Competition fuels business – and is really good for the triple battle between Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Valve recently proved that with the Steam Deck, which offers PC gamers their own platform. Logitech’s G Cloud, on the other hand, focuses primarily on cloud gaming. Can this be a success?
Focused on gaming in the cloud
A portable video game console with full controller equipment and a long battery life? What initially sounds like direct competition with the Nintendo Switch and Valve Steam Deck turns out to be an interesting, but then controversial alternative.
The Logitech G Cloud is unique in the console landscape in that it consistently relies on cloud gaming services rather than compute the games on local hardware.
Xbox Cloud Gaming, Nvidia GeForce Now and Steam Link come preinstalled as a streaming trio. According to reports, Logitech has worked with the three providers to align the hardware and software so that the cloud-computed games run with the lowest latency and best image quality on the Logitech G Cloud. However, a stable and fast WiFi connection is required.
Since Android 11 including Google services is pre-installed, you can easily download additional apps from the Google Play Store – but the question is whether the most graphically rich games will run on the hardware.
Mid-range hardware in a stylish housing
Because a look at the datasheet reveals that Logitech’s console debut is below the competition from Nintendo and Valve in terms of hardware. The Snapdragon 720G processor model has been at work in mid-range mobile phones such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro since 2020. Enough for less demanding games or cloud gaming, where the calculation does not take place on the device itself. But with demanding Android blockbusters, the console is likely to reach its limits.
Same with the storage: with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of ROM, it should be quickly occupied and you should upgrade it with a micro SD card. At least you can.
The battery and screen are well proportioned: at 6,000 mAh, the battery is large enough to guarantee 12 hours of use per charge. The 7-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels can certainly compete with Switch and Steam Deck. It is a bit disappointing that the handheld only shines brightly at 450 nits and only displays moving images in 60 Hz. That would be much clearer and smoother.
The button and stick equipment is what you’d expect from a game console: there are two analog sticks, a directional pad, four action buttons on the front plus 4 shoulder buttons and a handful of buttons for volume and menu controls. With the stick layout and button labels, Logitech is based on Microsoft’s Xbox controller, the de facto industry standard.
Do Switch and Steam Deck have anything to worry about?
Logitech is asking $299.99 for the pre-ordered G Cloud and will later offer the handheld for $349.99. In addition, US prices include sales tax, which varies from state to state. It is not yet clear whether and if so, at what price Logitech G Cloud will come to Europe.
Logitech scores with the cloud, Nintendo in turn with its own gaming delicacies. The most prominent video game brands are at home on the Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite and the Switch OLED: Super Mario, Kirby, Pokémon or Zelda. They don’t run on the G Cloud; if you want to play this you need a switch.
Valve, in turn, lures with access to virtually the entire Steam library, offering PC gamers a cozy, portable console home. And should there be an ebb in the Steam account? Then, with just a few clicks, emulators can be installed that will bring decades of video game history to the screen, from the Atari 2600 to the Nintendo GameCube.
Logitech’s selling point is the three cloud gaming applications mentioned. Instead of a clunky Xbox or an energy-guzzling monster calculator, all you need is your handheld and a Wi-Fi connection to play classic and modern games. Logitech says.
Logitech must not hide the fact that the Xbox application requires a continuous Game Pass Ultimate subscription of 12.99 euros per month and purchases games on GeForce Now and Steam. Exceptions are free-to-play games like Fortnite or World of Tanks, which run at no extra cost. It is unlikely that G-Cloud buyers will get a preferential price or free games.
Who is Logitech G Cloud for?
Logitech G Cloud buyers rely completely on the cloud. The question will be whether they will get the best or the worst of three worlds here. In any case, the battery, controls and screen resolution are encouraging. Logitech saves customers money with the older mid-range processor. A powerful 8-generation Snapdragon would have made the device significantly more expensive.
What do you say to that? Is G Cloud interesting for you? Tell us in the comments!
The Logitech G Cloud will be released in the US on October 17, 2022. Pre-orders are $299.99 plus tax; regular buyers must pay $349.99 plus tax. A European launch has not been confirmed.