Is the battle between Valve’s Steam Deck and Nintendo’s Switch even really a battle? We break down what you need to know about the games and hardware for each gaming handheld.
You’ll often hear PC enthusiasts—including yours truly—say that the Nintendo Switch is the perfect companion console for your gaming rig, thanks to its handheld mode for on-the-go gaming, deep indie library, and access to Nintendo-exclusive games. The stickiness of that last benefit will soon be put to the test, as Valve’s newly announced Steam Deck handheld PC mimes the Switch form factor but revolves around your existing Steam account…and all the games already in it. Oh my. In the battle of the Steam Deck vs. the Nintendo Switch, who comes out on top? We’ll take it to the tape below, but first let’s talk about what matters most: the games, and why the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch might not even be true competitors at all. The $399 Steam Deck and $299 Nintendo Switch have two totally different gaming philosophies. The Nintendo Switch and its detached Joy-Con controllers. The Valve Steam Deck Big questions remain on how well Valve’s Proton compatibility layer will let Windows games run on the Steam Deck, especially multi-player titles that rely on anti-cheat software. Because the device is essentially a Linux PC in a funky form, tinkerers could also install Windows on it to eradicate potential headaches. Retro emulation enthusiasts will no doubt fall in love with the Steam Deck as well. The hardware inside means that the Steam Deck can support more retro Nintendo games than the Switch itself with the proper software installed, which is absolutely wild.
