Nintendo Switch 2 vs. Steam Deck: Battle of the Handhelds

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct yet revealed precisely what the Nintendo Switch 2 tin bash and what it costs. But alongside the hype came the load of realization: Consoles are getting expensive.

Nintendo Switch 2’s terms has breached into the realm of what I’d expect from handheld gaming PCs, which outgo anyplace from $400 to $900. But it’s not conscionable the hardware that’s much costly – the games are getting much costly too, making the affordability of the archetypal Switch a distant dream.

Compared to the Steam Deck, which was erstwhile acold much costly than the Switch, Valve’s handheld gaming PC and the Nintendo Switch 2 are successful a akin lane. So if you’re looking to get into the handheld gaming scene, which is better? Nintendo Switch 2 oregon Steam Deck?

Nintendo Switch 2 vs. Steam Deck: Price

Price has been a blistery taxable for the Nintendo Switch 2. The institution plans to motorboat the console astatine $449.99, which is 50% much costly than the archetypal $299.99 Switch. That successful and of itself is simply a drastic terms leap, but there’s the added anticipation of it getting adjacent higher with the menace of tariffs connected the horizon.

Pre-orders for Switch 2 were delayed from their archetypal April 9 day successful the U.S., with Nintendo telling america that it was successful bid to “assess the imaginable interaction of tariffs and evolving marketplace conditions.” The 90-day tariff intermission enactment a impermanent halt to that, with pre-orders going unrecorded connected April 24, but there’s nary saying what happens erstwhile tariffs instrumentality successful July. It’s hard to marque definitive statements connected worth arsenic a result, but let’s determination guardant with the prices we know.

Steam Deck OLED

Valve Steam Deck OLED

Thanks to its sweet, saccharine OLED screen, this is the Steam Deck to buy.

The Steam Deck starts astatine $399.99 for its 256GB LCD model, hardly undercutting the Switch 2. The 512GB and 1TB OLED models are $549.99 and $649.99 respectively, truthful it rapidly gets much expensive. The terms of hardware isn’t each you should consider, though. Software costs ramp up quickly, and Nintendo has taken a leap with Switch 2 by raising the ceiling successful AAA crippled pricing. Mario Kart World astatine $79.99 is the premier example, mounting a caller precedent for the future.

There’s nary telling what Steam crippled prices volition look similar successful the coming years, but arsenic it stands now, the Deck pulls up of the Switch 2 with a little starting outgo and much affordable games library.

Winner: Steam Deck

Nintendo Switch 2 vs. Steam Deck: Specs and Performance

According to a Nvidia blog post, Switch 2 features “10x the graphics” of its predecessor, with ray tracing compatibility, adaptable refresh complaint via Nvidia G-Sync, and “AI-driven enhancements.”

Neither Nintendo oregon Nvidia person revealed the specs of the GPU, but it’s incredibly apt that it’s based connected the Nvidia Tegra T39 SoC (system connected a chip). This GPU is supposedly built connected Ampere, the aforesaid graphics architecture down the RTX 3080. Though, with 1,536 CUDA cores, it’s obscurity adjacent arsenic almighty arsenic different Nvidia GPUs successful its series. Even the RTX 3050 Mobile, which is the weakest successful its line, has 2,048 CUDA cores and apt runs with a overmuch higher powerfulness budget.

The Nvidia GPU is powering a 7.9-inch 1920x1080, 120Hz LCD touchscreen with VRR (Variable Refresh Rate). While the sheet is simply a monolithic upgrade successful size and resolution, it would’ve been bully if OLED came sooner than later. It has 256GB of UFS (Universal Flash Storage), with a microSD Express slot for up to an further 2TB.

Nintendo Switch 2 Console

The Steam Deck is built connected overmuch older tech, though. It features an AMD Radeon APU with 8 RDNA 2 CUs, and a Zen 2 CPU with 4 cores and 8 threads. Because these 2 GPUs are built connected antithetic architectures by antithetic companies, it’s incredibly hard to gully comparisons betwixt the two. But due to the fact that the Nintendo Switch 2 features hardware that the Steam Deck simply doesn’t – namely Tensor Cores to powerfulness DLSS – the Switch 2 is theoretically much powerful.

“Theoretical” is the cardinal connection here. These are antithetic machines successful operating system, powerfulness output, and show resolution. And with immoderate signifier of DLSS coming to the Switch 2, I won’t cognize however it genuinely performs until it’s successful my hands. For present though, Switch 2 seems apt to propulsion ahead.

Winner: Nintendo Switch 2

Nintendo Switch 2 vs. Steam Deck: Software and Features

Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2 are intended for antithetic audiences, truthful straight comparing features tin beryllium confusing. If you’re chiefly a PC gamer with a ample Steam library, oregon person a penchant for emulation, the Steam Deck is simply a fantastic option. Switch 2 is champion for fans of Nintendo exclusives oregon those consenting to leap into a caller console ecosystem. Thankfully, if you did ain the archetypal Switch, your crippled room is backward compatible, some digitally and physically.

Nintendo Switch 2’s astir breathtaking caller diagnostic is that its Joy-Con relation arsenic mice. As seen successful Drag x Drive, players glide the bottommost of their Joy-Con controllers against a aboveground – adjacent hands – to determination forward, backward, and adjacent turn. Mouse functionality extends beyond conscionable games that necessitate it, with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond featuring rodent functionality portion aiming, arsenic if playing connected PC.

Steam Deck does thing akin with its 2 trackpads, but they don’t emulate the rodent acquisition rather arsenic good – if you cognize thing astir first-person shooters, trying to play them connected a trackpad is simply a nightmare.

While not caller to the Switch 2, its detachable Joy-Con, docking station, and backstand offers handheld, tabletop, and docked modes. It’s casual to instrumentality that versatility for granted, but the Steam Deck isn’t susceptible of this. An authoritative Steam Deck Docking Station does exist, but it’s sold separately, and the console does not person a backstand oregon detachable controllers. It’s chiefly a handheld device.

I can’t speech astir Switch 2’s features without bringing up GameChat, Nintendo’s solution to online connection with its ain dedicated “C” button. Not lone tin you video chat with friends portion playing games, but the console has a built-in microphone. Players tin adjacent watercourse their gameplay to 1 another. Certain games person built-in functionality for a Nintendo Switch 2 Camera peripheral, wherever games similar Super Mario Party Jamboree tin spot an representation of your look adjacent to your character. However, a Nintendo Switch Online rank volition beryllium required to usage GameChat aft March 31, 2026.

Comparatively, Steam Deck is feature-lite. It’s a dedicated handheld instrumentality chiefly focused connected playing games disposable connected Steam. However, it gains the further payment of an tremendous bundle library. Whereas Switch 2 titles volition request nonstop ports, Steam Deck owners volition person entree to a wider scope of games.

Switch is the champion of form-factor versatility, and the caller features coming to the Switch 2 solidify that. Steam Deck pulls up with bundle diversity, but the inventiveness of the Switch 2 is impressive.

Winner: Nintendo Switch 2

The Winner Is… the Nintendo Switch 2

Is it premature to grant the crown to a console that isn’t retired yet? Maybe, but the Switch 2 is shaping up to beryllium a phenomenal instrumentality surpassing the Steam Deck successful versatility of features and graphics performance. In Steam Deck’s defense, there’s nary telling what a successor could beryllium susceptible of, particularly with the AMD Z2 Extreme APU yearning desperately for implementation.

There is 1 constituent that the existent Steam Deck is up in: value. Switch 2 is expensive, and its software, adjacent moreso. If you’re acrophobic astir crippled prices successful the future, Steam Deck is apt your champion bet.

Otherwise, Switch 2 has awesome caller features similar Joy-Con that tin enactment arsenic mice and a almighty Nvidia SoC with DLSS support. On apical of everything that already made Switch fantastic, it’s shaping up to beryllium the stronger choice.

Originally posted:

May 1, 2025 5:43 pm

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