Logitech G Cloud Handheld: Peripherals have been one of my major criticisms of Xbox Cloud Gaming. Touch controls are adequate for some games, and mobile controllers such as the Razer Kishi and GameSir X2 families are adequate in some situations. However, gaming on your phone has a number of disadvantages, such as notifications interfering with gameplay, draining your battery, and touch controls obscuring UI elements. I’ve urged Microsoft to develop its own handheld, and this could be the next best thing.
The Logitech G Cloud is a cloud-based gaming device with hardware optimizations specifically designed to improve video streams from services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming with Xbox Game Pass, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and Steam Link. It does not support LTE for 4G or 5G connectivity and is primarily intended for WiFi in-home couch gaming via the cloud.
It has a Snapdragon 720 processor and 4GB of RAM, which is insufficient for running mobile games like Genshin Impact or Diablo Immortal. Nonetheless, with its improvements, it should provide an excellent experience for cloud gaming streaming services, complete with Xbox-style ABXY controls, triggers, bumpers, and analog joysticks.
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The Logitech G Cloud has a handheld gaming interface that is designed to populate with streaming services that you install, as well as the ability to take screenshots and clips. Indeed, this device is essentially a tablet running Android 11, with access to the full suite of Google Play services for downloading streaming services and apps. It supports multi-touch, Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX audio, and has a full HD screen with a 16:9 display ratio, making it ideal for modern console and PC games.
Logitech G Cloud Gaming handheld
You might be wondering why the Logitech G Cloud costs $349 when the Steam Deck runs games natively and costs $399. The main distinction here is the software subsidy. Because Steam takes a cut of every piece of software sold through its massive storefront, it can offer its hardware at a lower price.
Logitech’s G Cloud is entirely hardware, with Google handling all software sales via Google Play and NVIDIA and Xbox handling subscriptions via browser. It’s a vanilla Android tablet built entirely for cloud streaming and cloud gaming, running on Google’s vanilla Android platform.
Even though it appears to be a little pricey, costing more than an Xbox Series S itself, Logitech provides an open alternative right out of the box. It provides no software services via the platform. However, it should provide a more natural experience for the increasing number of streaming services.
Cloud games work well on mobile devices in a pinch, but even the largest phone screens struggle to accommodate the small fonts designed for television and monitor screens. This device appears to have the potential to provide a far more optimized “handheld” Xbox experience. It will have longer battery life than devices like the Steam Deck without draining your main phone’s battery.
It will be interesting to see how well it works in practice. It’s possible that the costs of Google Play licensing and other fees make this device prohibitively expensive for most people. The Logitech G Cloud, on the other hand, could be a promising solution for those who are hooked on the cutting edge of cloud services from Microsoft, NVIDIA, and others, and the offer of millions of Android tablet touch apps out of the box sweetens the deal a little, at least for me.
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Logitech G Cloud release date and price
The Logitech G Cloud will retail for $349, but retailers are already selling it for $299. It will be available in the United States and Canada on October 18, 2022.
According to Logitech, the plan is to eventually go global, launching in locations where Xbox Cloud Gaming and other streaming services are available.
The Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld is a WiFi-only Android gaming device with dedicated Xbox controls that is intended for streaming games through Xbox Cloud Gaming, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and Steam Link. It has multitouch and Google Play, essentially making it a low-cost Android tablet geared toward gaming.
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