Since its reveal, the Steam Deck has been dubbed colloquially as a “Nintendo Switch killer,” if just to whet the appetite of console wars between Nintendo and PC fans. And on the surface, Valve’s handheld mini-PC has more than several notable strengths over the Switch: much higher processing power, the flexibility of being a PC which can run other apps and emulator software, and an extensive catalog of games which continues to grow as more developers figure out how to navigate the system’s Proton compatibility layer.
But Nintendo doesn’t need to be concerned about the Steam Deck too much, as it has faced many handheld challengers before; namely, Sega, Sony, and Atari (just to name a few) who all had similar strengths. Yet Nintendo has survived and triumphed over all of them in time. Even if the Steam Deck continues to persist, both devices are meant to solve different problems, and there are more than enough advantages for Nintendo Switch and any future Nintendo handheld to remain relevant.
Both Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch compete in similar areas by virtue of being two consoles meant to be carried on the go, though it wouldn’t be surprising if you were to opt to have either console (or both of them) merely sit safely at home. Each of these consoles cost over $300, with the Steam Deck’s 512GB version costing over twice that at $649. Along with a cellphone and other electronic devices on hand, you can easily be carrying well over a thousand dollars (excluding whatever you have in your wallet, of course).
Beyond competing for your time, money, and space, the Steam Deck also has the upper hand in one notable area which Nintendo should be concerned about: third-party titles. Not only does Steam have a higher frequency of sales – plus, there are other deals like Humble Bundle that package Steam keys for cheap – but the Nintendo Switch struggles to run third-party titles at the same framerate and fidelity compared to the Steam Deck. And in many instances, these are (sometimes buggy) third-party ports which have already been scaled back to accommodate the Switch’s lower specs. Indeed, many Switch titles such as Control Ultimate Edition and Dying Light 2 need to resort to using Switch Cloud Streaming to keep up, whereas the Steam Deck can run those titles natively.
That said, this isn’t the first time Nintendo has had to face competition against other consoles with much better hardware. In fact, they expect it and embrace it. The Nintendo Switch has had to cross swords with Xbox’s and Playstation’s latest consoles, but not in a direct sense. Nintendo has positioned itself as a companion console, as if it were just an extra accessory to purchase alongside one of them. As Gunpei Yokoi, the designer behind many of Nintendo’s key products, has explained, Nintendo has the philosophy of “lateral thinking with withered technology,” choosing to watch other companies compete over the shiniest, most powerful specs while Nintendo provides great gameplay with cheaper, more readily available technology.
By following this philosophy, sales of the Nintendo Switch have reached over 103 million units (so far), more than the Wii during its lifetime, leveraging the console’s affordable price point, accessibility, and overall ease of use. Much of the audience for the Steam Deck are tech-savvy, who likely have considerable Steam libraries and the technical know-how to utilize the console for more than just games. The Nintendo Switch is aimed instead at more casual gamers who don’t want to worry about compatibility issues and early access woes, parents who want to introduce a console to their kids without breaking the bank, and Nintendo fans who want access to its lineup of first-party titles.
And therein lies the most important, albeit obvious, point: The Nintendo Switch is, in essence, a pass in the shape of a $300 piece of hardware that grants access to Nintendo’s numerous exclusives, many of which are critically acclaimed, have mass appeal, or typically both. Whether it’s Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Smash Bros., Pokémon, Bayonetta, or Shin Megami Tensei, the Nintendo platform is more than worth the cost of entry. While the Steam Deck isn’t necessary to play any game in particular, the Nintendo Switch is most certainly the opposite.
While both Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch arrive seemingly close to the same point as handheld consoles, they come from vastly different perspectives, and that protects them from each other in the marketplace. Both cater to different clientele for mostly different reasons. The Steam Deck is an open environment where the consumer has vast control over what they can do with the system, whereas the Nintendo Switch is a walled garden that’s bountiful, unhurried, and well-guarded. Nintendo, with its focus on accessibility and high-quality exclusives, can peer from atop the walls of its kingdom at its new Steam Deck neighbors and rest soundly in the knowledge that they can co-exist peacefully, without fear.
