Back in E369, when we roadtested Steam Deck, Gabe Newell expressed his belief that Valve’s device would not only fill a crucial gap but create a new market. Here was a handheld PC that seemed set to address the shortcomings of both Switch and iPad as portable gaming devices, offering greater technological horsepower than the former while avoiding the input limitations of the latter. Not only was Valve working on future iterations of the hardware, Newell told us, but he was inviting “other vendors in the PC space to take advantage of the work we’ve done” by developing their own.
Encouraging rivals to his company’s device might have seemed counterintuitive, but it made perfect business sense. After all, any growth in the PC ecosystem would lead to more potential customers for Steam. With Deck proving a success, despite the shortcomings of its launch SKUs, it’s no surprise that rivals took Newell’s advice to heart, perhaps seeing an opportunity for improvement in their own alternatives. Logitech’s G Cloud and Asus’s ROG Ally are the latest, and perhaps most prominent, challengers to the throne – though after spending a week or so with both devices, Valve’s hardware remains the one to beat.
G Cloud, in truth, seems to be aiming for a different audience from other Decklikes, as a device built for streaming only. In essence, it’s an Android tablet (with a seven-inch IPS multitouch screen, running at 1080p with a 60Hz refresh rate) inside a conventional game controller, with an intuitive mobile-style user interface to match. At a relatively svelte 463g, it’s just a little heavier than a Switch OLED (420g) and comfortable to hold, with rounded handles fitting neatly in the palms. Its bumpers and triggers are slightly larger than the Joy-Cons’, while its analogue sticks are convex rather than concave. All told, it’s not too dissimilar in feel to using a Switch equipped with Hori’s Split Pad Pro. If its screen doesn’t quite live up to that of Nintendo’s latest model, then its battery life is vastly superior – though the promised 12 hours is perhaps only accurate when using its more basic functions rather than, say, streaming the latest triple-A blockbuster.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/M5mpPv2VU1686824263367/1856892615.jpg]
For that particular purpose, we have multiple options on G Cloud: Steam Link and the beta version of Xbox Cloud Gaming are present and correct (and easily set up). Nvidia’s GeForce Now service, meanwhile, requires a membership to stream, with the free option only allowing you to play for one-hour sessions. It also allows you to link your Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games accounts, though in the latter case library sync is unsupported. Much as the snappy UI tries to convince you otherwise – sensibly, it only lets you run one app at a time – getting started isn’t quite as immediate as it might be. Which, for the kind of player you assume Logitech is targeting, is something of a problem.
More troubling is the spotty performance of these cloud services. Even using an Internet connection with a download speed more than five times the officially recommended 20Mbps, the games we test via Xbox Cloud Gaming are distinctly underwhelming. First up is Ghostwire: Tokyo, where a noticeable delay to inputs makes protagonist Akito seem slow on the uptake – during combat and traversal it feels more like we’re controlling an articulated lorry than a human. Forza Horizon 5 fares marginally better in terms of performance, with nimbler steering, but in both cases the image quality is fuzzy and indistinct.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/M5mpPv2VU1686824263367/2781611912.jpg]
GeForce Now produces superior results, but again they’re inconsistent. Gears 5 runs adequately, and proves more responsive to control, though the image suffers once more, to the point where any sense of spectacle – such a vital part of the new-gen console experience – is lost. Here, and in further tests, we’re reminded that many of these games were designed with a big screen in mind: the text in some (such as Ghostrunner) is borderline unreadable, while even when the image quality doesn’t feel significantly compromised, you need to squint to make out key details. Streaming from our Steam library via Steam Link offers the best experience of the three – and unlike NVidia’s alternative, you needn’t pay for the privilege – but it still doesn’t compare to playing on the host device.
Given that the majority of UK households won’t have faster Internet speeds than our test setup – and with no evidence that the present government is likely to consider putting the infrastructure in place to improve matters – on these shores at least, a dedicated cloud device of this nature feels like it’s catering to an audience that doesn’t exist. Not least since, at an RRP of £329, it’s comparable in cost to the cheapest Steam Deck SKU and the OLED Switch model. Is there really an audience for a tablet of average specifications that plays worse versions of videogames you can enjoy on similarly priced hardware? We have our doubts.
While G Cloud retails at around the same price as the base Steam Deck model, Asus’s ROG Ally outstrips the most expensive 512GB unit in specifications and price. £699 is an eye-watering figure for a handheld, and for that amount the initial impressions are underwhelming – not least with packaging that inexplicably offers no protection for Ally’s biggest asset, its seven-inch OLED screen. Beyond the coloured lights beneath the analogue sticks (positioned where you’ll find the touchpads on Steam Deck, which feels more comfortable for any game that uses both sticks), it doesn’t quite have the premium look or feel you’d expect for the price. The design and ergonomics of the device are adequate rather than excellent, while the sticks and buttons feel cheaper than those on the Xbox Series or PlayStation 5 controllers. Sound quality, too, is disappointing: there’s a noticeable crackle through the speakers when highfrequency sounds play during some of the games we test. A decent set of headphones is crucial, then.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/M5mpPv2VU1686824263367/6877618888.jpg]
If, like us, you find the Republic Of Gamers branding slightly naff, you may well wince at the name of the built-in app that serves as your one-stop shop for the various game platforms supported by Ally. Dubbed Armoury Crate, this is where you can access the games you already own on Xbox, Steam, Epic Games Store, EA, Ubisoft Connect an...
Encouraging rivals to his company’s device might have seemed counterintuitive, but it made perfect business sense. After all, any growth in the PC ecosystem would lead to more potential customers for Steam. With Deck proving a success, despite the shortcomings of its launch SKUs, it’s no surprise that rivals took Newell’s advice to heart, perhaps seeing an opportunity for improvement in their own alternatives. Logitech’s G Cloud and Asus’s ROG Ally are the latest, and perhaps most prominent, challengers to the throne – though after spending a week or so with both devices, Valve’s hardware remains the one to beat.
G Cloud, in truth, seems to be aiming for a different audience from other Decklikes, as a device built for streaming only. In essence, it’s an Android tablet (with a seven-inch IPS multitouch screen, running at 1080p with a 60Hz refresh rate) inside a conventional game controller, with an intuitive mobile-style user interface to match. At a relatively svelte 463g, it’s just a little heavier than a Switch OLED (420g) and comfortable to hold, with rounded handles fitting neatly in the palms. Its bumpers and triggers are slightly larger than the Joy-Cons’, while its analogue sticks are convex rather than concave. All told, it’s not too dissimilar in feel to using a Switch equipped with Hori’s Split Pad Pro. If its screen doesn’t quite live up to that of Nintendo’s latest model, then its battery life is vastly superior – though the promised 12 hours is perhaps only accurate when using its more basic functions rather than, say, streaming the latest triple-A blockbuster.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/M5mpPv2VU1686824263367/1856892615.jpg]
For that particular purpose, we have multiple options on G Cloud: Steam Link and the beta version of Xbox Cloud Gaming are present and correct (and easily set up). Nvidia’s GeForce Now service, meanwhile, requires a membership to stream, with the free option only allowing you to play for one-hour sessions. It also allows you to link your Ubisoft Connect and Epic Games accounts, though in the latter case library sync is unsupported. Much as the snappy UI tries to convince you otherwise – sensibly, it only lets you run one app at a time – getting started isn’t quite as immediate as it might be. Which, for the kind of player you assume Logitech is targeting, is something of a problem.
More troubling is the spotty performance of these cloud services. Even using an Internet connection with a download speed more than five times the officially recommended 20Mbps, the games we test via Xbox Cloud Gaming are distinctly underwhelming. First up is Ghostwire: Tokyo, where a noticeable delay to inputs makes protagonist Akito seem slow on the uptake – during combat and traversal it feels more like we’re controlling an articulated lorry than a human. Forza Horizon 5 fares marginally better in terms of performance, with nimbler steering, but in both cases the image quality is fuzzy and indistinct.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/M5mpPv2VU1686824263367/2781611912.jpg]
GeForce Now produces superior results, but again they’re inconsistent. Gears 5 runs adequately, and proves more responsive to control, though the image suffers once more, to the point where any sense of spectacle – such a vital part of the new-gen console experience – is lost. Here, and in further tests, we’re reminded that many of these games were designed with a big screen in mind: the text in some (such as Ghostrunner) is borderline unreadable, while even when the image quality doesn’t feel significantly compromised, you need to squint to make out key details. Streaming from our Steam library via Steam Link offers the best experience of the three – and unlike NVidia’s alternative, you needn’t pay for the privilege – but it still doesn’t compare to playing on the host device.
Given that the majority of UK households won’t have faster Internet speeds than our test setup – and with no evidence that the present government is likely to consider putting the infrastructure in place to improve matters – on these shores at least, a dedicated cloud device of this nature feels like it’s catering to an audience that doesn’t exist. Not least since, at an RRP of £329, it’s comparable in cost to the cheapest Steam Deck SKU and the OLED Switch model. Is there really an audience for a tablet of average specifications that plays worse versions of videogames you can enjoy on similarly priced hardware? We have our doubts.
While G Cloud retails at around the same price as the base Steam Deck model, Asus’s ROG Ally outstrips the most expensive 512GB unit in specifications and price. £699 is an eye-watering figure for a handheld, and for that amount the initial impressions are underwhelming – not least with packaging that inexplicably offers no protection for Ally’s biggest asset, its seven-inch OLED screen. Beyond the coloured lights beneath the analogue sticks (positioned where you’ll find the touchpads on Steam Deck, which feels more comfortable for any game that uses both sticks), it doesn’t quite have the premium look or feel you’d expect for the price. The design and ergonomics of the device are adequate rather than excellent, while the sticks and buttons feel cheaper than those on the Xbox Series or PlayStation 5 controllers. Sound quality, too, is disappointing: there’s a noticeable crackle through the speakers when highfrequency sounds play during some of the games we test. A decent set of headphones is crucial, then.
[https://cdn.magzter.com/1387349800/1686816559/articles/M5mpPv2VU1686824263367/6877618888.jpg]
If, like us, you find the Republic Of Gamers branding slightly naff, you may well wince at the name of the built-in app that serves as your one-stop shop for the various game platforms supported by Ally. Dubbed Armoury Crate, this is where you can access the games you already own on Xbox, Steam, Epic Games Store, EA, Ubisoft Connect an...
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Edge Uk (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2023