The sudden growth in the game streaming market has mirrored the resurgence of handheld gaming kickstarted by the Nintendo Switch. While devices like the Steam Deck and the upcoming Asus ROG Ally offer powerful hardware to take native gaming on the go, their high price points aren’t an affordable option for most. Cloud gaming handhelds aim to provide a similar experience at a fraction of the price, and the Abyxlute console (pronounced “absolute”) is the most affordable yet.

The Abyxlute console, funded as a Kickstarter project, expects to ship in May 2023. We got our hands on an early build of the device, and while there are some rough edges, it’s a practical option for those looking for a budget handheld console.

Price and availability

We won’t have an exact retail price until the console is available for purchase. However, the cheapest Kickstarter tier is $229 for the 4GB RAM / 32 GB storage option and $239 for the 4GB RAM / 64 GB storage option. This is significantly cheaper than other cloud gaming handhelds, notably the Logitech G Cloud, which retails at $350.

The Abyxlute console is available worldwide, although you can only pre-order one through the Kickstarter campaign at the time of writing.

We reviewed the DVT2 model of the Abxylute, the second prototype model. The final model comes with improvements which we have highlighted in this review.

Design and display

The Abxylute console is slightly larger than a Nintendo Switch and almost identical in size to the Logitech G Cloud. The overall shape is flat; while it does have rounded grips, these aren’t big enough for a comfortable hold. At 430g, it’s an agreeable weight; it won’t strain your wrists over long gaming sections. Budget devices often skimp on build quality, but the Abyxlute feels sturdy and premium. The final version will ship with a textured back, which my model does not include.

The layout of the controls follows the Xbox layout and mirrors the Logitech G Cloud. Unlike most other handhelds, the face buttons and D-pad are offset from the joysticks, which align them vertically. This means that you shouldn’t accidentally hit the joysticks when pressing buttons.

Unfortunately, the Abxylute doesn’t offer a comfortable grip; the edge of the console constantly dug into my palm. Wrapping my hands fully around the console minimized this problem, but this entirely obscured the speakers. The speakers on the Abxylute are placed right where your palms rest. To hold the console comfortably, you must sacrifice clear audio or wear headphones. While I would recommend wearing headphones anyway due to the tinny speakers, it’s still a remarkably silly design choice.

The Hall effect joysticks are a nice touch, something we wouldn’t expect to see on a console at this price point. While we’ll have to test the device for a few more months to give a final verdict, this should remove the issue of stick drift. While packing a little more resistance than I would like, the analog triggers are satisfying to press.

There's a USB-C port for charging, a headphone jack, power and volume buttons, and an SD card slot on the device's body. Considering the device's poor ability to run native games, I can't see why you'd need more than the storage on the device, but it's a nice option to have if you like to emulate classic games. The 7-inch, 60Hz, 1080p screen is excellent. You'll need a reliable internet connection to make the most of it, but it'll provide crisp visuals whether you're playing native Android games or streaming.

Software

Abyxlute claims the launcher is “exclusive,” but I noticed more than a few similarities with the Logitech G Cloud’s launcher. It’s a straightforward layout; the main screen is taken up by app shortcuts organized with recently used apps on the left and icons for Account (under construction at the time of writing), Notifications, Photos, Settings, and Power. While I believe this software was customized for the Abxylute, their claim of “exclusive” rings hollow.

Left: Abyxlute's launcher, Right: G Cloud's launcher

The Google Play app is locked as the left-most app, with recently used apps arranged to the right. Scroll to the right to open a window with all apps. You can add apps to the Quick Start menu, a permanent line of shortcuts underneath the central row. It’s tidy, simple, and just what I want from a handheld console.

As this device runs on Android 12, you can access the same Android settings you would find on your phone. I rarely felt the need to delve in here, as all the essential settings (e.g., WiFi, Battery, Sound) can all be found in the launcher’s dedicated app. There are a few nifty things tucked away here, like changing the face buttons’ backlight color and the ability to switch to tablet mode.

Tablet mode turns the Abxylute into an Android tablet with attached controllers, utilizing a UI any Android user should be familiar with. This mode lets you run two apps simultaneously (e.g., Spotify and Game Pass), but gaming is awkward, so you’ll mostly stay in handheld mode unless you absolutely need Spotify playing while gaming.

Holding the home button opens a sidebar with a few settings options. It’s a handy tool, perfect for tweaking the brightness or sound while gaming.

Performance

The Abxylute is a streaming console, which means that performance is at the whim of third-party streaming apps and your internet connection.

Your experience with the Abxylute’s performance may differ from mine. Everyone’s home equipment is different, and once you add distance to servers and local internet provider quality, it becomes almost impossible to predict your performance. If you’re considering picking up the console, I recommend installing Game Pass (or any streaming app) on your phone and giving an online multiplayer game a whirl. The result will be more or less identical to Abxylute’s performance on the same network.

I tested all the apps preinstalled on the Abxylute, from cloud streaming apps like Game Pass to using Steam Link to stream games from my PC. When testing Android-compatible controllers, I usually open up some steaming apps to test out games like Halo Infinite or Wreckfest. While my home internet connection isn’t the best, I used these tests as a benchmark for the Abxylute console. The result was about the same, if not slightly more consistent, on the Abxylute.

Things aren’t as smooth outside of streaming games. This console is slow. Really slow. It struggled to offer consistent performance whether I was scrolling through apps or just going back and forth on the home screen. 4GB of RAM should be sufficient for a smooth experience, so we can lay the blame on the chipset and poor optimization. The benchmark scores for the MediaTek MT8365 are low, but even so, combined with the RAM, it should be sufficient to navigate menus without stuttering.

While I'm not expecting perfect performance every second with hardware like this, my poor experience indicates the Abyxlute needs to go through a few more rounds of optimization before it reaches consumers. Hopefully, this can be resolved over software patches because if not, it may be too frustrating to use for many.

Open up an Android game, and things get even more unpredictable. While games like Dead Cells ran at a stable 60FPS after lowering the settings slightly, my attempt to run Genshin Impact pushed the hardware to its limits, only able to hit 20FPS at the lowest settings. Considering the console's primary purpose, I can't count this as a significant drawback, but if you intend to play Android games, we recommend avoiding Android games with demanding graphics.

However, it's the perfect console for emulating older games. GBA, N64, or PS1 emulators work great, with significantly better performance than Android games.

Battery life

Abxylute promises between 8-10 hours of battery life. After playing Halo Infinite for an hour over Xbox Cloud Gaming, I lost 12% battery life, putting it at the lower end of that estimate. The battery dropped at about the same rate for emulated or native games, but I didn’t run short on battery by the end of the day. Charging the device to full took about 2.5 hours.

Competition

For a good reason, we've mentioned the Logitech G Cloud numerous times in this review. The same company could easily have developed these devices, with the Abxylute pitched as the budget version. On the other hand, if you've got a phone with a larger screen, you can spend less than half the price on the Razer Kishi V2 controller and game via your phone.

The Logitech G Cloud is functionally identical to the Abxylute, but the $100 price difference means it's a tough purchase over the Abxylute. But unlike the Abxylute, the G Cloud has bigger grips, and its speakers won't get muffled by your hands.

Below, you can see a comparison of each console’s key features. As you can see, they’re nearly identical beyond the more powerful chipset and bigger battery on the G Cloud. And if you’re not playing demanding Android games, the chipsets are fairly identical when streaming.

So while the G Cloud is technically a better console when it comes to value and top-end performance, the Abxylute still beats it in nearly every way. In the world of handheld consoles, you can also choose the Razer Edge. At $400, it’s not a budget console, but if you want something that can handle native games with ease, the Razer Edge might be a better pick.

The Razer Kishi V2 is our premium pick of the best Android controllers. Retailing for around $95, it’s a fraction of the price of the Abxylute console. Snap it onto your phone, install some streaming apps, and you’ve got the same experience with the bonus of being able to run Android games reliably.

You’re sacrificing screen size, but buying the Razer Kishi V2 (or any Android-compatible controller) is the most affordable way to stream games. While a dedicated handheld is nice, if you’re looking for an affordable way to stream games, an Android controller is the best way to go.

Should you buy?

At $229, The Abyxlute is the best value handheld console for streaming games, but that’s not a particularly high bar to meet. You’re at the mercy of third-party apps and inconsistent Wi-Fi connections, and you can’t do much with it beyond that.

So if you’re looking for a dedicated handheld gaming device that won’t break the bank, the Abxylute will satisfy you. But if you’re willing to skimp on screen size, you can just as easily use your phone.