Logitech has partnered with Tencent Games to create a handheld gaming device that runs on Android. The unnamed device is expected to launch sometime in 2022 and is designed to support multiple cloud gaming services, according to a Logitech blog post officially announcing the product. Per the blog, the two companies are working with the Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now teams to bring this handheld to life. The goal is to allow users to play “AAA games” from anywhere.
Beyond the announcement, we weren’t given much information in the blog post. We don’t know how much this handheld will cost or its exact release date, beyond a vague “later this year.” The announcement didn’t reveal what the Logitech handheld will look like. Given how it’s supposedly launching this year, this seems strange.
This is official confirmation that a Logitech gaming handheld is on the horizon but rumors about such a machine have been circulating for a number of weeks. Recently, leaker Evan Blass posted supposed leaked images of the machine on Twitter. The fact Logitech quickly filed a DMCA complaint against Blass gave the leak legitimacy. Of course, it turned out Blass’ leak — at least as far as the handheld's existence is concerned — was accurate.
And if that’s the case, then the leaked images could be legitimate, though we can't definitively say whether they are or not. But if true, the Logitech device appears very much like the Nintendo Switch Lite. In fact, the handheld’s UI is very reminiscent of the Switch’s UI. One of the leaked images displayed YouTube, Chrome, Nvidia, Xbox and Steam icons. The latter is interesting as it suggests you can stream Steam games on it.
The handheld now has a dedicated website where you can sign up for updates. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we learn more.
Given how Valve’s Steam Deck just started shipping to customers in earnest a few months ago, it’s interesting to see Logitech insert itself into the handheld gaming race. Given how the company's device is a cloud-based gaming system, it won’t be able to run games locally as the Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch can. But if the machine only needs to stream games, it could help keep costs down, potentially making it an affordable alternative to Nintendo and Valve’s handhelds.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Logitech handheld as we get them, and check out our Logitech promo codes page for savings across their current range if you've got a gaming setup to optimise whilst you wait.
Be sure to check out our Logitech G Cloud hands-on, now that we've tried the system for ourselves.
