{"id":4524,"date":"2026-07-28T12:40:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=4524"},"modified":"2026-07-28T12:40:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T12:40:03","slug":"logitech-handheld-business-g-cloud-robin-piispanen-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=4524","title":{"rendered":"Logitech\u2019s handheld plans are on ice \u2014 don\u2019t expect a G Cloud 2 soon"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Logitech\u2019s new gaming boss, Robin Piispanen, tells me he likes the idea of gaming handhelds. \u201cIt\u2019s such a charming value proposition,\u201d he says, as we sip iced vanilla lattes at my local cafe. But he\u2019s not building one right now. He\u2019s not sure when or if Logitech should try again, after its underwhelming experiment with the Logitech G Cloud streaming handheld.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cRight now, in this moment in time, there\u2019s bigger things for us to focus on than doing a second G Cloud,\u201d he tells me.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Personally, I feel like the G Cloud would have a better chance today. At its 2022 debut<\/a>, the $350 Logitech handheld was almost completely overshadowed by the far <\/em>more capable $400 Steam Deck, whose PC chip could keep on playing games without needing reliable internet. But today, the price of a Steam Deck has risen to $789. The golden age of handhelds is over<\/a>, and \u201cthe new normal\u201d can be prohibitively pricey<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sony recently suggested that cloud gaming handhelds like its own PlayStation Portal are one possible hedge against RAMageddon. \u201cCloud streaming also requires minimal memory, making it an increasingly attractive low-cost thin client device in the current market environment where memory prices are rising,\u201d said a top PlayStation exec in a recent business meeting.<\/a> Last year, I discovered Nvidia\u2019s GeForce Now had advanced far enough to breathe new life into existing handhelds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But it sounds like Logitech got burned by its first Tencent-backed<\/a> attempt with the original G Cloud. Even people who bought it weren\u2019t necessarily satisfied.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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While there was a \u201crealm of players that was super dedicated and loved it,\u201d says Piispanen, it didn\u2019t have staying power for the vast majority of buyers. \u201cThe bigger portion, call it the 80 percent, bought it, tried it, and then it ended up in a drawer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe tried something that we really believed in, and it didn\u2019t really materialize into the use case people wanted,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The other problem was that the big cloud gaming providers didn\u2019t build out enough infrastructure quickly enough. \u201cCloud gaming in general really stagnated,\u201d he says, adding later: \u201cMicrosoft clearly said cloud is expensive, cloud gaming is expensive to run.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Would Logitech consider building a standalone handheld instead, then, using the lessons it learned from the G Cloud? Piispanen\u2019s not sure about that. He says it\u2019s theoretically possible, something to perhaps look into. But he says Logitech\u2019s core competencies are design and input, and it\u2019d probably partner with another company for the rest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Robin<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Robin Piispanen is the new global head of Logitech G, taking over after long-time leader Ujesh Desai\u2019s retirement. Piispanen joined Logitech in 2008. <\/em><\/figcaption>Photo: Logitech<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He says handhelds don\u2019t look like a particularly good business to break into, anyhow: \u201cThe handheld only works when you get to a really big scale, and most of the handheld companies also own the content. So the question is then, should I get into content? Look at Nintendo, they own the content. Look at Steam.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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His question is just rhetorical, though. We quickly agree that buying studios hasn\u2019t worked out great for Sony and Microsoft recently, and he doesn\u2019t seem interested in competing with Asus and its Xbox Ally X<\/a>. \u201cThey operate on slim margins and they don\u2019t own anything. They have to work with everyone else to make it work. It\u2019s not an easy business.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If Logitech were to try handhelds again, he thinks that cloud gaming might still be the way forward \u2014 just not quite yet. \u201cCloud solves weight, it solves battery power, it solves graphics. It solves a lot of things\u2026 when you play locally, you don\u2019t have those barriers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He says, cryptically, that Logitech is<\/em> investing in the future of cloud despite how the G Cloud turned out, and is actively talking to big players. \u201cWe talk to Microsoft, Tencent, and all of them: what do they see? How would this become a bigger play? And then see how we can potentially be a part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Does he see an inflection point where cloud infrastructure costs drop dramatically? Is there a point in the next few years where a whole bunch of Nvidia AI data centers are going to age out and become useful for gaming instead? He says he agrees with my \u201cfuture casting,\u201d but can\u2019t say when it might happen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIf you figure it out, please let me know,\u201d Piispanen says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I spoke to Logitech\u2019s new gaming boss<\/a> about other topics too; stay tuned to The Verge<\/em> later today for more tidbits from our chat!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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