Playing Call of Duty: Warzone on a $149 Chromebook is still awesome

The other day, I hopped into a match of Call of Duty: Warzone just to hone my skills a bit, and to my surprise, I actually played quite well. I’ve been playing mobile games so much and rely so heavily on gyro aiming at this point that I’ve become largely useless when it comes to mouse/keyboard or controller movement. I want to get better, and GeForce NOW seems like the perfect way to do so.

As I was playing, I kept internally remarking just how good GeForce NOW has become, and out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the Lenovo Slim 3 Chromebook just sitting there on the table. While I didn’t pause my game to swap devices (I technically could have, I suppose), I did remember that little $149 Chromebook (on sale still) and wondered if using such an affordable device with the same game would be as good of an experience.

The Slim 3 is no ordinary $149 device

Before I talk about the actual gaming experience, however, I do need to note that the Slim 3 is not your ordinary, cheap Chromebook. The sale price is great right now, but its MSRP is only $319, so regardless, it is an affordable device. But the screen, speakers, and keyboard/trackpad would have you thinking otherwise.

The screen and speakers specifically made a big difference on this device in this scenario because they add such a depth to the gaming experience. The upward-facing sound is great for stereo separation and the 1080 IPS touchscreen is absolutely stunning to look at. Seriously, there are few Chromebook screens I enjoy more than this one, and playing games on it is just fantastic.

An unsurprisingly excellent experience

So with that hardware, loading up GeForce NOW is simply a delight. I plugged in a wireless mouse and I was off and running with Call of Duty: Warzone and while I didn’t have my best stuff today, I can confidently say that it had nothing to do with the hardware.

The graphics were crisp and sharp, the controls were tight, and overall I had just as much fun on this $149 Chromebook as I had on any of the Chromebook Plus models I’ve used. And I just wanted to quickly share that experience because it is important for a couple reasons.

First, I’m still shocked by how good the Slim 3 is to use on a normal basis. No, it isn’t the fastest device out there, but the epic battery life, stellar display, and solid keyboard/trackpad more than make up for that. And when it is $149, it simply doesn’t make any sense at all.

Second, I also want to continue to talk about how amazing GeForce NOW has become. If the games you want are there, I can’t recommend this service enough. For someone like me who isn’t going to spend the money to invest in a gaming rig or console, GeForce NOW is the perfect way for me to get back into gaming here and there with little to no wait time. Quick sessions ar a big reason I got into mobile games, and never having to wait hours for a big update is a huge win for GeForce NOW if you don’t have tons of time to play.

All told, I just want to make it abundantly clear that you simply don’t need the highest-end hardware to get some high-quality gaming in. Thanks to cloud gaming and ChromeOS’ fundamental cloud-based nature, the two are a perfect fit and make big games so much more accessible to those who may not play them otherwise. If you haven’t tried it out, I highly recommend it, and I also can’t say enough good things about the affordable, amazing Slim 3 Chromebook.