Table of Contents
Introduction
The first Steam Deck was introduced in February 2022. The Steam Deck is a handheld gaming device produced by Valve, a company better known for the game Half-Life and later the Steam software distribution platform.
The Nintendo Switch 2 was released in June 2025. The Switch 2 is a handheld gaming device produced by Nintendo, a company known for Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda (yes, Link) and many other titles.
System Specifications
A quick comparison of the most basic specifications. There is also a Steam LCD version available which has slightly different specifications.
| Steam Deck (OLED) | Switch 2 (LCD) | |
| Display Resolution | 1280 x 800 px | 1920 x 1080 px |
| Display Size | 7.4 Inch Diagonal | 7.9 Inch Diagonal |
| Display Refresh Rate | Up to 90 Hz | Up to 120 Hz |
| Docked output | 8K@60 Hz / 4K@120 Hz | 4K@60 Hz |
| CPU Type | AMD Zen 2 | ARM Cortex-A78C |
| CPU Cores/Threads | 4 cores, 8 threads | 8 cores (6 reserved for games), 8 threads |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR5 (6400 MT/s) | 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM |
| GPU | 8 RDNA 2 CUs | NVIDIA T239 |
| GPU Speed | 1.6 GHz | 1.0 GHz (docked) |
| GPU TFLOPS | 1.6 TFLOPS | 3.09 TFLOPS (docked) |
| Physical Size | 298 x 117 x 49 mm | 272 × 116 × 13.9 mm |
| Weight | 640 grams | 534 grams |
Game Titles & Experiences
If you don’t like Nintendo’s exclusive titles, the Nintendo console may not be the best recommendation. Most other games are also available on the Steam Deck as well and often at lower prices. The biggest strength of the Switch 2 seems to be Nintendo’s own/exclusive titles (Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, Metroid, Super Smash Bros., etc). Nintendo offers plenty of options for couch-coop and family (and child) friendly titles and often have a typical Nintendo atmosphere and charm.
The Steam Deck also features exclusive titles, such as Half-Life, Portal, Dota 2, Counter-Strike and more. Ultimately, it depends on what you enjoy playing. Personally, I think that playing FPS or RTS games with mouse + keyboard is a better experience and feels more natural, but that’s just a preference of course. Therefore, if you’re not buying a handheld for the mobility and want to play FPS/RTS games mostly, you might consider a (gaming) PC instead.
At the time of writing, the full Steam library includes over 200.000 titles (though only about 8000 are Steam Deck Verified), while Nintendo’s game library (including legacy titles from older systems) has about 4000 titles. If a game is available for Nintendo, you can generally trust that the game will run smooth because of Nintendo’s production standards. This means that if a title is available on both systems, you can be confident that it performs well on Nintendo. This does not automatically mean that it does not run well on Steam Deck though, just that the optimization process seems less strict. For instance, the game Hogwarts Legacy had issues running smooth on the Deck.
That said, Mario Kart World only has a 30Hz refresh rate if you are playing with more than 2 players split-screen. That really disappoints me and my opinion is that 60 Hz should be the strict minimum, always. Also, the default joy-cons are pretty small to hold. For a better experience, you might want to consider investing in larger controllers.
Summarized
- Steam offers far more games, but only about 8000 titles are Steam Deck verified, which means they are fully functional on Steam Deck (undocked).
- Consider the type of games you want to play and consider the exclusive titles.
- Nintendo’s software production standards are higher, but the average prices are as well.
- Mario Kart World runs on 30Hz if you play with more than 2 players.
Ecosystem & Multiplayer
The Steam platform, which comes preinstalled with any Steam Deck, differs greatly from the Nintendo Switch 2 online environment. Steams platform has a lot to offer for its users. This is partly because the platform is not dedicated to the Steam Deck but was mainly designed for PC users with a keyboard. There is a lot of user content on the platform which includes sharing screenshots, reviews and modded content. The open chat has potential risks for toxic interactions, though such features can be disabled. It also offers features like voice communication (with friends), streaming and Remote Play Together. It also has an extensive search engine so find the games you like.
Nintendo’s platform does not have user reviews, guides, screenshots, mods and such. It does have chat, voice chat, cloud saves and a store as core features.
Summarized
- The Steam platform has a lot to offer, including user reviews, workshops, guides, cloud saves, among many other things.
- Nintendo’s online platform is barren in comparison, but is far easier to make safe for younger children.
- Online multiplayer is free on Steam but needs a payed subscription on Nintendo: Mario Kart World needs a subscription for online multiplayer.
- Dota 2 and Counter Strike 2 are free (online multiplayer) titles on Steam.
- Steam often has sales.
Tweaking
The philosophy of both systems are far apart. The Steam deck embraces an open hardware approach: you may replace and tweak parts and the system however you like and Valve encourages hardware mods and even posts about parts and repair guides. If you want to install a different operating system, that’s also fine.
Nintendo on the other hand, follows a closed hardware philosophy. Even the internal storage is sealed. The system has encryption chips that will restrict third party accessories. Nintendo can even remotely disable devices that use unauthorized accessories or software.
Now, if you intent to tweak, the Nintendo is not for you. If you don’t intent to tweak, you don’t have to with the Steam Deck. If you want a secure and stable system that just works and is simple and very user friendly, Nintendo could be the better choice. It is low maintenance, just plug and play. But if you do have a problem with the device, it is extremely unlikely that you can fix it yourself.
Summarized
- With the Steam Deck, the user is in control. With the Switch 2, Nintendo controls everything.
- Steam Deck is community enforced (bottom-up). Nintendo’s Switch 2 is corporate enforced and locked down (top-down).
- Steam Deck is suitable for tinkerers and power users. The Nintendo is for consumers that just want to play games, hassle-free.
Mobility
Both systems are about the same size (see: System Specifications), although the Nintendo Switch 2 is definitely slimmer and a little lighter. The detachable Joy Cons of the Nintendo come in handy when you want to play two player split-screen with a wireless controller about anywhere.
The Steam Deck does not have detachable Joy Cons, but you can of course pair two wireless controllers via Bluetooth. You have to carry these with you as well of course.
Both systems do have about 2.5 to 5 hours battery time, depending on the resources the game asks. The Steam Deck has a slightly better battery. Of course you can attach a power bank on both systems.
With the Nintendo you’re packing a dedicated game system with you, while with the Steam Deck, you actually have a handheld PC with you, complete with a Linux based operating system. So, in theory, you might as well start up a text editor and write.
Summarized
- The Switch 2 is better suited for on-the-go multiplayer games with the detachable Joy Cons.
- The Switch 2 is lighter and a little smaller while having a bigger screen with a higher resolution.
- The battery life of the Steam Deck is a little bit better.
- The Switch 2 is a dedicated gaming device, the Steam Deck is basically a PC and can even run Linux in desktop mode.
Conclusions
The Switch 2 is a very easy to use, safe, mostly child friendly family console. It is also a closed system and it is generally more expensive. It is a great device for mobility and a quick multiplayer match with the detachable Joy Cons. The Nintendo titles are usually of high quality and accessible to most. If you’re a fan of Nintendo games, you unfortunately cannot choose whether you want or need a handheld/hybrid device or not, the Switch 2 is the only next gen choice.
The Steam Deck is a flexible device which gives you an ocean of possibilities to tweak and tinker with. If you’re already a dedicated PC gamer and you want mobility, you do also have other options such as a gaming laptop. I do not think that the device is very interesting for hard-core PC gamers who expect extreme performance and prefer to play with mouse and keyboard anyway. Titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elden Ring are awesome titles to own a Steam Deck for, especially if you want to game on the go. The Steam platform has a lot to offer.
The choice between the two devices is of course very personal and it seems they are in the end for a different target group altogether. I don’t think you should decide based on the system specification, for they are both pretty good. Let’s assume you had to choose between one of the devices. In my opinion you can best decide whether you (mainly) want to play Nintendo games/titles or not. I think it all boils down to that.
Of course, some people enjoy both platforms for their unique strengths, and others prefer not to invest in dedicated gaming hardware at all. It really comes down to what you enjoy and how you like to play.