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Logitech G Cloud
$349.99
Pros
- Great Build Quality
- Impressive Battery Life
- Clean User Interface
Cons
- Slightly Overpriced
- Audio Quality
- Requires Strong Internet Connection
The time has come, handhelds are slowly however certainly transferring nearer and nearer to the ever restricted surroundings of cloud gaming.
I’ve reviewed gadgets that may play most of your retro video games for simply $60 such because the Miyoo Mini to finish powerhouses that may run AAA video games at excessive body charges for effectively over $1,000, such because the AYANEO Air.
This has given me an perception into the place the hand-held business is, and the place it’s heading and Logitech G are one of many first to dip their toes into cloud gaming handhelds, even once I suppose we’ll look again in years to come back and say “it’s a bit early for that isn’t it”.
So with out additional ado, right here is our full evaluate of the Logitech G Cloud.
How does it really feel & what’s the construct high quality like?
Straight out of the field you’ll be able to inform that an organization with a bit of cash has designed this. The field may be very effectively made and the packaging extremely easy, you’re given nothing however a handheld, a charging cable and a guide.
In the palms it’s simply as unimaginable and since it depends on the cloud it doesn’t must pack itself full with giant internals that makes it seem like King Kong’s large toe.
It’s a slim, ergonomic handheld with thick grips that provide you with management, and a slim center that makes it really feel modern in comparison with a few of it’s larger rivals just like the AYANEO Air which like to say their handheld is “thin”, however this right here actually is a skinny machine, on par with the Nintendo Switch, not together with the grips.
It’s not heavy both coming in at simply 463g making it lighter than your typical bottle of fizzy drink and when filled with a big 7” 1080p show it feels as in the event you’re not likely holding all of this tech, however once more, that’s one of many advantages of cloud gaming handhelds it could actually pack rather a lot into such a small machine.
The Logitech G Cloud handheld has a really rounded aesthetic, from the grips to the display screen edges to the buttons every thing is rounded to provide it that enjoyable, fashionable look that Logitech try to understand.
The entrance dealing with motion buttons are bouncy, and once more rounded which make them comfy to press.
The analogue sticks increase fairly excessive out of the shell, one thing I normally moan about with typical handhelds, however for apparent causes it is a machine that stays in your house, so there shall be no frequent snagging of the sticks whenever you put it in your bag or pull it out of your pockets… that’s in the event you actually need to put this into your pockets.
The D-PAD is nothing to shout about, due to its rounded nature and comfortable contact pads you get little or no suggestions when switching instructions, that means for all of you that love preventing video games, you’ll doubtless hate this D-PAD.
Logitech has added a pleasant array of additional buttons, from the G button which takes you immediately into app settings to the house button which brings you again into the customized made Android menu, each of those are apparent and might be simply pressed.
The begin and choose buttons are additionally very distinctive and have tiny bumps to them which is one thing I haven’t seen earlier than.
On prime you may have your stacked shoulder buttons, that are once more nothing to shout about sadly and that’s as a result of the R2 and L2 buttons are a little bit small, I discovered my fingers slipping off them rather a lot as a result of they don’t flare out sufficient, however that’s only a private desire.
Between them you’ll discover your on/off slider, quantity buttons and SD Card slot for including further storage for Android issues. Then lastly on the underside you’ll discover a USB-C port for charging and a headphone jack.
It’s a easy trying machine that has been effectively designed to provide it a enjoyable, youthful look with a little bit splash of color and a big display screen that pulls you into the cloud gaming expertise.
The display screen is a good dimension, coming in at 7 inches, something bigger and also you’ll be transferring past “portable” in my view.
It’s a 1080p show that may get very vivid, and exhibits a pleasant variation of saturated colors, however due to the streaming nature of this handheld you don’t actually push the display screen to its full potential, particularly in the event you don’t have a robust web connection to tug within the nice high quality graphics that you’d usually get when taking part in domestically or with a stable GPU.
However that stated the menus, Android purposes and emulation does look nice on this factor and in all honesty a 1080p decision is all you want on one thing of this dimension.
Operating System & User Experience
Now let me take you thru the person interface of the G Cloud handheld, as soon as you’re arrange you can be greeted with this clear, open menu designed particularly for this handheld, it’s technically working on Android 11 however more often than not it doesn’t really feel prefer it.
Logitech has designed the UI so effectively that it appears like a very new working system, simply with the identical capabilities of downloading Android purposes.
These Apps drop into your own home web page and might be simply organised and will even attraction to avid gamers who’ve by no means used Android earlier than, it’s that straightforward.
The OS makes it straightforward to leap into cloud gaming by way of the purposes, I discovered myself primarily utilizing this machine with Xbox Cloud Gaming, retro gaming emulators and the odd Android recreation.
Again, as a result of it makes use of Android it opens up the likelihood to make use of this gaming machine for extra than simply gaming. Perhaps you need to watch YouTube movies, learn emails, or browse the net you’ll be able to, due to the touchscreen.
Battery Life
One of probably the most stunning options of the Logitech G Cloud is the battery life, it blew me away. Inside it incorporates a 6000MAH battery, capable of energy the machine for nearly a complete day.
Through my rigorous testing I used to be capable of get near 9 hours of gameplay out of a single charger, with the settings being at 100% battery and 80% quantity.
I pushed nearer to 12 once I capped the hand-held at 50% battery life. This type of longevity out of a handheld of this dimension that may do what it does is severely spectacular.
It’s that sort of handheld that you just hold downstairs on the desk, and hold selecting at it for days with out it want a cost.
Gaming efficiency
Android video games labored fairly effectively on this factor, and that’s due to the Snapdragon 720 processor, for instance giant video games like Diablo Immortal labored flawlessly at 30fps on excessive settings, and mixed with the massive display screen it made the gaming expertise much more comfy than a typical smartphone or pill.
But some video games like Call of Duty Mobile simply gained’t join with the built-in controls, and it forces you to play with on-screen controls which isn’t Logitech’s subject it comes right down to the builders of the app, so do double verify what Android video games you’re desirous to play on and in the event that they work with onboard controls earlier than snagging one.
But that’s not what you purchase this for, the Logitech G Cloud is for people who need to stream their gaming assortment effortlessly whereas they’re on the couch, at a pal’s home and even within the backyard and that it does rather well.
I spent hours taking part in by way of my Xbox assortment inside seconds of getting it out the field, there’s no downloading the sport, putting in updates or syncing your accounts, with one press you’re taking part in the sport with out hesitation and that’s the place the magic is with cloud gaming, it’s very straightforward.
Obviously, it comes with its advantages and its disadvantages with regard to possession and efficiency. I might make an entire separate video on why cloud gaming isn’t for everybody however if you’re right here, I’m presuming you already know that, so I need to hold this video all in regards to the product.
When testing the gaming expertise all through the Xbox app, it was fairly actually flawless, video games loaded quick, they performed effectively with little or no connectivity points and although the graphics didn’t blow me away it was nonetheless a pleasing and silky clean expertise that stunned me.
At occasions I did discover some latency points, however that was resolved the nearer I acquired to my router, so this cements that you just do want a quick web connection to get a very good expertise out of all these gadgets.
I’m truly dissatisfied that Logitech didn’t use Wifi 6 contained in the Logitech G Cloud, as an alternative they’ve used Wifi 5, not that it makes a significant distinction however they may have achieved higher right here.
Typically with different handheld PC’s I’ve reviewed, the setup course of takes hours, however this fairly actually took minutes, if not seconds from urgent the on button and as a reviewer of handhelds I do know this may entice many common customers and avid gamers that don’t need to cope with the headache of organising their machine.
Not everybody desires to tinker with the settings, to attend hours downloading video games on a median web connection, and to spend a colossal amount of cash investing in a video games assortment.
This meets avid gamers within the center so to talk. Yes the preliminary $349 price ticket is dear in comparison with others in the marketplace, however for a small month-to-month payment you do get entry to an unimaginable assortment of video games within the cloud and as a lot as I’m personally a gamer who desires to maintain every thing “local” this expertise by way of Xbox Cloud and Steam Link has impressed me.
For these desirous to do extra native gaming on the hand-held, Android does assist you to set up a few of your favorite emulators, so I’ve been placing this factor to the check and attempting to see what does and doesn’t work on right here because of the inner specs.
Logitech G Cloud Emulation
Your typical 8bit and 16bit video games will run extremely effectively on the Logitech G Cloud, so I’m simply going to leap straight to the juicy stuff.
Firstly I went in and examined one of many finest PSP video games, God Of War, which is likely one of the hardest video games to emulate on the console. I used to be blissful to see that it ran very effectively, with the flexibility to scale as much as 2x decision with no high quality sacrifice. It was additionally good utilizing your entire display screen real-estate too.
I then tried Dreamcast, one thing that handhelds half the value can emulate however I needed to begin someplace, and after taking part in round with Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure once more I used to be glad to see that it ran very effectively, with straightforward to arrange controls and 0 hiccups.
Next up is Nintendo Wii, and one characteristic which stunned me was the truth that not solely did it run effectively utilizing Dolphin it routinely knew that the machine had tilt features, so once I was in recreation it required me to “shake or tilt the Wiimote”, i merely used the G Cloud to emulate these motions and it labored!
I then moved to Playstation 2 and loaded up one of many largest video games doable, GTA San Andreas. Typically I’ve to tinker with settings to get this recreation working effectively, however to my shock it ran effectively on the primary boot with no body charge points nor audio glitches.
Then lastly, the restrict for this machine was Gamecube, which you wouldn’t suppose as a result of it ran PS2 effectively, however hey, you’ll be able to’t win all of them.
Gamecube ran very poorly, even after tinkering with the settings for a few hours. Yes, you will get some video games working effectively, however giant video games like Simpsons Hit & Run was its restrict.
For $349 I used to be truthfully anticipating Gamecube emulation, however on the similar time I used to be then stunned on the PS2 efficiency, past PS2 emulation even PC’s battle with so it’s good to know that this could run most retro video games, however I believe you must see it as a bonus whenever you purchase this machine.
This is a handheld geared toward people who need to take full benefit of Xbox Cloud Gaming, Steam Link and Android video games. It’s all wrapped up in a pleasant, straightforward to make use of, semi-powerful handheld that may be given to all kinds of avid gamers.
Overall Opinion
But, the place I’m confused probably the most is the place it’s positioned out there. This machine right here is sort of actually competing with every thing. It has no actual distinctive promoting level. It competes with Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck, handheld emulators, Android smartphones, tablets and different handheld PC’s.
And as a result of it’s priced at $349 there’s different extra {powerful} selections just like the Steam Deck for simply $50 extra. If you need a handheld emulator that may play PS2 video games, the AYN Odin is over $100 cheaper.
If you need an Android gaming machine or to make the most of Xbox Cloud gaming, it’s doubtless you’ll be able to simply purchase a brand new controller to your cellphone for beneath $100.
It’s a stable machine don’t get me unsuitable, I’ve had a blast with it, and the construct high quality is great however I really feel like many don’t need to splash out on a purely cloud gaming machine once they can check the marketplace for far cheaper or go all out on a steam deck for $50 extra.
This must be $200 to essentially achieve a quick paced market that’s changing into very over-saturated with alternative, particularly in a time when everyone seems to be low on money due to the economic system.
I’ve respect for Logitech for giving it a go, it’s doubtless I’ll proceed utilizing this to play my Xbox video games and huge Android video games on my couch, however at this second in time the competitors is the largest menace to this handheld even when I do suppose cloud gaming handhelds will slowly however certainly take up loads of the market over the approaching years.
A 29 12 months previous fella that’s had a Gameboy habit ever since he was a toddler. Brandon is the founding father of RetroDodo and created a YouTube channel with 240,000 subscribers devoted to retro gaming merchandise. He now desires to create the No.1 website to showcase the newest retro merchandise from across the globe.
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