The promise of cloud gaming is that you can do it from
anywhere using any device with internet access and a good enough browser
(each cloud gaming service seems to have its own requirements on the
browser front). You should be able to play super demanding games whether
you’re on a work trip with nothing but a work laptop or at home and the
main TV is being hogged — or even if you just don’t feel like sitting
on the couch. But the biggest promise of cloud gaming is that, no matter
where you are, if you’ve got a phone then you’ve got all your games.
In practice, this is a bad idea. After spending the last
few weeks rapturously using my Steam Deck near daily to play games in
the cloud, I am never going to willingly attempt cloud gaming on my
phone again. Valve’s enormous do-anything handheld PC has made me
realize that, actually, sometimes dedicated gaming hardware is good! The
Swiss Army knife approach to mobile gaming promised by cloud gaming on
your phone is about as useful as the saw on a real Swiss Army knife. I
appreciate the effort, but I don’t actually want to use it.