When Nintendo launched Switch in 2017, it did not have the competition in a specialized handheld game, a field that it was founded with Game Boy in 1989 and ruled since then. SEGA has come and go; Sony, after two determination efforts with PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita, just gave up.
When Switch 2 is about to debut in 2025, everything looks a bit different – but only a little. The huge success of Switch awakened the fleeing giants. Sony and Microsoft are currently preparing specialized playstation and Xbox handheld devices. However, unbelievable, the field of PC gaming has taken the first step. Valve led with the Steam floor by 2022, where quickly created a developing ecosystem of similar PC -based handheld devices from manufacturers like Lenovo and Asus. After a quiet decade, playing a handheld game is not Nintendo is one again. And that means the Switch 2 will not run not to mention for the power gaming power.
In a sense, Nintendo is the victim of his own strategic vision. With Switch, this is the first time discovering that the narrow distance in handling the power between mobile devices and at home has allowed to agree on gaming and gaming experiences at home. Finally, similar games can work in both contexts. The switch has proven this point definitely, and now everyone wants a piece.
But with specialized devices from Sony and Microsoft, there are still many years, currently the competition has to come from Steam Deck and other PC handheld devices. My colleague Chris Plante convinced that these devices represent Nintendo’s biggest threat in the present. They defeated the switch on the specifications and narrowed the gap with the contemporary AAA game in the house until it was almost unacceptable. The wise software, they provide the attractive value and the incredible range of everything on Steam-and most of the PC game is besides it, if you are prepared to struggle a bit.
It is true that the price and specifications of the Switch 2 put it into competition directly with lower PC handheld devices. At $ 449, it is $ 50 more expensive than Steam Model Base floor. Switch 2 can compare almost in terms of energy and storage, have a much better screen and with removable controllers and a dock TV in the price, it is much more flexible to use. The basic model of Asus Rog Ally Handheld ($ 499 or there) and the new Lenovo Legion Go S ($ 549) are also quite close competitors in terms of specifications.
In the term of rough hardware, these are all very similar devices. It is worth noting that Switch 2’s exclusive access to NVIDIA’s leading DLSS upgrade technology will allow it to exceed its weight class. But in fact, not much between them.
But – and it is very, very large but – Compare switch 2 with PC handheld device by running your fingers down a specification board or by note that they can all play Civilization 7 And Elden RoundRegardless of the whole story. In a passionate bubble, PC handheld device is a big problem, but they do not exist in the same universe with Nintendo gaming machines. To put it frankly, PC handheld device is still appropriate.
The steam deck has been greatly successful for Valve, but put it in the viewpoint. Valve did not discuss the quantity of sales, but market research estimates that they have sold about 4 million steam floors. And competitive dwarf steam; Similar research shows that, of a total of about 6 million PC handheld devices sold for three years since the Steam floor traveled on the market. Concerned, there is no sign of strong growth in sales.
Stack that compared to 150 million units of Switch sold and the wild difference in scale became clear. Of course, it is not a similar comparison. PC handheld equipment exists only for three years; The switch has existed for eight years and Nintendo has been working in a handheld industry for more than 35 years. All are the same, Nintendo predicts that they will sell 11 million aging conversion units in the current financial year – more than five times the predictable sales of PC handheld equipment during that time. Meanwhile, analysts argue that the Switch 2 will go beyond the scale of the PC portable market almost immediately, with 6 to 8 million units available when launched and sales up to 20 million in the first year.
Valve is a big player in the game industry and is a very rich company. But it is a newcomer to the consumer electronic retail world, and it has a lot of things that catch up – if it even cares about it. Steam Deck is not available to buy in stores; You cannot enter Walmart and pick up one. Valve does not buy ads for it on TV or at bus stops. Companies like Lenovo and Asus have more traditional distribution channels, but they are small minnows than marketing, retail and distribution of Nintendo.
There are other factors that make the product suitable for PC. Experience users about Windows -based handheld devices such as ROG Ally and Legion Go is famous for being bad. Valve’s Steamos is much better, but it is still quite far from the reliability and simplicity provided by Nintendo and other console interface platforms.
You cannot open a new Steam floor box, turn it on and play a game immediately. It requires tinkering to get the best. Although Valve’s verification system for games is a helpful guide, it is not guaranteed to have a good experience, can play on each game. The deck is also bulky and heavy. You will never buy one for a child, or share one of the family – it is clearly not designed to share. In fact, it is still a difficult sales for anyone who is not a gaming hobby.
According to the report, there is an upcoming device that can change this story a bit. Microsoft is said to be working with a PC handheld device manufacturer on a system that will have Xbox brand and user interface based on the new version of the Xbox PC application. This has the potential to become a more user -friendly device, providing easier access to PC game when moving, this will be quite attractive. But, although Microsoft has now created Xbox control panels for more than 20 years, they have always struggled to use that experience to make the PC game more seamless, although repetitive efforts – and the device is not the same as a stop until Microsoft’s dedicated handheld control panel is ready.
Nintendo will not have real competition in the handheld device until colleagues in the console space participate. Microsoft is said to be an eye on 2027 to release hand -held Xbox. Sony’s mobile PS5 is also considered for many years, if it is released. Everything is definitely warming for Nintendo, and finally (or even between the life of Switch 2, the hand -held gaming market will definitely be much more busy than now. But in the next few years, competition for the new console will remain far away – the best.
