Why the Steam Deck still obliterates the Switch 2 (a response to Nintendo Life)
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.
https://www.nintendolife.com/features/opinion-steam-deck-fans-are-seriously-underestimating-the-switch-2Open linkView original on lemmy.world
Nintendo life is just being a bit insecure due to constantly hearing about it being a deck measuring contest.
They want a review unit / codes from Nintendo
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.
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.
I mean they don't make it very hard to play their first party Games. Just pay the online free. The main issue is that not all of those games from 1997 are their games. They are just made for their system.
Yeah that is what I said "cheap" too, it doesn't matter how cheap the NSO is, the games won't keep in your account if you stop paying, thus they are never really yours.
The best approach was the Virtual Console, but it was dumb that they never respected your previous purchases.
Because consoles are a net loss in terms of R&D, production, shipping, warranty claims for when they almost always fucked something on the first or second version, etc etc etc. Locking people into the platform means you make all your money on game sales, even 3rd party, indie, and asset flip shovelware makes Nintendo money. It's the "Walled Garden" method, Apple is shit hot at this. They make an everloving fuck tonne of money from their app store. Even free apps have to pay to have the app hosted on the store servers, and in app purchases are subject to a percentage cut for Apple.
The fact that having digital backups of games/music/media you have purchased is perfectly legal in more than a couple countries, as is emulating, is a thorn in these sociopathic cancers of megacorpic greed's paw. That's why Ubisoft is pushing for widespread legal acknowledgement of "game purchases are actually just paying to be granted a revokable for any reason or no reason at all licence." That's (partly) why Nintendo is so very aggressive in their litigation of anyone who attempts to make a highly functioning emulator for one of their systems, often with games running better with higher resolution and more options for QoL things. Because instead of trying to sell to as many different systems as possible, they want literally all the money, and they refuse the idea that the little money sacks who buy their shit might actually be legally allowed to run back up copies of their purchases on hardware that wasn't sold by them. Refuse the idea that the money sacks have rights or deserve to pay for something and actually own it.
You will own nothing, and you will be happy.
I can imagine a dystopian future, where only few hardcopies/offline copies of literature survive. All art/media is only available on the cloud, which is constantly changed as per the agenda of the day. All communication has to go through the cloud for authenticated. The police state is constantly scanning people if they have any sort of external storage device. USB ports are banned from being manufactured. Radio is banned. Few people, the rebels, hoard the last bit of art and music in the form of LPs/cassettes,/canvas but it's shared among people like contraband.
This can be an awesome movie :P
Yeah.... that's.... depressingly accurate for the way things are going.
Can you play online with your friends?
The trade-off of losing online features when emulating Nintendo games has never really felt that bad mostly because Nintendo's online capabilities have always been total ass.
I hope this sentiment changes with Mario Kart World... I mean, I wouldn't still pay for NSO anyway, but they should really focus in improving this.
Are you honestly asking why Nintendo doesn't allow you to simply bypass purchasing their console? Really? Why do you think?
Both systems have pros and cons. This article isn't bashing on the Steam Deck at all, just making the case for what the Switch 2 has going for it.
They say up front that this article is a response to the frankly obnoxious amount of "my gaming platform can beat up your gaming platform" circlejerking that has been going around - which you're kinda perpetuating.
The Deck does not "obliterate" the Switch 2, and a headline like that makes you part of the problem.
For me it does. But I know that's not objective fact. Just my subjective opinion.
The truth is, if what you want is "newest Nintendo games", well, the Switch 2 is amazing.
I adjusted my mindset on games years ago. There are lots of games that I'd love to play, but because they aren't on PC, I don't play them. Because I already have more games than I could ever play. Hype and FOMO are powerful drugs, ones that I'm not immune to. But I am at least resistant to them.
I dislike a lot of things about the Switch 2, but one thing I give them is that now it has arguments to win in several fields to the Deck (which it should be fucking given lol) and I thought Steam Deck users would be a bit less loud... But I think I was wrong... Regardless I eagerly hope for a Steam Deck 2, and hopefully I'll be able to get it officially in Mexico ffs.
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.
Based*
Nothing beats the DS Lite’s 15 hour battery life
Outstanding even in today's days!
Before Steam Deck maybe.
Or maybe not.
I mean, I also never take a gaming article seriously if it has the word "obliterate" in it.
Valve is definitely a more ethical company but all the console crusading also gets tiresome
There's one objective metric: money.
PC games can be had for cheaper.
But how else are they going to convince simple minded people that can't do any critical thinking?
I don’t think these systems are comparable. They serve different markets.
Gamers still can’t grasp that the Nintendo switch is for 6-12 year olds who wants to play Mario cart. And is marketed at their parents and grandparents.
You are seriously underestimating Nintendo's demographic. So many adults are their customers.
They are that's true, but it's because their parents bought it for them when they were young.
Yeah and that’s why they priced it so much higher than the previous version. Switch 1 has shown that parents are willing to pay a ridiculous price just so they can get the Switch for Christmas. I bet most of the people who bought a Switch from a scalper was a parent.
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.
That’s better FPS than the 15-30(max) it gets on the switch.
I borrowed BotW when it came out for a day and gave it back, then emulated it on my computer at 120FPS… I refused to pay for something that performs so poorly if I have a better option hahaha
That is why the best way to play the Zelda games in original hardware is with a Switch hacked and overclocked, I get close to 60 FPS in many areas (60 in closed areas) and even 40 is a big improvement over 30 lol.
If I had a beefy PC I'd definitely check them out at 120 FPS though.
I won’t lie, I have a mega beefy computer and TotK caps out at 60fps so if you can hit close to that on a switch, that’s dope! Since BotW is on WiiU, that’s much easier to emulate!
I haven't tried since I am still stuck at the ending of BOTW, but the guide I followed to get 60 FPS with it said TOTK would be not much different, which is reassuring to me.
Definitely the consoles/handhelds improve their real potential once they're hacked!
Yea I got TOTK and played it for a day on my switch and the aliasing on the trees as I was running around was so awful and distracting that I started setting up emulation on my PC. I don't run it at 120 but I have played it at 4k/60fps on my living room TV via my gaming PC and it looks absolutely stunning that way. Every time I start it up I'm almost pissed that most people won't experience Zelda that way. That's most of the reason I don't push the performance when emulating on my deck; I've got the PC already for the hi fidelity experience.
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.
Lol I didn't bother setting up citron on my deck literally this week because I looked at a couple of videos online and the FPS seemed sub par. I'd no idea the original switch was worse 😂 does this hold true across the board? It might save me setting up some kind of sunshine/moonlight contraption for a bit.
I don't think I get your question?
What I can tell you is that BOTW and TOTK can get more than 30 FPS once the unit is hacked and overclocked...
If the question is about the Steam Deck I am afraid I can't answer, I don't have 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.
The switch and switch 2 are better than all handheld PCs at present for one simple reason: it's much simpler to obtain and use for the average consumer. That's it. Average consumers don't give a shit about teraflops and fps as long as it's easy to use and still looks good.
Also don't need fuckin anchor arms to carry it around
If only other handheld games consoles (that aren't "retro" ones) tꝏk lightweightedness into consideration !
ꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏꝏk
Except I couldn’t give a fuck about Nintendo games. Never played ‘em and probably won’t ever want to either.
Said the not average consumer. Proving my point for me
You should give some of them a try. Nintendo is a shitty company sometimes, but some of their games speak for themselves - stuff like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 DX, Ring Fit Adventure, Super Metroid, Donkey Kong Country, Earthbound, etc. are all legendary for a reason.
I’ve gotten thousands of hours of play out of every Nintendo system I’ve ever owned (including the WiiU), because the games are just that damn good.
That said I love the Steam Deck as well, but it scratches a different itch. It has a much bigger library of awesome games, and it’s less restrictive than Nintendo’s walled garden approach to gaming.
TLDR; Steam Deck is great, but Switch 2 will be great as well. Gamers win with both choices.
Idk if id include ring fit adventure in that list but yeah
Hey, hey? Hey.
Two things can be good at the same time.
Stop it.
Unless you're ten and in a backyard and you can't get the other thing because you haven't mowed enough lawns or whatever and your frontal lobe is too squishy to cope with the FOMO.
But if you're "a grown man"? Stop it.
If you believe the average person can afford both a Steam Deck and a Switch 2, you're a person with profound financial privilege who's missing the point.
That's not what that says.
It says "if you can't get the other thing (...) AND your frontal lobe is too squishy to cope with the FOMO".
I'm not saying you need to buy both, I'm saying if you're an adult you can live with a cool thing existing and you not needing to have it immediately without resorting to taking sides based on marketing bullet points like a toddler.
Most people need to choose one or the other, so they should be cognizant of what provides the most value for them.
I happen to think Nintendo Life was misrepresenting the actual value of a Switch 2 over a Steam Deck.
If you're an actual adult, you should appreciate that other adults often have to make financial decisions regarding what they will buy. Especially in this current economy.
Well, let me solve that for you right away.
You need neither of these things. Games and entertainment are not a priority if you're in a "this current economy" type of situation.
If you already have one, that's the right one for the money, probably.
Was Nintendo Life "misrepresenting the value of a Switch 2 over a Deck"? Myeeeeh, not sure. I'll say I agree with their premise that "Steam Deck fans Seriously Underestimating the Switch 2". In somewhat petty, immature ways, as demonstrated very well here. Does the Steam Deck "obliterate the Switch 2"? Probably not, no. I'll tell you for sure in the summer, I suppose. That said, their listicle is brand shilling as much as this post is.
Are these two things different and have different sets of pros and cons? Yeah, for sure. It's even a very interesting exercise to look at the weird-ass current handheld landscape, because it's never been wider, more diverse or move overpopulated. The Switch 2 and the Deck will probably remain the two leading platforms until whatever Sony is considering materializes, but they're far from alone, from dirt cheap Linux handhelds to ridiculously niche high end laptop-in-a-candybar Windows PCs.
If you want to have a fun thread about that I'm game, but fanboyism from grown men is a pet peeve of mine, and even if I didn't find it infuriating I'd find it really boring.
For the record, between these two? Tied for price, Switch 2 will be a bit more powerful and take advantage of specifically catered software from both first and third parties, has better default inputs, a better screen and support for physical games. Current Deck is flexible, hugely backwards compatible, can be upgraded to a decent OLED screen and has fewer built-in upsells.
And as a bonus round, Windows handhelds scale up to better performance than either, have better compatibility than the Deck and some superior screen and form factor alternatives... but are typically much more expensive and most (but not all) struggle with the Windows interface and lack hardware HDR support.
We good? Because that's that's the long and short of it.
I think you meant "which are accessible on Steam Deck"
Still wish Steam Deck would improve docked mode support, it's pretty janky.
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?
I use Steam OS. Here are some problems I've faced in docked mode:
Also, not Valve's fault, but BGIII removes its local multiplayer feature on steam deck by default, because I guess they forgot it can run docked.
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.
The bigger trend is that enshitification of consoles have made steam a juggernaut.
$80 a game is a non starter for most people. Switch was a golden goose that revolutionized mobile handheld gaming. It was like a gameboy reboot. I doubt Switch 2 gets even close to half of the success
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.
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.
And I bet one of the reason Nintendo went after the Switch Emus when they did is cause the Switch 2 is just an upgraded Switch 1. So Emulation base is already done.
I mean, if that is true, then playing switch 1 games on the 2 wouldn't be emulated as has been reported. Hopefully it's the way you think, but I'm not too sure.
Interesting I hadnt heard that till now. And I was just looking into this. Sounds like they might be doing some kind of translation layer like Proton. Switch 1 is ARMv8. And Im guessing that the Switch 2 is atleast ARMv9. So some instructions might have to be emulated. And I imagine they just ship the compiled shaders. Some kind of recompile will probably have to happen for the Switch2. Or possibly could be doing a translation there too. But I would think recompiling the shaders would be the better method but shrugs
I mean, my phone can emulate switch games at a better quality than a switch can play them in docked mode. Considering that when it launched the switch wasn't it wasn't top of the line specs, and I don't expect 2 to be.
Edit: pressed post before I was finished 🤦
Above the line was typed before I got curious about what the actual specs are.
Nintendo states that the CPU/GPU are "Nvidia custom chips".
However, this article from 16th of January (updated 24th of March,) references a leak that says the CPU is an Arm Cortex-A78C, a chip from 2020, it's an ARMv8.2, and the GPU is an Nvidia T239 Ampere.
The T239 is apparently a variant of the T234, and Nintendo are receiving a further modified version. T239 likely does run a modified A78C. The T234 is used almost exclusively in automotive infotainment systems. It (T239) supposedly is based off RTX-30 tech, the article(last link in above paragraph) rightly notes that that's a bit suspect.
Below is a screenshot of the spec table(again from the final article linked) comparing the T234, T239, and RTX-2050. Link to said screenshot for people on instances where embedded media is broken.
This article I keep referencing notes that the hardware in the switch 2, if everything is actually accurate and not a bait-and-switch² (eh? eh? 🤓), would be considered behind the curve....for when the Steam Deck released!
I know we were talking about emulated NS1 games on the NS2....but I fell down a fucking rabbit hole and wanted to drag everyone down with me.
So, compatibility layer minimum for playing NS1 games.....might actually be a fiction?
This is the A57(NS1 CPU) spec write-up on wiki.
And the A78 again.
Below is the spec tables from both wiki pages.
A78, link to screenshot here.
A57, link to screenshot here.
There's differences, obviously, but....not insanely so?
Yea it's mostly children, and Nintendo's trying to save face by you could by their crappy accesories
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.
Even if/when Switch 2 emulation is possible, there's not a chance in hell it could run on Deck hardware.
I’m not sure that’s true, if I understand correctly, Steam Deck has more RAM and a better CPU. It’d only be true for graphics card constrained games.
I don’t think you understand how emulation works
If You mean emulation, you're probably right. But giving it time is also a point. What if I don't want to wait?
Maybe in the Deck 2 pal.
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.
Yeah that's crazy, the touchpads on the Steam Deck are really good...
my steam deck can play switch and nintendo games and steam games checkmate
i’m blown away that the switch 2 is so beefy. nintendo has been the “lower spec consoles but AMAZING first party games” company for as long as i can remember.
The Steam Deck is a much better product from a value standpoint, a console will never be able to compare to a PC. So it's kind of pointless to compare them in this regard.
The only reason, personally, to buy a Switch is for the joy-con games, like games to play with friends and family. Like you would with the Wii ( checks notes, almost 19 years ago...). For an actual handheld gaming device, obviously the Deck is the better choice.
That's a point I didn't even think of my sticks were not as smooth bought new ones opened up the back of the unit and about 30 mins of work had them swapped out and calibrated. Try doing that on joycon drift.
Exactly. I personally do all my gaming on a desktop and have no desire for “mobile” gaming, but I’m super excited to get a Switch 2 just for introducing my very young kids to Split-screen Mario kart with that joycon wheel
I literally purchased Rog Ally X as a response to how shitty switch 2 felt. I then installed Bazzite os on it.
Their words:
You:
If that was your whole takeaway from that paragraph, I don't think you'll ever see the appeal. Different strokes and all that.
But the Steam Deck can have Pokémon, Zelda, etc. thanks to piracy.
I feel like it's morally correct to pirate Nintendo games at this point.
Nintendo is not getting another red cent from me until the day I die.
Imagine if people were this principled about things that actually mattered...
You can be principled on multiple fronts at the same time, food for thought...
How come?
That not what IP rights are.
But also, piracy is a copyright issue, not an IP issue.
Ahh but see. Nintendo has taken down many fan made games for just using their IP. No copyright violations
Which isn't relevant in a discussion about piracy.
I believe it is. Because it started by saying it's morally correct to pirate Nintendo products. I think shutting down fan projects is very anti-consumer and an abuse of their power. Which makes it morally correct to pirate their shit
Lol
Nintendo is extremely aggresive when it comes to intelectual property.
There is an argument to be made, that IP laws are too powerful giving exlusive rights for shit ton of time (170 years or sth like that)
The law basically is there for corporations to force small companies out of business and keep their monopolies.
So just excersing a law written by the rich for the rich, for them to stay rich is evil. And by extension the company is evil. And by extension, not supporting the company is inherently good.
Ah okay, was just wonder if there was more nuance than "capitalism bad"
It does... With emulation... That you can scale up to look better than any of Nintendo's consoles can do... Plus mods, save states all the benefits of emulation...
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.
Really?
I would be surprised of that was the case. Valve said they wouldn't release another one until there was a generational improvement and I don't think we're there.
We maybe are not there yet, but we are at the "a bunch of games are not optimized and needs a lot of computing requirements that the current deck just lacks" stage, and if the "Deck Verified" list starts to stall then I would say we should all wish for a revision at least.
Something people may not realize is that the deck serves as a target system for developers of pc games. Obviously at some point a new target makes sense, but there is a careful balance in release frequency if that target status is to be maintained.
For instance you mention steam deck verified - when steam deck 2 comes out, does steam deck verified get bifurcated where a game can get certified for either system separately? Does it just reference steam deck 2 at that point? Not easy questions
I'd say yes, at least I would do it that way.
You meant steam deck I think?
Thanks for catching that. Edited.
Not need to argue, they have entirety difference audiences and that’s ok.
They are both good options ¯_(ツ)_/¯
\
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I agree, it really seems like the author doesn't know what they're talking about. However:
It's actually not, in my opinion. 800p is high enough density on a 7.4" display. Higher resolution will impact battery life. I would, however, prefer 16:9, as almost no games I play support 16:10. And I don't feel like it needs to be any bigger, I think it's a good size. The argument that bigger = better is absurd.
Pros and cons. The Switch has a 120Hz VRR display. SD unfortunately is only 90Hz/no VRR. I've not seen any VRR OLED displays in this size.
Not sure why the SD dock is so expensive but having a first-party devices guarantees everything works the way it should, which its very much not with 3rd party docks.
They sure seem confident that it will...
I'm just going to point out some things.
-1: The comparison comes from price point and the fact that both systems are handheld play anywhere systems with docking capability for couch play.
-2: There are already arguably better spec's handhelds in this category that would outperform both these systems, but the cost of them is largely a deciding factor and it comes with some tradeoffs that include OS (since these are windows only handhelds with the exception of the Legion Go S, meaning that if you don't want windows you have to go to the added trouble of installing something like Bazzite).
-3: We know that just about every handheld on the market has some tradeoffs. The Legion Go has a beautiful screen and joycon-like detachable controllers. But it's also heavier than the switch, and the steam deck and arguably less comfortable to hold for some. We know the the original ROG Ally had a bunch of problems including the fact that it would destroy its own SD card slot and potentially any SD card installed in it. It's newest iteration is great (lots of fixes, better GPU/CPU, larger SDD, better battery life, better ergonomics, fixed SD card slot etc), however it's also close to $1000. The Legion Go S has different storage capacities depending on which OS you chose at launch. Even now there's different variants that give different performance at different price points (Z1 extreme vs Z2 Go). The Switch OG lacks emulation for a lot of newer games (Wii and DS games specifically). Those games are coming probably but they are available on other handhelds with just a little bit of extra work.
-4: Ease of play and ease of emulation are things people who aren't buying these devices to tinker want. So the Switch 2 wins there. Just buy the subscription and you can emulate quite a lot of their gaming library with more to come.
-5: Expecting a publication largely catering to the fans of Nintendo to offer up its competition as the better bargain for the money is just... Silly. It doesn't make sense.
The switch 2 doesn't add enough things to the table to make me want to spend $450+ to buy it. It's launch titles are not particularly compelling for me, and when you add their anti-emulation litigation to the pile and DCMA abuse, I just don't feel like it's something I'm currently willing to buy. On top of that there's lots of accessibility improvements I would love to see including joycon styles for 2D platformers that include a real D pad, GameCube style Joycons, or even just Joycons that would allow those with partial impairment or disability to have greater access to their gaming library. There's a lot of unexplored territory for the design and execution of this product that doesn't include better graphics or being able to play cyberpunk 2077 and I think people forget that. Can you get such things on a steam deck? Yeah. Probably. But not natively docked to the system in handheld mode.
Yep, and a wireless VR headset for your home gaming PC has steamdeck beat. So steamdeck only has value if you don't already have a gaming computer. Or if you need to play on a bus and couldn't handle added latency in the game you plan on playing.
In a VR headset, you have a 4k screen, or more than one, or a triple-wide 5760x1080 screen, or anything else you want, at 120hz. And you don't have to look down at your hands to play it or hold your hands up. Virtual desktop is about 6ms latency for your own desktop(s) in your house, and about double that for your own desktop from someone else's house or business. But tethered to a cell connection, latency can start to get out of hand. Or if you want to stream your computer from half-way around the world. Still useable, but it does limit the types of games you can play at that point.
But, having said that. I'm probably still gonna get a Switch 2. I still like Nintendo first-party games, and I don't plan on stealing them.
And I still have a Steamdeck, I just rarely find a use for it.
Edit: also you can do perfect 3D monitors in a VR headset. Not to mention also VR....
VR headsets are still niche, and a lot of people find them uncomfortable for long sessions and/or get nauseous using them.
You don't get nauseous using them as a steamdeck upgrade. And Quest 2 sold more units than steamdeck(5x as many). That's just one VR headset. Full day comfort is a 100$ mod.
Honestly, with the Presentation of Switch 2, i guess they will again have a unsuccessful Generation (Like Wii U, N64 etc) of console ahead of them. That is why i Sold some of my Nintendo Stocks now while the hypetrain is still going. From my Point of View, the Controller-Mouse is a Gimmick at best - i want to Play a Handheld while on the move, Not by sitting at a desk. Not including a Touchpad is a failure. The price Point of both the Games and the console are the other Thing - Sure for the young Generation the usability of a Switch 2 IS good - but all other successful consoles of Nintendo were compelling to other chunks of dthe democraphic too, thats what made them successful - Nintendo DS was popular among students, Wii with families and elderly, NES with everyone below 30. And those demographics certainly care about price,and the Steam BigPicture UI is as good as the the Switch one.
If on the other Hand valve will Take some of the Features of Switch/Switch 2 to Heart with their next SteamDeck Generation i think, it will be widely successful (at least as Long as Gabe will stay with US and No enshittification Happens). Like the detachable Controllers on a SteamDeck2 with integrated Mouse functionality would Work really Well - because, and that is the deciding usability Factor Here - SteamDeck can also bei used as a Workstation. The Switch 2 can't, so the utility of a Mouse is much larger for a SteamDeck.
Okay, so I gotta admit, that article about the Switch 2 being not-so-bad actually convinced me. They're right, it's awesome for parties and two-player gaming on the go. I didn't realize the hardware could do 3.2 teraflops docked (1.6 undocked)—the Deck only does 1.6!
Yeah, games are pricey, but I think Nintendo delivers good entertainment value.
You could achieve the exact same with a steam Deck with emulation and buying a few more controllers
The article makes a point out of mentioning that you wont be able to emulate switch 2 games on the deck due to hardware performance and emulation overhead.
Maybe 5 years into the future, but not now.
Also interested in any link suggestions for controllers that are as compact as switch joycons. Would be awesome for social gaming on the go.
Different markets, with some overlap.
The Switch is liked by people who just want to play games with minimal fuss.
I’ve owned a Steam Deck for a while now, it’s pretty much as fussy as you want it to be. You can boot it up, download your games and be off to the races in minutes as easily as with any other console and you never have to see the Linux desktop. At the other end of the spectrum you can really get into the weeds with customisation and tinkering if that’s what you want, and the OS won’t get in your way. You can even replace it entirely.
IMO Valve have nailed usability while still treating their customers like adults with the Steam Deck and its an attitude that I hope we see more going forward.
Steam deck is as plug'n'play as it gets. With direct steam game purchase you just play.
Where do you see more fuss?