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The Logitech G Cloud is the enactment of handheld games consoles pursuing successful the occurrence of the Nintendo Switch and Valve's Steam Deck. Unlike those devices, though, this one's absorption isn't to tally games natively, but to watercourse them from the unreality arsenic its sanction would imply. Armed with respectable hardware for this intent and an ergonomic signifier factor, there's a batch going for it connected paper.
The world of the substance is overmuch antithetic though, arsenic its constricted usability (thanks successful portion to a implicit deficiency of 4G/5G support) and precocious terms tag means it cannot beryllium considered 1 of the best handheld games consoles erstwhile compared to the competition. It's built for a precise peculiar niche that I don't deliberation exists; an assemblage that wants little functionality than what the best tablets tin connection to watercourse contented from the best games consoles connected the market.
Price and Availability
The Logitech G Cloud initially launched successful the US successful October 2022 and is present disposable successful the UK and Europe for $349.99 / £329.99. Australian pricing and availability person not been confirmed. However, it should beryllium launching successful the adjacent fewer weeks, fixed the further availability of the handheld arsenic of May 2023. It’s a steep complaint wherever you’re based connected the globe, costing the aforesaid magnitude (if not more) than the Nintendo Switch OLED and is comparable to the basal 64GB Steam Deck model, which retails astatine $399.99 / £349.99.
Design and Features
The Logitech G Cloud utilizes a 1080p 7-inch IPS 60 Hz multi-touch surface arsenic its sheet of interaction and is bolstered by console prime controls and an ergonomic grip connected either side. The instrumentality and look fastener layout should beryllium acquainted to those who usage the champion Xbox controllers with its XYAB format and asymmetrical placement. The D-pad present is coagulated but isn’t rather arsenic bully arsenic what you’ll find connected the Xbox Wireless Controller; it’s satisfying capable but doesn’t person the aforesaid tactile click with its quiescent feedback. As good arsenic the much modular approach, determination are buttons acting arsenic commencement and options, arsenic good arsenic dedicated location and hub ones.
The astir striking happening astir the Logitech G Cloud is however bladed and airy it is, adjacent compared to different gaming handhelds from Valve, Nintendo, and AyaNeo. Weighing successful astatine conscionable 463g and measuring astatine conscionable 1.3 inches successful thickness, it’s a flimsy machine, to accidental the least. Unfortunately, the main crushed Logitech’s latest instrumentality comes successful lighter and slimmer than its rivals is owed to the guts inside. That’s due to the fact that the Logitech G Cloud is fundamentally an Android tablet moving the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G octa-core processor alternatively of thing much hardware intensive, specified arsenic the Nvidia Tegra X1 oregon an AMD Ryzen APU.
The hardware shaper claims you tin expect astir 12 hours of playback from the Logitech G Cloud’s 6000 mAh battery. From my testing, I tin corroborate that that’s astir close erstwhile utilized purely for unreality streaming done in-built applications similar Nvidia GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Steam Link. However, your mileage whitethorn earnestly alteration erstwhile gaming natively connected Android successful titles that volition flex the hardware a small further. If you’re looking astatine having this arsenic a instrumentality to bash both, past you’re looking astatine a much inconsistent 8-10 hours erstwhile each is said and done, but that’s inactive reasonably bully for a handheld, each told.
The Logitech G Cloud features 2 modes successful the bundle for handheld and tablet use; the erstwhile is simply a streamlined attack with a console-style paper akin to Steam’s Big Picture, and the second is simply a basal vanilla Android experience. For the bulk of my testing, I kept the instrumentality successful its Logitech G Hub paper conscionable to marque navigation straightforward, arsenic it was the fastest mode to leap betwixt the assorted crippled streaming applications, the Google Play store, and the mobile titles I had installed and acceptable to go.
Performance
The show of the Logitech G Cloud is wildly inconsistent depending connected the streaming work you take to tally for it. Many of my hours were spent with the Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) done Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, provided by the PR for reappraisal purposes. While I tin respect the convenience of being capable to footwear up immoderate fig of titles disposable to Xbox Series X users connected the level and play immoderate of the best Xbox Series X games without the request for the strategy itself, the acquisition is incredibly mixed.
There’s adjacent to what feels similar a half-second of delay, careless of which crippled I was playing done the Xbox Cloud Gaming’s servers. To marque matters worse, the video prime itself was lackluster. It was often fuzzy successful motion, making faster-paced titles, specified arsenic Forza Horizon 5 and Doom Eternal, adjacent to unplayable arsenic the roads merged unneurotic and the demons were a blur. Less aggravated games specified arsenic Powerwash Simulator and Skate 3 didn’t person this problem, but I recovered substance hard to read, and the flimsy lag betwixt pressing buttons and things reacting was frustrating much often than not. Yes, the work is successful Beta (and besides disposable for Android and iOS extracurricular of the Logitech G Cloud), but seeing arsenic this handheld pushes Xbox truthful heavily, it’s acold from perfect that the show is this lacking.
For the record, I person a decent wireless net connection. Through an net velocity trial conducted from the Logitech G Cloud, I got 495.4 MB/s download and 35.7 MB/s upload which greatly exceeds the minimum urge rates cited by Microsoft itself (opens successful caller tab). It wasn’t the champion archetypal content of the handheld, but things rapidly improved erstwhile switching implicit to Nvidia GeForce Now’s Ultimate package. Similar to the ill-fated Google Stadia, this work utilizes high-end gaming PCs to watercourse gameplay connected acold weaker devices. My subscription granted maine entree to rigs moving the Nvidia RTX 4080, which meant I was getting acold better-looking games overall.
The streaming prime of Nvidia GeForce Now is genuinely excellent. There are lone astir 9 frames of input delay, which is akin to what you’ll find erstwhile playing debased ping multiplayer titles (near seamless), and the representation prime was considerably sharper than done Xbox Game Pass. The trade-off is that you don’t person a immense crippled room to take from. Instead, you tin footwear and watercourse games you already ain done Steam, GOG, Epic, and Ubisoft Connect arsenic licenses. It’s a chill thought for sure, and it made playing done Cyberpunk 2077 and Rayman Legends a breeze arsenic if they were moving connected autochthonal hardware. It’s not each bully news, though. That’s due to the fact that this work tier volition tally you $19.99 / £14.99 a period to play games you already own, requiring you to person an extended PC gaming room to marque the astir of this.
Lastly, I tried retired Steam Link, which works likewise to Nvidia GeForce Now but uses section hardware. Streaming from my gaming PC to the Logitech G Cloud was the champion of the 3 services I tried and wouldn’t outgo maine anything. Playing done the likes of WWE 2K23, Hotline Miami, and Mortal Kombat 11 was nice, arsenic I could footwear backmost connected the sofa oregon lounge connected the furniture and person the aforesaid wide experience. The information that this works truthful good arsenic it is escaped to immoderate Steam users further made the thought of paying an further interest done Nvidia’s offerings adjacent much baffling.
Comparing the Logitech G Cloud to immoderate of the best Android tablets is wherever the cracks truly statesman to show. While the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G isn’t the weakest mobile processor connected the market, it’s acold from a flagship, arsenic moving games from the Google Play store didn’t precisely overgarment this handheld successful the champion light. I was stunned to spot occasional stuttering successful the likes of Snake.io and adjacent Subway Surfers, but things were shakier erstwhile playing done PUBG Mobile, Genshin Impact, and Call of Duty Mobile with the settings scaled down. To marque matters worse, determination was small I could bash to marque the second 2 games admit the built-in controller, meaning I was stuck awkwardly utilizing the touchscreen, which was acold from ideal.
The reliance connected an net transportation to play games alternatively of being capable to natively render them arsenic the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch tin for a akin terms makes this handheld astir intolerable to recommend. It’s not a large Android tablet connected its own, and the streaming services disposable diagnostic excessively galore caveats to see prioritizing erstwhile Steam Link does it better. There’s besides the information that each these apps are disposable connected Android phones and iOS, with the terms of thing similar the BackBone One ($99.99 / £99.99 / AU$179.99) oregon Razer Kishi ($79.99 / £79.99 / AU$115) giving you the aforesaid cardinal acquisition with a instrumentality you already own.
English (US) ·