Such a weird article from Nintendo Life trying to defend the Switch 2 over the Steam Deck. And it’s so cringe.
First let’s talk about the contention that the Switch 2 has better value because it’s comes with a dock.
Look, I can hook my Steam Deck up to my TV using a USB-C to HDMI adapter and use the Steam Deck itself as a controller. As for a dock itself, sure the official Steam Deck Docking Station costs C$109. However, I can buy a 3rd party docking station off Amazon for C$40. So that’s not much of an argument.
The Switch 2 has a bigger screen that runs at 1080P. That great. But the Steam Deck has an OLED panel which the Switch 2 does not.
In terms of performance, the Switch 2 probably has a better GPU. However, it lacks the Steam Deck’s CPU power. And it only has 12GB of RAM compared to the Steam Deck’s 16GB of RAM. Will games look better on Switch 2? Only if CPU and RAM don’t serve as bottlenecks.
The next thing: Switch 2 is supposedly better because a joy-con can act as a mouse. But they’re really grasping at straws here because I can use an actual Bluetooth mouse with the Steam Deck—one which is more ergonomic too. Oh, and unlike the Switch 2, I can also use a Bluetooth keyboard too with a Steam Deck.
Apparently, the Steam Deck’s touchpad so “too awkward” compared to the Switch 2’s mouse. But you don’t use a mouse in handheld mode—no one does. Touchpads, on the other hand, do work in handheld mode. And I find them much more suitable for FPS and RTS games than an analog joystick.
Now for the article’s final point: the Steam Deck can’t play Switch 2 games. This is actually the most legitimate point. However, it cuts both ways too. Switch 2 can’t play decades of PC games, all which are accessible on Steam Deck. And I should know because I’m able to run literally thousands of games on my Steam Deck—many which don’t even run on Windows anymore without lots of modding.
Can Switch 2 play F.E.A.R. without needing to jailbreak and emulate it? Nope—so in terms of game library, Steam Deck has the win.
But ultimately, this is a silly comparison because the Steam Deck is already three years old at the moment. Of course the Switch 2 will be able to do some things better than Steam Deck. It should—it’s the newer piece of hardware.
However, when the Steam Deck 2 comes out—probably next year—how will the Switch 2 compare? I don’t know, but it will likely have all the advantages that the Steam Deck still has but with giant generational leap in terms of performance.
Right now, if I wanted to, I could get a Lenovo Legion Go S. And it would be leagues better than a Switch 2. It has a AMD Ryzen Z2 Go APU, 32GB of RAM, and 1 TB of storage—which absolutely wrecks the Switch 2 in terms of raw performance.
But the reason I’m holding off is because I think the Steam Deck 2 will be even better.
This doesn’t even touch about many points that makes the Steam Deck just plain better. The games are cheaper. You don’t have to pay for online multiplayer. You have access to multiple storefronts like GOG or itch.io. You can use it as a PC in desktop mode. I can go on.
Now do I think the Switch 2 is totally lacking in value? No. If I had a young child, I’d probably get them a Switch 2 simply because it’s more kid friendly.
However, I’m a full grown man. As for my kid? She’s turning 12-years-old in a few weeks so I think she’ll do just fine with a Steam Deck.
I literally purchased Rog Ally X as a response to how shitty switch 2 felt. I then installed Bazzite os on it.
It’s an odd comparison, if the Steam Deck had Pokémon, Zelda and Mario etc., then there’d be a reason to compare them like for like.
Not need to argue, they have entirety difference audiences and that’s ok.
Still wish Steam Deck would improve docked mode support, it’s pretty janky.
FWIW, I use it all the time on a dock and have no problems. I used to have HDMI issues, but it turned out it was an old cable (issue=TV connection didn’t work at all). I also had to change controllers as apparently cable controllers drivers can’t work with read-only filesystem. 8bit controllers work without issues. Me and my wife are super happy with it over all.
That said, maybe my standard is pretty low, but I just turn on the thing, open a game and play.
Buddy, I have tried docked mode on windows (Ally + Windows + Bluetooth controller). It’s hell! I can’t wait to get back to SteamOS/Bazzite.
What problems have you faced in docked mode?
When is the video game community going to understand there’s no such thing as “better”. The whole “this vs that” or “us vs them” just needs to stop.
Yes, we all know handhelds peaked with the DS (I am totally biased).
Biased, but absolutely right.
Valve is definitely a more ethical company but all the console crusading also gets tiresome
I mean, I also never take a gaming article seriously if it has the word “obliterate” in it.
Nintendo life is just being a bit insecure due to constantly hearing about it being a deck measuring contest.
They can play by play all the they want but at the end of the day. I can play games I brought back in 1997 on my steam deck they can barely handle going back one generation to the switch and have to use emulation and a subscription service for a handful of their older systems.
I went from CD of star fleet academy i had in a storage box to a SD card to the steam deck. Installed and running the longest part was setting the key binds in steam input.
They can play by play all the they want but at the end of the day. I can play games I brought back in 1997 on my steam deck they can barely handle going back one generation to the switch and have to use emulation and a subscription service for a handful of their older systems.
I get your point, but to be honest Nintendo couldn’t care less about making it easy or cheap for us to play 1997 games, it doesn’t happen now, and I don’t think it will ever happen, the only reason why they gave some efforts to make Switch 1 games retrocompatible I think is because it would be riots if they didn’t lol.
It is a good argument, but companies don’t care about this, which is sad.
Well one does and it’s valve and they make a lot of money by selling those games at good prices.
Steam Deck’s touchpad so “too awkward”…
The Steam Deck touchpads are literally the ONLY modern touchpads I like. Every other mother touchpad is absolutely atrocious because they don’t give you anything like a vibration to tell you your mouse is moving and you actually get some level of confirmation you clicked. It feels like every other touchpad out there now, I swear, requires you to attempt to click on the left/right mouse button (completely integrated into the touchpad) about a billion times before it registers that you clicked once.
Also, if the joycons for switch 2 are anywhere near as uncomfortable to hold for extended periods of time like they are for me with regular switch, I guarantee my hand would start hurting after a couple minutes of the, probably gonna be as responsive as a dead man to a cannonball to the face, mouse mode. The premise of turning what could be one of the worst controller designs I’ve ever seen into a mouse makes my hands bleed in pain without having to ever hold one.
The main draw of Switch 2 is Nintendo software. That’s about the end of the discussion for me that makes me need one. Nintendo has always made my favorite games since I started playing in 1988. They still make many of my favorite games today.
I was mad at the pricing at first but then I put it in perspective. I really only buy 3-4 retail games per year on the Switch, and at $10-20 more each, that’s $30-80 more per year at most. Not a happy thing but it is what it is. That’s literally one night out with friends having drinks and food.
Still going to love my Steam Deck and still going to play plenty of games on it too… likely more than Switch 2 because of Steam deals and the fact that I trust Valve more with my digital library than Nintendo honestly. They’ve never let me down whereas Nintendo has.
The high price for first Party Nintendo exclude games doest matter that much even. I buy the physical versions and the have good resale value.
You know what has been great? Being on a vacation and bringing my steam deck and playing tears of the kingdom off of it with better performance than the original switch had. I paid for it and ripped it myself because I still believed it was the right thing to do, but with Nintendo’s increased focus year after year against emulation enthusiasts like we’re fucking criminals, I’m gonna give them something to bitch about. I’m never paying another dime to Nintendo for as long as I live, and that is coming from someone who grew up with a super Nintendo and an N64. Fuck yourself Nintendo. Yo ho and a bottle of get fucked.
How many FPS and resolution do you get with TOTK in the Steam Deck?
How about the battery life while emulating it?
I usually keep it limited at 40 fps for battery and it doesn’t have any trouble there. Tbh haven’t tried for anymore than that but based on the stability I’d guess I could bump it up. Battery life at native resolution tends to be pretty decent; anecdotally I ran down about 35% in a 2 hour flight a couple days ago. My deck’s battery ain’t what it used to be though; I signed up for the presale on the first day the deck was announced.
Oh, so it does get more than 40 FPS while emulating it on the Deck, that is good to hear, I do get higher FPS (closer to 60 FPS) in my original Switch 1 overclocked in BOTW (I heard it is not very different with TOTK), and I don’t get to do the quirks and workarounds that comes with emulation (I do it with the hack itself lol) because well, the game runs natively.
The battery backup you get is definitely better than mine undocked though (although when I do this I play docked), so it is good to hear Switch 1 games aren’t that demanding then.
About that RAM argument, Steam includes Chromium that can consume up to 1.5 or even 2 GB for some people depending on circumstances (I checked myself when I had the Deck, it used 1.5 in desktop mode). I assume the OS on Switch is much more optimized. I wish Valve switched to something else, something more native.
you can install whatever browser you want though? on the swith I have never even thought of browsing the internet even if it had a usable browser
They are talking about the browser the steam client itself uses
Chromium as CFE I mean, not the browser. It consumes RAM and even CPU at all times, and Steam doesn’t work without it.
Not relying on CFE should been considered even more critical for handheld devices, as switching to more native solutions will save the battery time.
They are both good options ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I feel like all these “Switch 2 is bad” articles are missing the point. I’m not gonna buy Switch 2 for its superior hardware. If I buy it, I’ll buy it for the next generation of Mario Kart, Zelda and Pokémon. You won’t get that on a Steam deck. I probably won’t, dough.
You certainly will get all that on a Steam Deck, if you give it a little time.
Maybe in the Deck 2 pal.
If You mean emulation, you’re probably right. But giving it time is also a point. What if I don’t want to wait?
I would assume a publication like “Nintendo Life” will promote Nintendo irrespective of what the issue is.
And to my limited understanding, the people who buy/use Nintendo are either children (you are not going to tell them they have shit taste) or hardcore fanboys who on some level will defend any action by Nintendo no matter what.
Yea it’s mostly children, and Nintendo’s trying to save face by you could by their crappy accesories
I’m neither and have a Switch. There’s just some games i want to play on it.
Won’t be getting a switch 2 though. That ship sailed considering how easy it is to emulate the first console.
I’m holding off is because I think the Switch 2 will be even better.
You meant steam deck I think?
Thanks for catching that. Edited.
