Is The Steam Deck A Nintendo Switch Killer?

While you may have to wait 10 to 12 months to actually get one, a real competitor to the Nintendo Switch is finally here. We have had our hands on the Steam Deck for a while now and our impressions can be found here. Recently there has been some online discourse regarding the need for a Switch Pro. Yet would owning a Steam Deck mitigate the need for a Nintendo Switch?

Form Factor

When you unbox your Steam Deck, the first thing you are going to notice is its size. Of course, you can see thousands of pictures and videos online but, they genuinely do not do it justice. I was taken back when I first held it in my hand, it’s huge. The 23.6-ounce Steam Deck weighs nearly twice as much as the OLED Nintendo Switch. While a difference of two inches or 5 cm does not sound like a lot, the Steam Deck feels significantly wider than the Switch.

For the most part, I love the size, it fits me perfectly. The buttons and the dual mouse pads are ergonomically arranged around the seven-inch display. The size feels right but after countless hours of playing for our content, I developed tennis elbow and forearm fatigue. Had I been playing normal healthy hours, this would not be a problem. I should also note the Steam Deck gets very hot. If you are prone to Eczema rashes on your hands from heat, the Steam Deck will be a trigger for that. 

Yet I am now convinced this is not a suitable form factor for kids. The smaller, lighter Nintendo Switch is a better form factor for kids 6 to 12 years old for sure, I just do not see my nieces and nephews holding onto the Steam Deck as long as they would a Switch. It is too big and too heavy for kids. 

Battery

Original Switch model HAC-001, from the console’s launch, has an estimated battery life of two to six hours depending on the game you are playing. For the sake of this test, we played both Mario Odyssey and Animal Crossing. Our original launch Switch depleted its battery at around 34% per hour. The “Red Box” Switch model  HAC-001(-01) released in August 2019 features a more energy-efficient version of the Tegra X1 chipset. Our tests had the battery depleting at approximately 20% per hour. 

With that, our original launch Switch lasted three hours playing Mario Odyssey and Animal Crossing. This is straight through, without stopping, at medium volume, with nothing connected except for the Joy-Cons. Our “Red Box” Switch lasted about five hours under the same tests. As for the OLED Switch, I experienced around a 15% per hour decrease in battery life. Which is only 5% better than the “Red Box” 2019 Switch hardware revision. 

As for the Steam Deck, it sits somewhere between the original Switch model and the second “Red Box” revision. It is hard to measure exactly how the battery performs because it varies by game significantly. Although we experienced about three to four hours of playtime with the average game. Valve officially lists the playtime to be between two and eight hours. I would assume that two hours leans on the Doom Eternal ray tracing enabled side. While the eight hours are in system menus. The real honest gameplay number is somewhere in the middle at three to four hours.

Screen and Dock

The Nintendo Switch has a beautiful seven-inch OLED 720P display.  Of course, that is, if you have the OLED Switch model. The original Switch has a 6.2 LCD display, very close in quality to the Steam Deck but slightly smaller. While the Steam Deck has a fairly decent seven-inch IPS LCD 1280X800 60hz display.

The advantage goes to the Steam Deck here as it can play games at a higher resolution. In addition to double the frame rate in most cases. Everything I played on the Steam Deck was 1280X800 60 frames per second. While on the Switch, 60 FPS games are almost nonexistent. 

When it comes to the dock itself you will be forking over as much as $100 for a 100W USB-C laptop dock, and stand for the Steam Deck. While the Switch comes with everything you need for external output. One of the bigger pain points I have with the Steam Deck is, that once you add everything up, it starts to approach laptop costs. The cost (and long wait) for the 512GB model, does not financially line up anywhere near the Switch once you add accessories.

Everything Else Steam and Switch

While the Steam Deck is Linux based and can play most games, the Switch will always have the classic Nintendo franchises. There is nothing in the Steam library that can replace franchises like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Animal Crossing. Replacing your Nintendo Switch with a Steam Deck is a technical upgrade for sure. Yet be aware, that the inevitable FOMO will come from missing out on the next Mario and Zelda in 2023.

On the other hand, Nintendo’s struggles continue to persist when it comes to creating a viable online solution. Along with their inability to be anywhere near the forefront when it comes to visual fidelity. You as the consumer are going to have to weigh those pros and cons.

The 64GB Steam Deck with a stand and USB-C dock is a more technically advanced alternative to the Nintendo Switch. Especially for those willing to forgo Nintendo’s IP. The 512GB Steam Deck with all of the accessories, costs too much to compare to the Switch. The $750 to $800 it will set you back is more in line with a mid-tier gaming laptop. Notwithstanding, buyers may be waiting up to 10 months for their 512GB unit to ship.