When Nintendo launched the Switch in 2017, there was no competition in dedicated handheld games, a sector that was founded with the Game Boy in 1989 and has dominated ever since. Sega had come and gone. Sony has largely given up after deciding on two attempts on the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita.
When the Switch 2 comes on sale in 2025, things will look a little different, but only a little. The Switch’s enormous success awakened the sleeping giant. Sony and Microsoft are reportedly currently preparing their own PlayStation and Xbox Handhelds. Certainly, however, the first move was a PC game sphere. Valve led the way in 2022 with steam decks. This quickly seeded the growing ecosystem of similar PC-based handheld devices from manufacturers such as Lenovo and Asus. After a quiet decade, handheld games other than Nintendo are once again. And that means Switch 2 will not run without being opposed due to the advantage of the handheld game.
In a way, Nintendo is a victim of its own strategic foresight. With the Switch, we first discovered that the narrow gap in processing power between mobile and home devices allowed for unified handheld and home gaming experiences. Finally, the same game could work in both contexts. Switch has highlighted this point and proved it, and now everyone wants a work.
However, dedicated devices from Sony and Microsoft are still a few years away, and for now the competition requires competition from Steam Deck and other PC handhelds. My colleague Chris Plante argued that these devices were convincingly representing Nintendo’s “the biggest threat of the present.” They removed the spec switch and closed the gap with the modern AAA game of the house until it was barely detectable. With each software, they offer almost all the fascinating value and incredible range of steam.
Photo: Nintendo
It is true that the Switch 2 price and specifications have led to us being caught up in a direct competition with the low-end PC handheld. At $449, it’s $50 more expensive than the base model steam deck. The Switch 2 is much more flexible to use as it has nearly comparable power and storage, has a much better screen, and has a removable controller and a TV dock included in the price. The base model of Asus’ Rog Ally Handheld ($499 or later) and the new Lenovo Legion Go S ($549) are also very close competitors in terms of specifications.
In raw hardware terminology, these are all very similar devices. It is worth noting that Nvidia’s exclusive access to market-leading DLSS Upscaling technology on Switch 2 will allow it to surpass its weight class slightly. But realistically, there isn’t much between them.
But it’s very, very big, but note that you can play the spec sheet with your finger, compared to the handheld on your PC. Civilization 7 and Elden RingI won’t talk about the whole thing. Within the enthusiast bubble, the PC handheld is a big deal, but it doesn’t exist in the same universe as Nintendo’s consoles. Frankly, PC handhelds are still a niche.
Steam decks have been a huge success for valves, but let’s look into it. Valve has not discussed sales numbers, but market research estimates it sells around 4 million steam decks. Steam decks are warping that competition. The same study suggests, in total, about 6 million PC handhelds have been sold over the three years since steam decks were on the market. Worriedly, there are no signs of strong sales growth yet.
It will become clear that it will stack up against the wild differences in the Switch sales and scale. Of course, that is not a direct similar comparison. PC handhelds have only been around for three years. The switch has been around for eight years, and Nintendo has been in the handheld business for over 35 years. Nintendo expects to sell 11 million aging switches this fiscal year. This is more than five times the predicted sales of PC handhelds at the time. Meanwhile, analysts believe the Switch 2 will almost immediately surpass the size of the PC handheld market, with 60-8 million units available at launch, surpassing sales of up to 20 million units in the first year.
Photo: Valve
Valve is a big player in the gaming industry and a very wealthy company. But it’s a newcomer in the world of electronics retail and if you want to do it, there’s a lot to do. Steam Deck is not available for purchase in stores. You can’t step into Walmart and pick it up. Valve does not purchase ads on TV or bus stops. Companies like Lenovo and Asus have more traditional distribution channels, but are small minnows compared to Nintendo’s marketing, retail and distribution possibilities.
There are other factors that create PC handheld niche products. The user experiences of Windows-based handhelds like Rog Ally and Legion Go are well-known for their infamousness. While Valve’s Steamos is far better, it’s still quite removed from the reliability and simplicity offered by Nintendo and other console platforms.
You cannot open the box on your new steam deck, turn it on, or play the game right away. You need to tinker with it to do your best. Valve’s game verification system is a useful guide, but it is not guaranteed to get a great playable experience in every game. The deck is also bulky and heavy. You never buy one for your child or share it with your family. It’s clearly not designed to be shared. Realistically, it remains a tough sell for non-game enthusiasts.
There is reportedly one device that could change this story a bit. Microsoft is said to be working with PC handheld makers on a system with Xbox branding and user interface based on a new version of the Xbox PC app. This could be a more user-friendly device that allows easy access to your PC gaming pass on the go, which is very convincing. However, Microsoft has been creating Xbox consoles for over 20 years now, and despite repeated attempts, it has consistently struggled to use that experience to make PC games seamless. Until Microsoft’s own dedicated handheld console is ready, the device doesn’t sound like a stop gup.
Nintendo will not be playing real competition in the handheld until its console space peers are involved. Microsoft is reportedly looking at 2027 for the release of the handheld Xbox. Sony’s portable PS5 is said to be several years away if this is released. Things are definitely escalating for Nintendo, and by the end of the Switch 2’s lifespan (or the middle), I’m sure the handheld gaming market will be far busier than it is now. However, the competition for new consoles will remain far apart for the next few years.
