Steam Deck vs Logitech G Cloud: Which handheld should you buy?

Looking for a handheld gaming system this year? There are some new options this year. You might have heard about the popular Steam Deck and the Logitech G Cloud. Even though both of these portable devices are designed for you to hold in your hands and enjoy games away from your console or PC, there's a lot that's different about them.

Just on the surface, the G Cloud is meant for cloud gaming, while the Steam Deck is an actual PC in a handheld form factor. But if you go even further down, there are more differences between these devices than similarities.

Steam Deck vs Logitech G Cloud: Pricing and availability

If you want to buy either of these devices, the Logitech G Cloud has the best availability. You can find it right now at Amazon and through Logitech's website for $350 and get it within 1-2 days in most parts of the U.S. The Steam Deck is a more complicated device to buy. You need to sign in with a Steam account to buy one, and you can only order it through Steam itself. Once ordered, it should arrive in 1-2 weeks.

Note that the G Cloud also only comes in one configuration, but the Steam Deck has three versions. The base $400 model has 64GB of eMMC storage, while a $529 version has faster 256GB NVMe storage, and an even more expensive version has 512GB of NVMe storage. All models have the same CPU, GPU, and 16GB of RAM.

Steam Deck vs Logitech G Cloud: Specs

Design: Both are handhelds, but the G Cloud is lighter and somewhat smaller

The designs of the Steam Deck and Logitech G Cloud are the same in concept. You can play your games in a mobile, comfortable handheld form factor. One version, however, is more portable.

Based on specs, the Logitech G Cloud is a more portable system. It's lighter and more compact than the Steam Deck. It comes in at 10.11 inches x 4.61 inches x 1.30 inches and 1.02 pounds. The Steam Deck is slightly heavier and bigger at 11.73 inches x 4.61 x 1.93 inches and 1.47 pounds. This might not seem like a huge difference, but for longer gaming sessions, you want something more comfortable and lighter, and we think the G Cloud will be comfier.

Display: The G Cloud has a better screen

The Logitech G Cloud, by far, has a better display than the Valve Steam Deck. It's easy to see on paper when you look at the specs, and something you'll notice with gameplay. While both devices have relatively thick bezels around the screen, the G Cloud has a higher resolution display and a better aspect ratio for gaming.

Specifically, the G Cloud has a 7-inch 1920 x 1080 (1080p) resolution IPS LCD screen tuned to the 16:9 aspect ratio. That's a crisp resolution, similar to what you'd get on a cheap external monitor or TV. The Steam Deck has a 7-inch 1280 x 800 resolution IPS LCD panel tuned to the 16:10 aspect ratio. (Note that the Steam Deck has an odd resolution, but it's closest to 720p.) The 16:9 aspect ratio is better for gaming and multimedia since content won't be letterboxed. Plus, even on a small screen, the 1080p vs. 720p disparity will make all the difference.

Operating system & performance: A computer vs a cloud gaming machine

You'll see the biggest differences between the G Cloud and the Steam Deck in their software. The Steam Deck is a mobile computer powered by the Linux-based SteamOS. You can plug it into a dock or display, use a desktop operating system to download more apps, browse the web, and even enjoy productivity tasks.

The G Cloud is an Android-based tablet, with a custom interface and launcher developed by Tencent (though there's also a dedicated tablet mode that'll give you raw Android). It can't plug into a display, and it doesn't have a desktop interface. You can download any Android app you want, but have to use it similarly to how you use an Android phone. Unlike the Steam Deck, which can support offline gameplay sessions, this is a cloud gaming device designed for enjoying Nvidia GeForce Now or Xbox Cloud Gaming. This is the main reason why at the announcement, many people thought the $350 price wasn't worth it; you can buy a cheap Android phone with a controller grip and use cloud gaming for a fraction of the cost.

Both systems are also friendly towards emulation and playing classic games from older consoles like the PlayStation Portable or Nintendo DS with the right apps. However, we preferred the simplicity of just downloading an emulation app on the Logitech G Cloud compared to the Steam Deck, which usually requires advanced steps.

We also loved the simplicity of setting up console remote play on the G Cloud. All you need is the Xbox Android app or PS Remote Play Android app. Unless you install Windows, there's no remote play app for either of these consoles on the Steam Deck. You'd need to use third-party apps, which aren't always safe. It's worth noting that it does support remote play through your Steam instance on PC.

Both systems are friendly towards emulation but preferred the simplicity of just downloading an emulation app on the Logitech G Cloud.

There's a similar caveat with the G Cloud, however. You only can play Android games on the device if they're compatible with the built-in controller. Some popular games like Call of Duty: Mobile won't recognize the controller of the G Cloud. Naturally, the Steam Deck is better for gaming because most titles recognize the controller without issue, and it provides tools to customize controls even further.

Finally, let's talk about storage. Both will run out of storage quickly — whether with Android Games or offline game files — but the Logitech G Cloud has much smaller and slower 64GB ROM storage. The Steam Deck has faster eMMC or NVMe storage. Both systems, though, will let you expand your storage with a microSD card.

Ports, connectivity, battery life: It's just about even

In looking at the ports on these devices, we have good news: It's pretty even. Connectivity is also the same. However, the Logitech G Cloud wins in battery life.

Both devices have a single USB-C port, but the USB-C port on the Steam Deck can be used to output to an external display or connect to a dock and turn the system into a desktop PC. The USB-C port on the G Cloud is data-only and doesn't support displays, so if you want to game on an external monitor, the Steam Deck wins. Both devices also have great stereo speakers, dual microphones, and headphone jacks. And when it comes to connectivity, neither system has LTE or 5G. Both depend on dual-band Wi-Fi.

The Steam Deck is arguably the weakest regarding its battery life. It has a larger 40Wh battery than the 23.1Wh battery on the G Cloud, but the laptop-like components inside are very power-hungry. You'd only get 2-8 hours of battery life, and it's likely to be on the lower end. In our tests with the G Cloud, we got more than 12 hours.

Controllers: Steam Deck has extra touchpads and paddles

These controllers have the same base configuration, but the Steam Deck has a little extra. Both handhelds have the same exact A/B/X/Y buttons, similar to an Xbox Controller. However, the locations of the joysticks are different. The G Cloud has analog joysticks on the top left and middle right. The Steam Deck has analog joysticks on the top left and right. We'll let you decide which one is more comfortable to use.

In addition, the Steam Deck has two touchpads that support haptic feedback. The G Cloud has linear haptics, but they don't feel as immersive as the Steam Deck's — just feel like a little motor. The G Cloud doesn't have this and instead has a Logitech button and a home button for navigating the UI. The G Cloud also supports mapping the control buttons, and the Steam Deck has additional assignable grip buttons.

Repair: The Steam Deck wins

Investing in a handheld console can get expensive, and considering many of these components are integrated, you'd want to know what happens when things break down. Logitech has a one-year limited warranty, but Valve backs the Steam Deck with repair centers, and there are many online guides and replacement parts available if you want to fix things on your own. If you opt for Valve to fix your unit, though, you'll have to mail it in.

Steam Deck vs Logitech G Cloud: Which should you buy?

As much as we like the simplicity and portability of the Logitech G Cloud, we have to admit that the Steam Deck is better in so many ways. For $50 more than the price of the G Cloud (at least with the lowest amount of storage), you can get a much more powerful mobile computer that can plug into a TV or display. The Steam Deck also does the same things that the G Cloud can, including emulation.

We get that not everybody needs a mobile computer, and for cloud gaming or simple Android gaming, the Logitech G Cloud is great, even if it's a little expensive for its capabilities.