Cloud Gaming Handhelds Are on the Way, but Who Are They For?

Slowly but surely, cloud gaming has been working to create a place for itself in the last few years. Granted, it’s in a bit of an odd situation right now, with Google’s recent announcement that it will shut down its ambitious Stadia game-streaming service early next year. But while there are many reasons why Stadia failed, the concept and viability of cloud gaming was not one of them. As games become bigger and take up more space on your console or PC’s internal storage, the ability to launch and stream one of those blockbuster games instantly, on just about any screen with a WiFi connection, becomes more and more appealing. And even without Stadia,  Xbox’s Cloud Gaming, Sony’s PS Now, Nvidia’s GeForce Now, and Amazon’s Luna are all still standing and making strides forward, with tens of millions of registered users between them. 

There’s certainly a future for cloud gaming, which is why we’re seeing the first devices in a wave of dedicated cloud gaming-specific handhelds about to arrive. The first is Logitech’s  $349.99 G Cloud, which launches on October 18. The big question, though, is who exactly are they for? 

The G Cloud is an interesting device with a 7-inch screen and dimensions slightly larger than a Nintendo Switch, but it also feels a bit redundant: why do we need a dedicated piece of hardware that mostly just runs games off of cloud services (it can also play Android games locally) when one of the biggest selling points of that technology is that you can use your existing laptop, smart TV, tablet, or smartphone (perhaps with a controller add-on like the Backbone One) to play without buying a console for between $250 and $550?

“G CLOUD shifts the gaming landscape by putting the best of cloud gaming, including advanced graphics and libraries of blockbuster games, in players’ hands, freeing them to play what they want, where they want,” Derek Perez, the head of communications at Logitech told IGN. “If you are a cloud gaming subscriber or considering cloud gaming, and you want to be able to ‘retreat’ to your own space to play your favorite games for long periods of time, G Cloud gives you that relaxing, immersive experience,” Perez said. (It should be noted that the G Cloud requires a WiFi connection and does not have cellular 5G for playing elsewhere.)

Logitech claims a 12-hour battery life – impressive for any portable gaming device.

So even though smartphones seem like the most convenient way to use cloud gaming on the go, the counterargument is that you may not want to drain your phone battery playing games, especially if you do not have a charger or battery pack handy. Logitech claims a 12-hour battery life for the G Cloud, which does sound impressive for any portable gaming device – by comparison, the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck will only give you a couple of hours of life while playing intensive games. Logitech also says the G Cloud won’t get hot to the touch after a long session, which is something that can’t be said for the Steam Deck (despite its fan, which the G Cloud doesn’t have) or most phones. 

But even those arguments feel weak in the face of a $350 price for a single-purpose handheld (or even at its promotional $300 price) when smartphones can do everything the G Cloud can do and so much more – without having to carry both a phone and a separate handheld wherever you go. If draining your phone’s battery is an issue, purchasing a roughly $30 power bank is a much more economical option than a $350 handheld, and controller attachments like the Razer Kishi and the Backbone One (available for $100) offer a port that allows you to charge your phone while you’re playing. Granted, a phone with peripherals not as elegant as a sleek device built for this specific purpose, but it gets the same job done for a lot less money. That leaves only the G Cloud’s seven-inch 1080p screen as an advantage that your phone can’t be easily augmented to match.

I asked if Logitech views handhelds like the $399 Steam Deck as competition for the G Cloud. “At this moment, we don’t believe that there is a device that this compares with,” Perez told me. “Each device on the market today has their place in the market. This is an option for gamers who are cloud gaming subscribers or considering cloud gaming.” That may be true for now, though Razer recently teased that it is working on a dedicated cloud gaming handheld, with more information to be shared at RazerCon on October 8.

But to answer the question of who these devices are specifically for, it would seem that they’re meant to appeal to a particular (and likely small) group of people. It’s for those who want to play high-end games on a comfortable handheld for long periods of time without plugging in to charge but also don’t mind staying within range of fast WiFi. $350 might be a steep price, but if you want to go all-in on a cloud gaming future rather than buying a new $250-$550 Xbox or PlayStation console, then it might not be a bad investment. Still, that’s probably going to be a small slice of the pie chart of gamers out there in the near future, at least, and even someone who enjoys the benefits of cloud gaming doesn’t necessarily need a dedicated device for that purpose.

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Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.