PeakDo produces wireless display products that use 60 GHz mmWave technology to deliver high-speed, low-latency transmission of video between devices from up to 100 feet away.

Now the company has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a handheld game console that makes use of the same technology to basically let you play PC or console games without sitting in front of your gaming PC. The PeakDo handheld is up for pre-order through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, and it’s expected to begin shipping to backers in March, 2023.

While PeakDo’s handheld looks superficially similar to a lot of other handhelds we’ve seen in recent years, it’s unlike anything else on the market at the moment. Basically it’s a 380 gram (13.4 ounce) device with a 7 inch full HD display, detachable controllers and minimal specs or software.

PeakDo says it “does not have a built-in CPU & SDRAM,” which is almost certainly not true. But the general idea isn’t far from the truth, because while there’s got to be some sort of processor that controls the device’s basic functions, it’s not meant to be powerful enough to handle gaming or most other tasks.

Instead, the device features a mmWave radio and comes with with an mmWave dongle that you plug into a gaming PC or a game console. The company says this lets you beam games from your computer to the device at sepeds up to 3.96 Gbps with less than 2.5ms latency, offering a smoother experience than you’d get when streaming games over WiFi or cellular connections.

PeakDo says the system should work with PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox consoles as well as gaming PCs.

The display is a 1920 x 1080 pixel IPS LCD display with a 60 Hz refresh rate. The controllers slide on or off the sides of the device much the same way as a pair of Nintendo Switch controllers. In fact, you can even use Nintendo Switch Joy-cons with the Peakdo handheld, since it uses the same connector mechanism.

What’s interesting is that the the Bluetooth controllers don’t actually connect to the display unit… instead, you pair them directly to your gaming PC or console, which should help cut down on latency.

The handheld also has an 8,000 mAh battery, two USB Type-C ports (one for charging, and one for data), and a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s also an HDMI input which allows you to use the device as a second screen for your gaming device without relying on the mmWave wireless connection.

OK, ready for the down sides? First, the system works from up to 100 feet away… but requires a direct line of sight between the mmWave transmitter and receiver. So if you were hoping the PeakDo handheld would let you play games around the house without moving your gaming PC or console, then you’re probably out of luck. This is more like a system that will let you plop down on the couch without sitting in your gaming chair. And… maybe that’s something somebody somewhere is willing to pay for?

But how much would you be willing to pay for that convenience? Because the PeakDo mmWave handheld game console has an expected list price of $498. It’s currently going for $324 during crowdfunding.

Both of those prices seem kind of high when you consider that you can buy a full-fledged handheld gaming PC like Valve’s Steam Deck for $399 and up. While the Steam Deck might not able to handle every title that you could run on a high-end gaming PC, it’s a device that doesn’t need to be wirelessly tethered to another game system to function. And if you do want to beam games from a PC to a Steam Deck, you can do that with Steam In-Home Streaming. Sure, it’ll be a WiFi connection rather than mmWave, but again, how much is mmWave streaming worth to you?

And if game streaming is your thing, the PeakDo handheld will compete with products from better known companies including the Logitech G Cloud and Razer Edge, both of which are designed to stream games over the internet – no line of sight required. They’re also both Android-powered devices that should be able to handle at least some native games, no internet connection required.

Anyway, if you’re wondering whether the PeakDo handheld at least delivers on its promise, the company has sent out some demo units to prominent YouTubers including ETA Prime and Taki Udon, who both seem reasonably impressed.

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7 replies on “PeakDo’s handheld game console is really more like a wireless remote for your gaming PC (crowdfunding)”

  1. While I do see some situations where one might want to use it, it’s too limited for most people IMHO unless you have cash to burn. It’s like those really specialized kitchen appliances which are super convenient when you actually use them but then you only use them like MAYBE twice a year.
    And the line of sight thing sucks (which is why I lost interest as soon as you mentioned 60Ghz mmWave in the first sentence). It means you basically have to have your laptop in a direct line of sight of where you want to lounge with this thing, and if there’s anything in between (monitor, potted plant, lamp, dog), or someone walks in between, or you shift the wrong way, you might block the signal

  2. ETA Prime almost never says bad things about items he reviews. You have to ensure future items for review somehow. The comments are more realistic about how pointless this thing is. The Wii U didn’t require very fiddly line of sight.

    1. Yes, but generally if you focus on the details you can tell what things are good, or just how good they are (if you then compare what you’re told with other products) and deduce what’s bad. At least he never outright lies. His comments tend to be “this is really good for this processor or for that emulator” and gives you some real numbers in the form of the emulation (for most of his products, for this obviously not). I haven’t seen the review for this device but it’d be interesting to see what he extols and what he ignores.

  3. I wouldn’t say there’s no place for this sort of thing, but it’s best suited for avoiding conflict between someone who wants to play a game and someone who wants to watch TV, under some pretty specific circumstances. One of which is inability to set up streaming over LAN.

  4. Ew. It’s not a handheld game console, which you already alluded to, it’s an overpriced Wii U Gamepad clone. It’s functionally identical to the Wii U Gamepad, with it being useless without a host machine, but even more of a waste of money.

    1. Seeing the comments on YouTube, I can tell everyone has forgotten about the Wii U, just as Nintendo wanted.

      1. It doesn’t help that a grand total of five guys owned one… I mean, just consider how Nintendo manages to sell tons of copies of old titles made for that console like BoTW and MK8

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