The success of Valve’s Steam Deck has led other companies to chase similar formulas. And the latest one to try its luck with gaming handhelds is Logitech — except this one might not be the Steam Deck killer you’ve been awaiting.
Logitech’s G division announced a handful of devices today, including the Logitech G CLOUD gaming handheld. The name of the device itself should let you in on what’s its main focus. The device itself features a 7-inch 1080p 16:9 display with a 60Hz aspect ratio, as well as analog thumbsticks, a D-pad, four action buttons, as well as triggers. As far as actual internal specifications go, though, this device isn’t carrying anything that’s particularly exciting.
Rather than carrying internals that can actually run PC games, like the Steam Deck, the Logitech G CLOUD goes by with a Snapdragon 720G, a processor that’s often used on mid-range to entry-level Android smartphones. Even less exciting are the 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM or the 64GB of internal storage. You can play some Android games here, and you have the Google Play Store to do so, but it won’t be a great experience in a lot of those games. And frankly, Logitech wants you to buy this for a different purpose: cloud gaming.
Logitech partnered with NVIDIA and Microsoft to add GeForce Now and Xbox Cloud Gaming access to this device, so if you use any of those two cloud gaming services, you’ll be able to play your favorite games on your new Logitech G CLOUD. The cloud-first proposition makes it a bit of a tough sell, given that it costs $350, while the Steam Deck, being much more capable, costs $400. Logitech lets you pre-order it for a limited time for $300, but even then, it’s costing the same as the Nintendo Switch.
Logitech also made other announcements today. The PRO Racing Wheel and Racing Pedals are designed for getting the most juice out of racing games, with a direct drive motor with up to 11 Nm of torque. The Astro A30 headphones have 40mm drivers and over 27 hours of battery life, making them one of the best gaming headphones you can get. And if you’d rather not go over-ear, Logitech also has the G FITS true wireless earbuds, carrying 7 hours of battery life with LIGHTSPEED connectivity and 10 hours on a regular Bluetooth connection.
The wheel and pedals will cost $1,000 and $350 respectively, or $1,350 for the full kit. Meanwhile, both the G FITS earbuds and the Astro A30 headphones will cost $230. The wheel and pedals will become available this month, while the headphones, earbuds, and the G CLOUD handheld console will launch in October.
