I briefly played with Logitech’s new G Cloud Gaming Handheld

Yesterday, Logitech introduced its $349.99 G Cloud Gaming Handheld, which is popping out within the US on October seventeenth (till then, it’s $50 off to preorder). Right now, I received to briefly try it out. It was only a 10-minute demo, but it surely was lengthy sufficient for me to snap just a few pictures, launch some apps, and see the way it felt in my fingers. We’ll have a full overview within the coming weeks.

As I arrived on the testing station, Deathloop (freshly accessible on Xbox Sport Go) was streaming through Wi-Fi to the hand-held’s Xbox Cloud Gaming app. Sadly, it was the action-less intro sequence, however I nonetheless received to dash and soar round. Although it wasn’t a enjoyable killer, like all of my experiences with cloud sport streaming, there was only a whiff of enter lag that, not less than for me, is tough to disregard. On the plus facet, the G Cloud’s buttons, triggers, and analog stick structure really feel good. As for visible constancy, it’s robust to understand how a lot will be blamed on a congested Wi-Fi community, however the sport’s darkish environments regarded somewhat fuzzy on its seven-inch 1080p IPS panel.

That wasn’t the case after I switched to Fortnite through the Nvidia GeForce Now app. Exiting Xbox Sport Go and booting into a brand new app was satisfactorily speedy. My preliminary impression is that in case your baseline expectations for velocity in a handheld encompass simply the Nintendo Swap, I believe you’ll most likely be impressed with how responsive the efficiency and interface navigation really feel — maybe not a lot should you’re coming from a Steam Deck. At its greatest, Fortnite on the G Cloud Gaming Handheld appears higher and runs smoother than it does on the Swap (not a really excessive bar, I do know), although that relies upon solely on the capabilities of your Wi-Fi community. After all, since that is an Android-based handheld, it’s most likely attainable to get precise Fortnite loaded onto this factor and never fear about the entire cloud side. Although, I’m undecided how properly it’d run with its Snapdragon 720G and 4GB of RAM.

The remainder of my time with the G Cloud Gaming Handheld was spent getting misplaced in its Android launcher that Tencent apparently assisted with in improvement, which feels ripped out of the Android Honeycomb days (although the unit that I examined was operating Android 11). It’s straightforward sufficient to search out your entire apps, other than the gaming-focused ones that it places entrance and middle. While you’re taking a look at your full app library, you’ll be able to click on a face button that serves as a portal to the Google Play Retailer, the place you’ll be able to obtain virtually something, I’d think about. Aesthetically, the consumer interface is attempting for a gamer-y vibe that didn’t completely click on with me.

The G Cloud Handheld is comfy to carry. The built-in grips supply a great quantity of palm help, and the textured plastic round its again and on the triggers is a pleasant contact. By way of ergonomics alone, I’d positively want to lose just a few hours enjoying video games on this than on the Swap. On the underside, there’s a headphone jack subsequent to a USB-C port that’s used primarily for charging. It could possibly’t help pushing video out to exterior displays — I requested — although it’ll work with USB-C audio transmitters for headsets that supply that sort of factor. On the highest left of the hand-held’s rail, there’s a quantity rocker subsequent to a sleep swap (you’ll be able to energy it down via the software program, as properly). And eventually, there’s a microSD card slot over on the fitting facet, subsequent to the fitting shoulder buttons.

This handheld feels and appears properly designed, and it took no time in any respect for me to really feel like it is a gadget that I would like to spend so much extra time testing. Although, like most Logitech merchandise, polished because it feels, spending time with it didn’t change that I’m not a fan of its $349.99 retail value. It’s a must to be completely purchased in, not simply to this handheld however to the companies that you just need to play video games on. So, the associated fee solely goes up from there.

Wanting outdoors of this handheld, it’s actually tough to underplay how a lot worth a few of the different well-liked handheld consoles supply proper now, together with the $199 Swap Lite or the extra succesful $299 Swap that may connect with a TV. To not point out, the Steam Deck’s $399 beginning value is a tempting various if you wish to play PC video games on the go. Even so, Android tablets common into handhelds which are available for buy are simply unusual sufficient that the G Cloud Gaming Handheld might be a success. We’ll must see.