to work with. But I hadn't seen a browser focused on the gamer community yet.

Several services already focus on this demanding audience: from streaming sites to sales of electronic components specialized in their comfort. The good thing about this is that ordinary users end up taking advantage with the advancement of tools and parts for their own benefit.

Opera GX

Last week, I commented here on alternatives to Chrome, and was asked to take a look at Opera GX, which was not mentioned in that article. I installed the browser to test and see what it has to offer. At the time of completion of this article, there is no version for Linux.

Opera GX start screen: The game browser

This endeavor may seem strange, but Opera has always been known to be a pioneer. Namely, CSS was one of Opera's greatest achievements, being the first to bring styles to the web pages. Beside that, other things can be mentioned: tabs and the famous extensions. For those who look at this with disdain, keep this in mind: much of what we see in browsers today came first in Opera.

Compatibility

Opera GX, like the standard Opera, has the Chrome rendering engine. Unlike other browsers with the same technology, Opera has its own extension store, but it also offers support for installing other extensions. Other than that, nothing changes in the rendering experience.

Differentials

Theme

The first thing you see is the dark theme with colored lines referring to the ones present in gamer computers. These lines can have their colors changed at the customer's taste. There is also a collection of wallpapers to use as a background. If you have Razer peripherals with LEDs, there is an option to synchronize the colors of the lights with the Opera GX theme.

GX Corner

In the upper left corner, there is a fixed tab that leads to the GX Corner, which is an area that shows the latest news from the gamer world: launches, news and discounts.

Message apps panel

It already comes with a panel for quick access to messaging applications. Namely: Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Telegram and VKontakte (Russian site very similar to Facebook).

Twitch Panel

Twitch is a social network famous for gameplay lives. As the browser is aimed at this audience, no than providing quick and convenient access to the website.

Sounds

It's a simple addition, but Opera by default brings sounds to your interactions with the interface. These can be disabled if they are not convenient for you.

Limiters

When limiter is a feature

Funny that a limiter is a feature_, but yes, it is! Depending on your hardware or connection, it may be interesting to impose a limit so that the browser or games do not overuse its resources and make your experience unpleasant.

For me, this is probably the biggest difference, since we are used to seeing complaints of system performance after certain browsers are opened. Yes, Chrome, I'm talking about you.

So, can I use it?

Of course. But first, I need to tell you a few things. There is nothing wrong with the player-oriented browser alone, but with the company behind the program.

Long ago, the company was bought by a Chinese consortium¹, and since then, it has not been known what is done with the data received from Opera users.

In addition, there is a history of illegal business negotiations², which affects confidence in the services it provides. Nothing guarantees that your data will not be sold to the best payer.

Important warning

If you still want to use the program, use it. Just don't be tempted to use the "free VPN" they offer. This is just an obscure proxy, which does not deliver good browsing quality or privacy.

This goes for any version of Opera.

Final thoughts

I'm definitely not part of the browser's target audience. I like games, but the classic ones. _ "Heavy Machine Gun!"

It really caught my attention the possibility of limiting the resources that the browser uses on the machine. I'll keep an eye on this: who knows, maybe a browser will implement this in future versions? In the rest, I saw only a theme, shortcuts and amenities that are not for me.

In my opinion, if you want a more customizable experience, use Vivaldi: it was made by the founder of Opera and as far as I know, it doesn't have the same trust issues. If privacy is your focus, use Brave or Dissenter.

It is a pity that good software has a company with a tarnished reputation behind it.