Having a (comparatively) small machine that may play principally any huge sport on it’s a cool thought, and that’s what I like about Valve’s Steam Deck. However the Deck could be a bit cumbersome, and its battery simply doesn’t final typically. Plus it doesn’t work simply with Xbox Recreation Move. So the thought of a brand new, smaller handheld devoted to streaming Recreation Move and Xbox titles sounds nice! Nonetheless, at $300, it appears too costly in a world the place the Steam Deck and Swap OLED exist at across the similar value level.
Introduced in the present day by Microsoft and Logitech, the brand new G Cloud handheld gaming console is a small Android-powered machine constructed round streaming video video games. 10 years in the past this might have appeared like a bizarre thought. However in the present day, you may stream virtually each sport throughout most platforms with sufficient tinkering. The thought behind this new G Cloud machine is to chop out the tinkering and modding and supply gamers with a easy, quick, and light-weight option to stream all the nice video games on Recreation Move.
First, the positives. The brand new Android machine claims to have an prolonged battery life, most likely due to the actual fact it’s only streaming video games and never working them natively. It boasts a strong 1080p 7-inch touchscreen, built-in controls, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a button and stick structure just like an Xbox controller. I additionally actually just like the look of the machine. It’s a bit smaller than Steam Deck, which ought to be good for people who’ve smaller arms.
However right here’s the issue: The value. At the moment, you may pre-order the G Cloud at $300 which is fairly excessive contemplating that is principally a flowery Android cellphone with built-in controls, a much bigger battery, and no potential to make cellphone calls. It does have help for the Google Play Retailer, so presumably, cell video games and apps will work on it. And being primarily based on Android, it’ll principally be moddable from day one. However nonetheless, $300 for that appears excessive.
G/O Media might get a fee
$10 or extra
Humble Bundle – Starlight Bundle
Profit the Starlight Youngsters’s Basis
For $10 or extra, you may assist hospitalized children get entry to video video games—and get some candy video games for your self too, together with Lego Star Wars – The Full Saga.
And that’s only for now. As soon as it’s out on October 17, the value shoots as much as $350, aka the identical value as a brand new Swap OLED and solely $50 lower than a 64GB Steam Deck. Now, it’s true that the Swap can’t stream your entire Recreation Move library, however with some tinkering the Steam Deck truly can, whereas additionally enjoying (most) of your Steam video games.
After I first noticed the G Cloud on Twitter I used to be . A small machine devoted to Android apps and Xbox Recreation Move cloud streaming may very well be good to have. However just for like…$200. On the present value, I’d advocate of us purchase a brand new cellphone, an exterior controller for his or her present cellphone, or a Steam Deck as a substitute.