When Valve released the Steam Deck gaming handheld, the comparisons to the Nintendo Switch were unavoidable, and the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 has reignited those discussions. I’m here to tell you that the Steam Deck is not a better Switch or Switch 2, because they aren’t really doing the same thing.
The original Switch was underpowered hardware, even when it was a new—it used a modifiedTegra X1 chipset from 2015, and the original Switch arrived in March 2017. When the Steam Deck was released in 2022, it used a chipset based on AMD’s modern Zen 2 CPU architecture and RDNA 2 compute units. That hardware is now a bit outdated, because technological progress stops for no one, butValve isn’t in a rush to release a new model. The Switch 2 is much closer in performance, though there are only a few cross-platform comparison points right now, likeCyberpunk 2077.
Not a Console
The Switch and Switch 2 are typical game consoles in every imaginable respect. The games you buy are purpose-built for the Switch platform, with varying degrees of testing and verification by Nintendo. The gamehas to workor it can’t be officially sold. The games alsohave to continue working, with the exception of online titles that shut down or lose all their players, or games that areincompatible with the Switch 2.
The Steam Deck is not like that at all. There are few games that run natively on the Linux-based operating system—almost everything runs through theProton compatibility layer, which translates Windows and DirectX API calls into code for the Steam Deck. Some publishers do test their games with that compatibility layer to fix Proton-specific bugs, but they might not test every update to their games, or updates to the Proton layer itself. There have beenmany casesof “Steam Deck Verified” games suddenly not working after changes to the game, Proton layer, or both.
These are compromises that many people are willing to accept, as evidenced by the Steam Deck’s popularity, because playing PC games you already own in a handheld form factor is still compelling. However, it does make comparisons to the Switch and Switch 2 more difficult. Every game for the Switch is built for the Switch, but most games on the Steam Deck are not native and not guaranteed to work forever.
The Switch has the all the typical benefits and downsides of a console: it’s stable, but it’s not an open software platform. The Switch Deck has all the benefits of a PC, but with even more downsides than a regular PC. You have a more limited GPU than most gaming laptops, the Proton layer can introduce additional bugs, and not all PC games are built for gamepad input.
The Games
I won’t spend too much time on this point, but it’s worth a quick mention that the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch haveincredibly differentgame libraries. The Steam Deck can theoretically access to most PC games, many of which never arrived on a Nintendo console, in addition to emulators for other platforms. The Switch and Switch 2 have some of the same games, either as original releases or ports/remasters, in addition to all of Nintendo’s exclusive games. A Steam Deck is not better than a Switch 2 for someone who is excited forDonkey Kong Bananza.
I expect there will be more overlap between the game libraries as Switch 2 development ramps up.Cyberpunk 2077is one game that skipped the original Switch due to performance limitations, but it now has a respectable Switch 2 port. There are still thousands of PC games that have little or no chance of a Switch 2 release, though.
The Size Difference
The Steam Deck is a large handheld, with theofficial specs pagestating a width of 298 millimeters, a height of 117 mm, and a depth of 49 mm. The Switch 2 with Joy-Cons attached is 272 mm wide, 116 mm tall, and 13.9 mm in depth, according toNintendo’s own specs. The Switch 2 is3.5x thinnerthan the Steam Deck. The Switch Lite is even smaller, but it can’t run Switch 2 games.
There’s also a weight difference between the two devices, but it’s not quite as substantial. The Steam Deck OLED weighs in at 640 grams, or about 1.41 pounds. The Switch 2 with Joy-Con controllers attached is around 534 grams, or 1.18 pounds.
That difference in physical size and weight is a deal-breaker forsome people. If you play more often with a stand or TV dock (or work out), it might not matter in typical usage, but the Steam Deck will still take up more room in a travel bag than any of Nintendo’s handhelds.
Not the Same
The Steam Deck isn’t better or worse than the Switch or Switch 2, they’re just different. If the Switch is a sedan car, the Steam Deck is an RV home. There is some functional overlap, but each device has its own strengths that can’t be handled by the other device. Just because a sedan and RV can both drive on the road and store passengers doesn’t mean they fill the same roles.
The Steam Deck is a great way to play games for some people, and the Switch and Switch 2 are also great ways to play games. Stating that one is better than the other doesn’t make any sense.
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company’s latest hybrid home console, with more powerful graphics and processing, a larger 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR, and more online features.
