Ok, so, I hear you Mr. or Ms. Potential Buyer: "Why would I want this when I can stream or emulate games on my phone?" or maybe you're saying "How is this better than another handheld like the Steam Deck or Android-based emulator consoles?"
So here's what it comes down to, in a nutshell: The Logitech G-Cloud is a lightweight device that specializes in cloud gaming and game streaming from your home console or PC, has a very nice 1080p screen, pre-mapped controls for most services, a comfortable grip, and incredible battery life. It also happens to be able to emulate anything up to PS1 pretty well, and can manage DC, Wii, GC, and DS pretty darn well, too.
Make no mistake, though: This thing is designed for cloud gaming, and it excels at it. Of course, your mileage may vary based on your WiFi connection and location in the world/US relative to the servers you're connecting to. If you're in Hawaii or Alaska, don't expect miracles. If you're in Gluberfrankenborg, Middle-of-Nowhere, again... You'll probably be disappointed. However, if you live near a major city in the continental United States, you'll be very happy with the performance.
What I will say is don't get this as an emulation device. Yes, it's fine. It works as well as some of the emulation consoles from 2019. But the dedicated emulation consoles have gotten better since then, and can handle up to PS2, Switch, and other more challenging consoles. If emulation is your primary interest, you'll just be happier with something else with a newer chipset.
However, if you're looking to play your Xbox Cloud games on the go, or stream games from your home console, this is the best choice. Yes, better than the Steam Deck. I have both, and while the Steam Deck can be finagled into working with Xbox Game Pass / Xbox Cloud, it's still a much-heavier device, it's still a roundabout path to get to those functions, and the battery life is still MUCH worse than the G-Cloud for the same features. The battery life and lightweight feel of the G-Cloud is just a better experience for Cloud gaming. The Steam Deck is great for playing games ON the device, from its own storage, but you don't need any of that with cloud gaming, so you're really just lugging around extra weight you're not using. And don't get me wrong: I love my Steam Deck, but when it comes to continuing a game on Xbox Game Pass, or streaming from my console, the G-Cloud is a much better experience and will last a lot longer on the road.
The screen is gorgeous. No, it's not OLED, but it's still vibrant and has well-balanced colors, blacks, and brightness. The controls are excellent. If you're used to the Xbox controller, you'll be used to this. Sound is very good, suitable for gaming or movies.
So really, the big boondoggle here is the price. Logitech was nuts to release at the price they did. So I'm going to put this delicately but honestly: If you can get this device for under 300 buckaroonies, it's worth it. Honestly, it should be priced closer to 250 dollarinos. If ALL you want and need is a really nice device to stream Game Pass games, I'd say 250 is a good price point where you won't feel ripped off, but you'll probably be feeling a bit sore about spending the original MSRP of 350. Shop around. Consider refurb or renewed.
Oh, and I promised to compare to a mobile phone with a game controller. So here it is: I have several nice game controllers for my phone, both the Bluetooth type, and the direct USB-C connections (Backbone, X-2 Pro, Razer, etc.) and while that does work in a pinch, the fact is that any time you use your phone to stream cloud gaming, you're draining battery and your phone's battery isn't as robust as the G-Cloud's. And I don't know about you, but I need my phone for other things, and don't like running the battery down on a gaming session. And if you're emulating, the phone battery is taxed even more. On top of all that, you're still carrying around something about the same size and weight as the G-Cloud, and then tying up your phone when for the same size and weight you could have a dedicated device that has the controller built-in and pre-mapped, not to mention having a big 1080p screen.
All in all, I consider it a good purchase if you're a Game Pass member. An OK purchase for streaming Steam games. I can't speak to PlayStation as I don't own one, but if you're into emulation it's no slouch, either. It does what they advertise it to do, and anyone dinging it for not doing things they don't advertise (i.e. everything except Cloud Gaming) is being unfair. Logitech sells this as a game streaming device (thus the name, G-CLOUD) and so I'm judging it primarily as that, and in that, it does a great job. Five Stars.
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