Failing to discover its appearance, which had already been the subject of a leak a few weeks ago, we at least learned its name – and even had the opportunity to take it in hand. It is therefore under the name Logitech G Cloud that we now know the portable game console designed specifically for cloud gaming applications by the Swiss manufacturer Logitech in partnership with Tencent.
The machine, which runs Android, is thus equipped with a relatively modest Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor, which one would quickly judge a little anemic if it were intended to run games “locally”. However, it is more than enough for the low-latency video decoding demanded by streaming gaming. In return, the machine can choose entirely passive cooling – that is to say without a fan, and therefore without noise – all in a fairly thin and light chassis: its 465 g are roughly equivalent to a Nintendo Switch Oled. The manufacturer also announces a very generous autonomy of 12 hours in typical use.
Simplicity over performance
On the screen side, the machine has a 1080p LCD touch panel, refreshing at 60 Hz. One might wonder why the choice fell on these relatively banal specifications, ignoring an Oled screen by example, or even a 120Hz display that could have leveraged 120fps support on Nvidia GeForce Now’s RTX 3080 formula. However, the manufacturer lets us know that it has made the deliberate choice to focus on the practical aspects of streaming gaming, rather than performance, in order to offer a machine that is as light and affordable as possible.
It is this same reasoning that also led to the choice of network connectivity being limited to wifi 802.11ac (with MIMO 2×2), without 4G or 5G, and therefore limiting the device to domestic use. On the other hand, we note the Bluetooth 5.1 compatibility with support for the aptX Adaptiv audio codec, to minimize latency with headphones and earphones that are also compatible.
The console’s Android operating system is topped with a modified interface, obviously to speed up access to the various cloud gaming services as much as possible. The machine also comes with the Steam Link, Nvidia GeForce Now, Xbox Console Streaming and Xbox Game Pass apps pre-installed. Logitech says it has worked with the publishers of all these services to ensure seamless integration with console commands.
An interesting concept, but a very limited launch for now
A very quick first grip of the Logitech G Cloud rather convinced us with regard to the comfort of grip, even though its manufacture does not exude great luxury. On the other hand, we have doubts about the quality of its screen, whose frankly dull colors were reminiscent of a certain Steam Deck. The very concept of the machine remains intriguing anyway, insofar as it opens the door to the use of mobile cloud gaming which would have the immense advantage of not sucking up the autonomy of a mobile phone.
However, Logitech admits that it is not itself entirely convinced that this proposal will find much support on the consumer side, which is why it is only planning an extremely limited launch for the moment. The console will be launched from October only in the United States and Canada, in limited quantities. It’s available now for pre-order in those countries for US$299, and will increase to $349 once it becomes available. Logitech will then decide in 2023, in the light of the results of this trial balloon, what follow-up it will give to the experience.