Steam Deck VS Switch OLED - What should you buy in 2023?

[@poidnet]

The main advantage of the Steam Deck for me is that every game you buy from the store is obviously playable on a PC as well. So, if you want to play on a more powerful machine with better graphics and FPS, you have that option. On the other hand, with the Switch, you're limited to the Nintendo ecosystem, so if a game runs poorly, you're essentially out of luck.

[@mike.barnes]

So true. If you can afford a pc and a steam deck it’s a BEAUTIFUL combo…all be it an expensive one 🥲

[@Jaxv3r]

@@mike.barnes well there's a reason why we have pair of eyeballs, lungs, arm, and a leg for a reason :)

[@doberton]

@@mike.barnes if you really want one you'll find a way to work for it, never settle for what you don't really want you'll live a life of disappointment that way

[@skycloud4802]

Plus in theory, if ever there are sequel Steam Decks (whether the Steam Deck 2,5, 8, or whatever), then those revisions should still play the entire previous library. Nintendo may support the Switch on the next system, but forever? That's likely a no. So sadly many Nintendo games will get stuck on older systems.

[@mike.barnes]

@@skycloud4802 That’s sooo true, great point man 🔥

[@Woupsme]

I've got both as well. Haven't touched the Switch for 1,5 years since I got the Steam Deck.

[@LelloDalamiq]

The Deck's great, either as a PC gamer looking to take your stuff on the go or if you're looking to get into the PC gaming library until you're able to build a PC of your own.

[@BamaShanks]

I have a gaming PC but I find myself playing my switch oled more now. The experience is stress free, portable, and has a great battery life. It’s the best purchase I have made in a long time. Definitely makes work go by faster hahaha.

[@B4L.JohnDoe]

Get a nitro deck it will really change your gaming experience

[@eldengarrett9153]

I think what should be mentioned is that games bought on Steam deck will be compatible with PC's going forward forever. The switch games you buy now will likely not be playable on future iterations of Nintendo's hardware when we get to the "switch 3". I imagine the switch 2 next year will be backwards compatible though. This is one of the most important factors if you don't want to be rebuying the games you love over and over again.

[@JonathanOber]

We are a 3 Switch family. Day 1 Switch (my oldest daughter still plays), A Splatoon 3 OLED my youngest daughter bought for herself and my AC:NH themed Switch that sits mostly docked. I might get a Steam Deck if they release a second gen in the next 2 or so years. Right now I have a gaming PC and am not away from computer that much, so no need for a portable system at the moment.

[@malika4331]

I already have both but your videos are just so calming 😭

[@mike.barnes]

Ahhh too kind 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 So glad you’re enjoying them 😊

[@themufcblog]

I’m lucky to have both and both have their pros and cons, I think steam deck pips the switch just about but I’m a massive Nintendo fan going back to the NES days. I think there’s definitely room for both in your collection if you can afford

[@skycloud4802]

I think Steam Deck is actually pretty good for Nintendo fans. Playing Mario Kart Double Dash on the Steam Deck is great.

[@Thornskade]

I could afford but don't see the point, I can play more Nintendo games on the Steam Deck than I could on the Switch. I'm not getting a closed system just because

[@theunitedworldofworkers7274]

u can emulate Nintendo games

[@CarolineDrivolt]

Owner of both the switch and the steam deck here! As accurately said in the video, I think both serve their own niche. But imho, I think the major difference for me is that Switch is the perfect handheld for multiplayer (both on-couch as well as online), whilst I think the steam deck is the perfect handheld for single player experiences. This mainly being because linux gaming is still often getting excluded from multiplayer gaming. Looking at both of them from a handheld perspective, my personal preference goes out to the steam deck. As a PC gamer mainly, the steam deck is a perfect companion to take those games with me wherever I go. I think that is also a major appeal for a lot of people; you don't have to buy games a second time, they're simply there if you already own a steam account. That being said, with the steam deck also able to emulate my switch games, sometimes better than the switch itself, the Steam deck is really my on-the go device, the battery issue I circumvent with a powerbank =3

[@SarahMar3y]

There’s also the huge price difference -regarding games-between steam deck & switch even for the exact same game which is crazy!

[@DerGeiger]

Got my Steam Deck for just over a year now and I absolutely love it. An OLED screen would be the cherry on top, but until Valve will maybe put one in in the next iteration, the VibrantDeck plugin helps a ton! That being said, I’m really eager to play Tears of the Kingdom. But I bought and sold the Switch like 2 or 3 times now in its life span, and now I will happily wait what maybe next year will bring in terms of a successor. Maybe they will update TotK to make use of the better hardware at release. They’ve done it in the past, we‘ll see.

[@mike.barnes]

Nice man so glad you’re enjoying it. I have played my steam deck more or less every week in the first year that I had it. Tears of the kingdom has definitely shaken that up though! I think there’s a good chance there will be a new Nintendo console out next year!

[@skycloud4802]

If you dock the Steam Deck on a TV or monitor, then you technically can already play it on an OLED screen. But I do think it would be a good addition portable wise if they add it to future models.

[@crimsonxshinobi8837]

I don’t think they will do oled cause they burn in

[@doberton]

I think jsaux is going to release one

[@somedudedelespagne]

You can play that on the Deck.

[@BL00MYB0Y]

I bought a switch OLED in May, I like the smaller form factor and OLED screen. The Steam Deck was appealing because of the power difference but decided on the switch for its library of exclusives

[@mike.barnes]

Awesome man 😊 I can totally see that, Zelda is what pushed it over the edge for me so totally get what you mean with the library of exclusives

[@JDabz96]

Switch emulation runs incredible on the steam deck, been playing zelda totk like crazy on it. I can't find any reason to keep my switch, I can play all the switch games on my deck.

[@marinmarinhola]

​@@JDabz96personally I couldn't stand the frame drops on my friend's Deck. It runs great on my Ally though

[@JDabz96]

@marinmarinhola hasn't been too bad, I got great mods and settings, the frame drops are on the ally too, it's all about settings and mods and using latest yuzu ea. Sounds like maybe your friend had bad settings.

[@skycloud4802]

​@@JDabz96I wouldn't mind emulating Switch games on the Steam Deck, but sadly I kind of have to have a (hacked) switch first to do it legally, so it kind of defeats the purpose for me. A Switch cart dumper would be nice (and cheaper than a Switch), but no such thing exists yet.

[@noticeddamian]

I would say buy the steam deck,I didn’t realise how great it was until I got an ASUs rog ally and after it bricked two sd cards,constantly overheated(causing freezing and shutdowns),had terrible cheap feeling thumb sticks the steam deck felt so good in comparison.

[@LennyTabbi]

I wonder how your experience with the Ally makes the steam deck the better option against the Switch. I don't get the connection.

[@mike.barnes]

Oh really? I've heard sooo many mixed reports man, really put me off getting one

[@missjunie]

I got a Steam Deck after your review about a few month back and I cannot be happier that I did, I hardly use my switches anymore, yes plural because, well just because xD

[@mike.barnes]

Oh no way! That’s great gal, so glad you’re enjoying it. I usually always default to the steam deck but tears of the kingdom has me wrapped up with the switch at the moment

[@missjunie]

@@mike.barnes I am eagerly waiting to start tears of the kingdom when my hori split pad compact controller thingy's arrive, I just can't play with the joycon's, like I refuse and I really want to play it in handheld mode. But yeah, thanks for the review of the steam deck, been the best gaming device I have ever had ^^

[@kaddou1]

@@missjuniesorry i know this is off topic but gotta say it you’re cute :) do you have ig?

[@GoneHollowMedia]

As an owner of both. I suppose it depends how many games you play at once. Currently played BoTW and nearly finished with Metroid Prime remastered on switch while my Steam Deck is laying dormant on my bedside cabinet 🤣 there's a comfort in buying a cartridge plugging it in and playing until you're finished. On the steam deck I find myself installing multiple games and playing for 20 minutes before thinking If I'm in the mood for them or not 🤣

[@HeyJes]

I’m currently playing BotW on my Steam Deck at 40 fps whilst my Switch sits uselessly in its dock for when I want to play Splatoon 3

[@alexrivera633]

It definitely depends on what’s more convenient for you and especially what games you plan on playing

[@GoneHollowMedia]

An update to this. Now I have the Steam Deck OLED I spend way more time on SD than my switch

[@homegrownheroz]

For me, this video really seemed to gloss over the game price section. For me that was the only reason I couldn't justify getting a switch. For example, I wanted the Witcher 3 for either handheld. For the switch at the time of looking, I could not find it cheaper than £40, for a second hand game. I just could not justify buying a console where the games simply do not fall in price to a reasonable comparison. You'd spend hundreds on a small handful of games on the switch vs the already owned back catalogue of steam deck games (and sales as mentioned).

[@skycloud4802]

Yeah the Witcher 3 is like £6 or £7 on Steam sale (and with better performance over Switch version).

[@d0dg3st4r]

The Nintendo store often has sales so you can get it for much less. It will perform better on SD but its decent on Switch. The reason second hand switch games are so expensive is that they don't have the high risk of not working properly like disk based games, and greed from resellers combined with the fact that consumers are willing to pay these prices. People have clocked on to the fact that people now love previous generation games too, and that games will hold their value even when out of date, so 3DS games are also expensive second hand, and old Gameboy carts and SNES carts that used to go for £2 and collect dust, are being sold at the same price as brand new games, sometimes even a lot more in the case of rare and high demand games. Even though, they can be played for free via emulation fully ethically as they are no longer available to buy officially.🎉

[@mancjosh1676]

I needed this video THANKS BRO!

[@Ernie_Creates]

Damn your channel is about to blow up. You’re gonna have to remake this video with both OLEDs now.

[@TimdeVille]

I’m a bit spoilt and have all the things. The deck is amazing for its price to power to portability but I don’t use mine much. I was so excited to preorder it and get it when it was new but I soon realised that with me not gaming much outside the house I just stream from my full pc in better quality plus longer battery life and less fan. My favourite is the Logitech gcloud to play my Xbox and PlayStation and my pc when I can be bothered. Second is my switch OLED. Odd game out the house is retro on a RG35XX. My wife uses the deck to play sims

[@B3VR]

yooo same i use logitech g cloud and its perfect for stream gaming . i love my switch too but im currently if i need steamdeck or not lol i dont think i do tbh

[@iceicebaby8469]

I got a switch a month ago, and I'm loving it. I got the same grip and that makes it really comfy. I got button caps to increase the size of the sticks a bit. Overall with all the accessories and games I spent only about 400 so far because of eshop sales. I really thought of getting a steam deck, but as I'm not really good with technology the switch was more straight forward. I also really wanted Mario Kart and Mario Odyssey, and emulating just isn't really the same for me. Honestly even 3rd party games like Assassins creed or Fall Guys play good enough for me. The battery life was a huuuuge plus for me, it lasts over 5 hours with any game as you said. What has also really been nice for me, is actually having the game physically in my house rather than some digital version. It's just so nice to have the case here, and have a physical item. That's just personal but I really love that.

[@CelestialSanctuaryDeathMetal]

Been bouncing between both of these consoles for a few weeks - specifically for touring and chilling. Even with the SD OLED being released this week, this vid cemented it for me. Defo going switch - the battery life and portability + the nintendo games library. Don't need Elden Ring stressing me out for an hour in the van when I'm trying to unwind 😆 Cheers for the excellent, detailed content.

[@mike.barnes]

Ahh man you’re so welcome! So glad I could help. Thank you for the kind comment 😄

[@Hazemann]

I'm bought Switch Lite early this year. Bought also BOTW digital (sales $39.99) & TOTK physical + download free games likes Fortnite, Apex Legends, Knives Out (eshop Japan) & Overwatch 2. Want to buy Final Fantasy 12 Zodiac Age digital, currently have sales at $24.99. Very good console ❤. Planning on buying Switch OLED this holiday season because Switch 2 in 2024

[@Ribyum]

A lot of of what I prefer of consoles in general is being able to buy physical copies. So if one day Steam or [insert game service platform here] decide to explode and cease to exist, I'll still be able to install and play my games with the copies I really own.

[@BernardoLeon]

Very good video, one thing that I would mention is that even though games perform better on the steam deck they are not designed for it and for me having to squint to read text just ruins it a bit for me, this is currently happening to me with dying light, I can play it on high with stable 40fps which is great but it’s difficult to read the text, I know there is a workaround that involves editing a text file but honestly I’m tired of tinkering; on the other hand the switch version seems to perform at low maybe with 30 fps but I can easily read everything which improves the experience for me, again it’s tough to decide

[@mike.barnes]

Thank you man! Oh no way?? I haven't had that in the games i've played, is there no option to change the text size in the game menus?

[@Thornskade]

It's hopefully something that developers become mindful of. It's not just handhelds, but people playing on TV as well, that would have difficulty with reading text. Not offering a text size slider is a no go in 2023 and 100% the fault of the developers

[@taylorhead9842]

There is a magnifier shortcut if you hold the steam button and L1 then use the right analog stick to move around the screen. You can set it as a toggle so you dont have to hold it. Go into the controls for the game and set one of the back buttons. Under System to the right of Action sets there is a toggle magnifer. That will make it so you just tap the back paddle and the magnifier is on use the right analog to move around and to turn it off just tap the back button again. Really helpful.

[@Adam.C]

Great video! I'm also one of those oddballs who has both these devices. I love them both. The points I'd add are that if you already have a steam account full of games, when you get a deck, you immediately have a library to play on there. Secondly, the switch is getting old these days, and while that does mean it has hundreds of well established great titles, it's very likely Nintendo will be releasing their next generation console in the next 18 months. It's just something you might want to consider in terms of how long both devices will be supported. You can't go wrong with either at the end of the day.

[@goshimtired]

people have been saying that a next-gen nintendo console is coming out soon almost every year since the switch came out lol. just buy it

[@Adam.C]

@@goshimtired well it's been nonsense. But you just need to look at the age of it and see that consoles usually last 5-8 years. Switch is in it's 7th year. It's not too complicated. Nothing bad about getting an older console, but it might matter to some people.

[@mike.barnes]

You’re totally right man, if you have a pc already it makes things much so much better. Yeah totally, I’m pretty sure Nintendo are going to release their next console next year, but I’ve also heard that valve are considering a sequel to the steam deck in 2025, which isn’t too far away ether. But exactly like you say, both are great, you really can’t go wrong with ether

[@skycloud4802]

​@@goshimtiredit's not even just that to consider. Nintendo are going to eventually reach peak saturation with Nintendo Switch sales as they have sold so many. A big price drop or stock clearance could be expected any time, either from Nintendo or retailers. Now if the next system does drop with backwards compatibility...well, a lot of people are suddenly going to sell their Switches, flooding the second hand market with Switch units. I think it is a bad time to get a Nintendo Switch now knowing that cheap deals or new backwards compatible Nintendo system is just around the corner.

[@forcakong2396]

@@Adam.C Its rare to find a console that can last this long giving us such great games and multiplayer options

[@Isaiahdoesvlogs]

i’m a switch fan! but i loved hearing your take on the steam :) thanks for sharing!

[@paro2210]

One thing you do notice with the screens is that the switch has more shine, so its worse to play outside. I notice that with my own switch oled and steam deck. When I went from the regular switch to the oled I tought there where going to be a bigger difference than it is. I can more easily use the steam deck outside and still see what is happening on screen than the switch oled. Its weird.

[@sanjkera]

Very well articulated.

[@EmpireZzzz]

I would love to emulate on my deck but its so confusing

[@mike.barnes]

You know, those rom sites scare me hahaha 😂

[@skycloud4802]

Setting up emulators are actually pretty easy with Emudeck. It configures everything for you. Just need to obtain the roms and bios files. As far as ROMs, PlayStation games can be imported with free image burning software, and Gameboy games with a cartridge dumper. Bios files are generally the most annoying thing to get yourself, but not emulators require them.

[@vladislavglad6596]

The only reason I've bought OLED is because SteamDeck was not available at the time when I needed it. I reserved it when reservation website went online but did not get invite in February and in March I just could not wait for the invitation, so I bought whatever was available -- NS... I needed some sort of entertainment because at the time I was going between two states quite often and needed something to occupy me while traveling so much... So, yeah!

[@craigjoe8691]

Sold my OLED Switch about a month after getting my Steam Deck. Haven't looked back since. With all the updates to YUZU it plays all my favorite games just fine.

[@mike.barnes]

Totally man, if you're down for getting yuzu it's a game changer!

[@boringnation]

OLED Switch is the winner for me. Steam Deck was too big for me and at least when I tried it out (Maybe 6 or so months ago?) I got far too many crashes, wonky resolutions at startup, and other things that caused me to tinker more than game. OLED is great at home with a grip added to it or a pro controller and the built in stand. When I travel I don’t add the grip to keep the form factor as small as possible. Took it to Japan last year and it was excellent for the flight and perfect for the longer train rides.

[@wisdombright9821]

I own both, IMO the steam deck has a far superior hardware, so if you want to play AAA titles on the go the steam deck is definitely your choice. NS hardware is outdated at this point, but they have really good exclusives. The only thing I can't deal with is the prices, they are expensive and almost never go on sale. If you don't mind paying $60 for games released 7 years ago then go for it.

[@JDabz96]

You can play a majority of these so called exclusives on the deck no problems, yuzu is crazy good

[@wisdombright9821]

@@JDabz96 Lol, I just didn't want to mention it since the process can be sketchy 😉

[@JDabz96]

@@wisdombright9821 somewhat yea lol, still pretty cool

[@skycloud4802]

To be honest the only games I really care about on Nintendo at this point are the excellent Xenoblade games. I wish they came to Steam.

[@JDabz96]

@skycloud4802 played the first one on my steam deck through yuzu ran surprisingly good, havnt bought the newer one on my switch yet

[@italianmob4566]

I just got the 256 gb model of the steam deck. I really am loving it. I want a switch oled too but I figure I can try some switch emulation on the deck. Also switch 2 should be out next year anyway.

[@itsGDNM]

just love your videos

[@mike.barnes]

Ah thank you so much man 😊 I really appreciate that 🙏🏼

[@VictorChu-n4d]

I think I will swap my switch oled for the steamdeck oled later this year....

[@AshworthDRO]

I have the original switch and am thinking about either buying a new OLED or a steam deck. I already have a PC so of course have a library which i would like to use portably. Should i purchase the Steam Deck?

[@3atFr35h]

I guess it all depends on the games you want to play: - only modern Nintendo exclusives and indies -> switch is better - bigger AA or AAA games from the last 15 years, strategy games, emulation -> steam deck (I feel like it would be better to compare battery life by running the same game on both devices. For example Nier, Hades and Witcher 3)

[@mike.barnes]

Yeah you're totally right man. I would have loved to have done a proper battery comparison but just been so tight on time recently. But theres a tonne of great videos out there that compare the battery in great detail, much better than I can hahah

[@3atFr35h]

@@mike.barnes no worries, it was a great video nonetheless (as always)!

[@bobasquid3339]

I think if you don't PC game at all and it's something you've been wanting to get into, Steam deck is a good entry point. But if you want Nintendo exclusive games plus free to play games like Fortnite , Overwatch and more etc, Switch will satisfy both that esport and core exclusive gaming itch. Can't go wrong with Switch , imo.

[@PixilBits]

You are very Underrated. This Video was very helpful 😊Keep up the Good Work :) Love your vids

[@mike.barnes]

Thank you so much my man 😊

[@benjamin-jp93]

Those black borders around the screen on the Steam Deck make the actual screen look tiny! 😳

[@MooMooTheWolf]

Hey Mike love the vids!!! Now that the Steam Deck Oled is out, could you make a "Steam Deck Oled vs Switch Oled" vid? I think that would be incredible👌😄

[@David_Quinn_Photography]

if you ignore the emulation scene of the deck the switch for sure has more couch coop games but combine emulation with co-optimus and you will find plenty of PC games for couch coop. Once I learned about Co-Optimus I didn't know there were so many games and once I got my deck and tinkered with it I sold my Switch Lite and do not regret it. Now if Valve releases an OLED display or a 3rd party does I will be replacing the $400 decks screen I just hope they make it with the front plate because I have heard the screen isn't easy to replace.

[@skycloud4802]

I don't know actually. Emulation aside there are actually a lot of party games, puzzle, fighting games (tag based modes), and sports games allowing coach co-op games straight up on Steam. Just need to find them generally. Take Portal 2 as an example. Unfortunately it's the single player and shooters that aren't good for offering split screen or co-op modes on Steam. However even then, the Steam Remote Play allows people with friends to take turns playing a campaign.

[@supremefire31xd88]

Well with Steam you can play most third-party and first-party games, unlike the Nintendo Switch, which can play some third party. That alone would be a major difference even before anything else.

[@evilcrashbandicootthetouho2753]

Which screen bigger

[@spoilthatsong2544]

I've got a regular Nintendo Switch. Didn't see a reason for me to upgrade to an OLED. Hoping for a new model of switch or successor that is more powerful. Would love to play ToTK with less frame drops and higher resolution. As for the Steam Deck, I know that if I did get one I would end up playing it a few meters away from my gaming computer for the vast majority of the time. I like the idea of playing with it docked to the TV and having a more home console experience with my PC games.

[@JDabz96]

My switch died once I got my steam deck, it's just light-years better than the switch, and a bigger gaming library than all consoles combined, with insane sales and prices

[@parsonbrown3907]

They heard what u said. Flop the OLED screen on the deck.

[@naostarliger7757]

Switch AD HOC without internet , Steamdeck multiplayer all the way Online execpt some game Splitscreen support ..... both is good console please buy it both

[@daryllsievewright2699]

Steam deck oled 1tb hands down sold my OLED switch for one...best thing ever 😂👍 plus you can play all switch games on the SD OLED

[@ESGamingCentral]

Steam Deck go for sale for around ~ 359 new, and it can do so much more and even play nintendo games via emulation

[@strohhut6583]

Im happy to have both but if i had to decide i would probably go for the steam Deck Very cool vid!!

[@mike.barnes]

Thanks so much man!

[@JayneAFK]

I have both and love both, so I'd just recommend people get both if they can afford to.

[@badmuppet6532]

Switch for me as it is completely hassle free and does what I want. I am not a “die hard” gamer,er that always has to have the best frame and and highest graphics, my favourite racing game along with my mates is still PGR4 which is definitely game play over those other things, and when I play I just want to relax and play. Other people may relish in all the technical stuff but give me a fun game that I can play with friends and is stress free and I am happy!

[@steffan9974]

How long have you had it for and do you have stick drift

[@barebarekun161]

I already have high-end laptop which meant it can emulate Switch games really well, but what I really want is a ready easy-to-use portable gaming system with good screen and decent battery life. And Switch OLED fits that description really well. At the moment I can get a brand-new Switch OLED for less than $250 so I'll go with that. Months later we now have Steam Deck OLED which is pretty cool improved revised model it just that it starts at almost $600, and it's not exactly plug and play experience. When I have to play something on the go, I value ease of use plug and play and decent battery life over power and PC versatility. But Steam Deck is pretty cool as well, I just want them to make it a bit smaller and more low profile than current form factor as I already struggled pulling my OG Switch out to play outdoors from time to time because at one point it was the biggest handheld gaming device, and I sold it years ago due to poor selection of racing games in 2019.

[@setsamidori8666]

Now SD has OLED too. nice

[@PlayStationAndNintendo]

Fantastic video! A couple of wishes: 1. Steam Deck OLED. 2. Switch Lite OLED! Love both Switch & Steam Deck, - (and looking forward to PlayStation Portal too!) 💙

[@Aethelbeorn]

It took 3 days but they went and threw together an OLED Steam Deck for ya 😊

[@telios13]

Great presentation my friend..i would like the switch for the nintendo's exclusive games

[@mike.barnes]

Thank you my man!

[@nujhumshonda8788]

If you wanna play nintendo exclusive game, go for switch, if you want ultimate gaming experience go for SD might as well sail the 7 seas for emulation and exclusive title.

[@bodabodaguy3193]

I just got past kanji’s fight in P4! dude i was way under leveled for him (like 10 lvls on each character) i had to go back a week prior and grind his map for 8 hours!!!!😭😭 but im more fluent with the fighting mechanics and i got a badass persona

[@niqgal3356]

I am okay with the Deck's screen, overall, except for the thicker bezels and brightness level -- the latter is decent, but could be better, for sure.

[@CyberClu]

Great review, but I think you glossed over two things. Sure the Steam Deck doesn't have an OLED screen, but you can use the Vibrant Deck plugin through Decky Loader to increase the saturation. It's not OLED level, but it makes a big difference. Also, I don't know if Nintendo has announced this yet, but if the Switch 2 or Switch Pro releases, and regular Switch games aren't backwards compatible, you're going to be seeing a lot of buyer's regret on purchasing a Switch.

[@mike.barnes]

Yeah great point man, haven’t tried vibrant deck yet! Will give that a go. Thank you 😊 Also yeah you’re totally right about the Nintendo sequel. I initially had scripted out another section about this but I was worried the video was going to be too long. I talk about this in my switch Oled video though! But as an overview, it’s looking highly likely a new Nintendo console will be out next year 2024. But also it’s looking like there’s a good chance of a steam deck 2 in 2025! So I think if people are interested in one of these, go ahead and get one and you’ll still have 1/2 years to enjoy them 😊

[@dorayaki5494]

Nah no way bro that games from the switch won't be compatible with the next generation. That's just asking for trouble...

[@tomianz-1242]

You can have the saturation but not the dark levels of blacks You hav on a oled panel

[@Thornskade]

@@dorayaki5494 They did it with the Wii U but I guess the sales were low enough that Nintendo could afford to show me the middle finger and ask me to buy all the games again on Switch. Major factor in why I never bought a Switch

[@toaster-dude_]

i play mariokart 8 deluxe on my steam deck with my friends often

[@nukfauxsho]

Steam deck runs switch well. Retrodeck is a one click solution. Dumping your own games and keys is not illegal. Downloading roms (and cryptography keys) off the internet is though. Currently playing ToTK on the deck at 60fps.

[@sandalojhony]

Hi, dude. Can you please share how you managed to run ToTK that well on the Deck? I've tested a couple of different settings and mods, but I can't even get a stable 30fps. It kind of puts me off.

[@nukfauxsho]

@@sandalojhony Set the min GPU clock to max using Powertools. That helped immensly

[@bobasquid3339]

A game like Zelda , id rather own physical. You can always sell it later and get most of your money back. Some titles are just better owning physical copies. But if you don't care about collecting then digital is probably the thing for you.

[@mrx_yai1991]

it just depends on the type of person. a nintendo loveboy diehard (like me lol :p) will obviously drift toward the switch. but you can also run tons of emulated nintendo games on the steam deck, plus just your regular steam games. a younger kid will absolutely want a switch more, but a teen or young adult will want something less kiddish and want the steam deck. idk it just really depends on the person.

[@briskdarthmaul]

Easily the Steam Deck. The Switch has aged like milk in 2023. A lot of ports on Switch that has realistic graphics makes characters look like Play-Doh and GI Joes, run like a Powerpoint presentation and makes you feel like you're going blind. If it weren't for Mario and Zelda games then Switch wouldn't be worth it. But even so, there are still Switch exclusives that struggle to play well like Bayonetta 3, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Pokémon Scarlet/Violet and Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope. Plus don't get me started at being forced to pay to play online and go to Nintendo's Blockbuster to play retro games. Steam Deck is more powerful, can download mods and emulators and use SSDs. Just pay the higher price tag of the Steam Deck, you'll be more happier.

[@Zombiezay]

Easy imo, Switch for Nintendo games, Steam deck for quite literally everything else!

[@horticultural261]

nintendo exclusives

[@Tobiass333]

Well some people might use the It's clues that the switch has some games that you care about the steam that like the Zelda games and old-fashioned Nintendo games it was you actually can mod the steam deck and get any game you want like any game

[@smidlee7747]

As a portable handheld it's Switch > Deck > Ally. As a docked console /PC it's Ally > Deck > Switch. While I don't like Nintendo as a company no one can compete with them when it comes making a good handheld. The Ally is a gaming laptop disguised as a handheld with the worst battery life. If you've got the cash I would prefer getting the Asus 13" oled laptop with the 7840u that has a 67 Wh battery over the Ally.

[@smidlee7747]

@@rain6085 Every game I've played on the Switch I seem to get 5+ hours of playtime on a single charge. The Switch don't have the headaches of PC handhelds especially Windows. Of course the downside as a PC gamer is I can run my PC games on multiple devices , desktop, laptop and handheld while I have to buy games separately for the Switch. Still if i can buy some indy titles on sale for the Switch. The weakness of the Switch is when I docked it. What looks good on a 7" screen doesn't look as good on a larger screen. Switch is much lighter with much better battery ... thus can play wireless longer than any PC handheld. Even the joycons are very useful playing PC games on Steam (not just on the Switch) while walking on a tread mill instead on sitting on a couch.

[@jimmychops]

I own both, steam deck is undoubtedly my favorite; it can do so much more than the switch.

[@leonthesleepy]

As someone who currently hates the OG Switch display, would you say that the Steam Deck display is any better than that? Because i really want to play my steam games handheld, but if the display is that bad (poor black levels), then I rather wait for a better Steam Deck screen down the line

[@mike.barnes]

Hey man! Definitely, I’d say the steam decks display is a firm cut above the og switch. I honestly think the steam decks screen is great, it’s just a tough competition against an Oled. But yeah the og switch display was very poor in my opinion so I’d say go for a steam deck now rather than waiting another couple years 😊

[@leonthesleepy]

@@mike.barnes Awesome! Thanks so much for the advice :)

[@ummidk757]

Depends if you want nintendo switch games or not id honestly go for the switch but if u dont care about nintendo games the steam deck is a great choice

[@losteden6390]

Both are fantastic ... Rog Ally is great too .. .

[@pargo9869]

On portable device for me the most important is battery life so Switch.

[@Puntonghua]

I still prefer my switch for 3 reasons 1. In a physical collector 2. Joycons (play with my mates at the coffee shop 🇳🇱🍁😉) 3. Battery life

[@christianadames3540]

You should get this if you don't have a computer for gaming just so you can play Pizza Tower I promise its worth it I play it every day now and its very fun

[@Andrew-cg2zl]

$200 for a switch . hard to find! lol.. usa viewer. thank you for posting!

[@williamreece5763]

I llve switch and want 1 but then again the fact that i can play all ps2 games ps1 games and gamecube games on top of whats in the steam store is so tempting, i want to play mgs1 and 007 night fire and zelda the windwaker then jump to something like resident evil 7, idk im so lost lol

[@tobfon2416]

Bought the Switch oled because of the exclusives and much better battery life. Heres my list. I know there are a lot more Mario games. But im more into roleplaying 😅 Zelda botw Zelda totk Astral Chain Fire Emblem three Houses Fire Emblem three hopes Fire Emblem engage Xenoblade Chronicle 3 Shin megami tensei v Pokémon arceus Pikmin 4 For Windows i have a gaming PC and a ps5 for PS exclusives.

[@marinmarinhola]

I would suggest just buying the ROG Ally, which is more powerful, so that you can run Yuzu better and there you go, you have a portable PC+ a switch all in one

[@jonahblaine]

This man is a smart man is my man cuz he’s a manly man’s man.

[@JessicaNeidingHaverly]

I can't bring myself to spend money on a switch. I have a sega genesis and the SNES classic edition mini console. I'd grab sega mini consoles too if the prices come down. I have wireless controllers from retro-bit and 8bitdo to play the SNES and genesis. The deck docked works great for multi player. I don't want to rebuy games...

[@d0dg3st4r]

If you dont intend to emulate a huge library of games from past and even present consoles, then the Switch is definitely the better console in terms of the actual games and features available for a great out of the box, simole gaming experience, unless you really don't like Nintendo franchises. You an relate it to the Apple of the handheld market, it's eell optimised and works great out of the box, like an iPhone, iPad or even Apple Silicon Mac. If you want to emulate, play a huge back catalogue, and be able to tweak to your heart's content (with the risk of messing stuff up too and searching for fixes etc, all part of the fun!), then the Steam Deck is a killer opti9n. Its very much analogous to Android, especialy early Android, in this respect (Android has become more like Apple, less scope for and less need for tweaking in recent years). Both are great and will hold up for decades to come, even with newer generations being released (heck, with hacking, the 3DS, PSP and Vita still hold up... Not so much the original DS lineup, but this is a testament to how well these two handhelds should fare in the years to come). My personal hope is for the swit h to receive a decent jailbreaking scene across all hardware versions via a software exploit once the successor is out, and the cat and mouse game between hackers and Nintendo uninfensifies for the Switch. OTOH, the Steam Deck doesnt need a jailbreak, you can mod it all you want already.

[@Ackoeppeltheone]

for me personally the steam deck takes the cake without though i mean i have a nintendo switch to but the steam deck has so much to offer i mean it can do almost everything the switch can but more the steam deck also has modding and emulating and can play pretty much every game and you can play it at any time with no internet or set up while the switch can do the same the steam deck just does it better in my opinion and the steam deck has hundreds of options for performance and it can easily download apps and stuff to enhance the options the steam deck also has a better operating system which was a big issue for my switch and its 5 year system and the steam deck can easily be used with friends at their house or anywhere else to project the steam deck onto the tv or computer now i can go on and on about my personal experience with the steam deck but what im getting at is that the steam deck is way more optimized for its time with more to offer in every department

[@MasTommy21]

It all comes to the games. I just can't imagine myself playing another Mario. And the games price is much cheaper on steam

[@zenithproductions8307]

I will say as an owner of both, one area the Switch absolutely wipes the steam deck is battery life. Steam deck can barely last 2 hours not even playing intense games while my switch can get me 3-4 hours straight on tears of the kingdom before even dropping below 20%. Obv exclusives and Nintendo environment has its pros and though I prefer the deck in almost every other way, for long car trips I’d waaaay rather play on the switch cause I know it won’t die on me 2 hours in.

[@BossUpNikka]

All i gotta do is set my settings extremely low just like the switch to get the same battery life

[@abdullahabid218]

so is the steam deck still your favourite console?

[@mike.barnes]

Yeah man 😄

[@abdullahabid218]

@@mike.barnes very good. that was a test

[@depressedutchman]

​@@abdullahabid218mine is a switch. I travel a lot so I like my battery to not die in 90 minutes

[@nelforeign]

I have both and can confirm the Switch OLED is the better handheld. The games I would play on the steam deck feel much better on my PC in 4K with my 4090 and games I prefer In handheld look better on my switch OLED

[@JessicaNeidingHaverly]

Have you streamed from your laptop to the steam deck? That's the main way my brother uses his deck at home.

[@llks1772]

Go with switch less tinkering and dealing with shader cache issues 🙄

[@iam_yirmeyahu1416]

That's my main reason for going after the switch.

[@jackyuan5687]

I have a controller for Nintendo Switch with cool lights, would you like to test it for free?

[@ChrisKliewer]

And now they have the new Steam Deck 7.4" OLED screen, and many more upgrades...*sign*...I think I might get the new Steam Deck..

[@altriapr]

As a PC gamer, I obviously prefer the steam deck, but the switch is way cheaper and has some exclusive games I really want to play. I really don't know which one to buy lmao

[@4zv4l38]

If you mind money spending I would go for the steam deck, you won’t have to pay for the online, games are much cheaper and with a bit of luck most of the games you wanna play on the switch will run smoothly in the deck with yuzu ^^

[@ሽብሬሙሀመድ-ኈ3ቘ]

Thank you

[@nitromusic8524]

Hey bro I just wanna spread information to help people a few notes you forgot: - Steam Deck does not support motion controls or “real life” type games Like Nintendo Switch Sports, Tennis, Table Tennis, Boxing, Throwing, etc etc - Steam Deck is a handheld that does not support Sports Games because of Anti-Cheat so games like FC 24, NBA, NFL Madden, etc etc won’t work at all or will work very poorly while on the switch they are amazing.

[@BossUpNikka]

It has gyro thats what he ment and if your broke just say that

[@EmpireZzzz]

Might sell my switch for the legend of zelda oled edition

[@pootskoot23]

The fact that we are still comparing the 2016 Switch to the current handheld devices says a lot about the Switch.

[@berkeksioglu6689]

If you have pc setup with steam library, you can play on your pc. Yes, Steam library huge. But I think steam library not good totaly for portable device. I dont want play call of duty in bus. But i can play Zelda lot of times in bus. Also switch library is not small. This is main subject. Switch library incredibly compatible with Switch purpose. And also Switch incredibly compatible with undertaken purpose. Mobility incredible. Very good battery life, light weight and more.. Emulator possible for any device in general. I'm not very knowledgeable on this subject. But I saw someone playing pc games on their switch. This is not answer. I bought switch. Because it's pure fun. when i want play competitive games or high fps, 4k resolution , i just turn off my switch device, i turn on my pc. By the way The graphics of the games on the switch look really incredible. The last topic is, incredibly enjoyable to collect. On which subject? IT DOESN'T MATTER. Amiboo, various accessories, Physical games... OH dude.. Its madness.. Pure fun.. I think there are games in the switch library that everyone is curious about and wants to play without any efforts, problems. If you want to try something different from your PC setup and play games on the go, you should give the switch a shot.

[@nozopoke1782]

The fact that you can buy a bunch of amazing PHYSICAL games for the switch, makes it way way better. “Owning” everything 100% digital with the steam deck makes it kind of a bummer.

[@pablor3138]

I’m spoiled with the oled, it’s just a pleasure to play vibrant Nintendo games there. I wouldn’t buy a Steamdeck just for that reason

[@yuramoon5392]

Switch is a W for local play Steamdeck W for game library.

[@supremefire31xd88]

I would prefer to use Steam OLED for traveling and the switch for at home.