Steam Deck Replaces PlayStation, Xbox, Not Switch

Traditional home consoles are becoming less enticing as a result of Valve’s high-powered Steam Deck portable and its enormous PC library.

We’re nearing the one-year anniversary of the Steam Deck, and what a year it’s been for this gaming hardware success. For starters, owing to multiple firmware upgrades that have brought new features and settings, Valve’s high-powered portable Computer is more competent than ever. As significant, you may purchase a Steam Deck anytime you want rather than spending months in a pre-order queue. More and more games are also becoming Steam Deck certified. While one million copies sold is a pitiful quantity for a major system, it’s a huge triumph for an untested piece of experimental Valve technology.

With more players having a Steam Deck, we’ve gained a better understanding of how the portable fits into their life (for some, it even reignited a love for gaming). Yet, following my first Christmas season with the device, I realized something unexpected: The Steam Deck does not replace my Nintendo Switch. Instead, it has made me desirous of a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S.

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A Tale of Two Tablets

In my gaming life, the Nintendo Switch and the Steam Deck get along just well. And I see how it could not make much sense on the surface. After all, they’re both tablet-like handhelds designed to provide console-quality games whether on the go or attached to a TV. They are so similar that one should potentially make the other obsolete.

The Steam Deck, which debuted five years after the Switch, seems like more than simply a Switch competitor: It’s a next-generation Switch with graphics capabilities that far outperform Nintendo’s outdated hardware. I completely understand if the Steam Deck has filled the portable gaming need left by the Switch. It is the Switch Pro that has not been canceled.

But, a number of discrepancies prevent me from properly completing the Steam Deck transfer. To begin with, the Steam Deck is much too large. Without the Switch Lite, the Switch is already borderline big. While ergonomically pleasant, the Steam Deck is hefty. Couple that with short battery life for demanding games and regular fixes that need an online connection, and I practically never leave my apartment with my Steam Deck. Of all, playing in bed, on the sofa, or connected to a TV is still much more handy than sitting at a computer, and the Steam Deck’s synchronised cloud saves make it a fantastic extension of ordinary PC gaming. Yet, the hardware isn’t as portable as a standard handheld gaming device.

While the Steam Deck is one of the most accessible and user-friendly gaming PCs of all time, being a PC comes with drawbacks that consoles do not have. To be able to alter visuals and install any program you want, you must first understand how to cope with compatibility concerns and controller mapping changes that make a game playable. It’s not a better or worse way to play, simply a different approach.

Lastly, the Steam Deck lacks (officially) Nintendo titles, and given that Nintendo constantly releases many of the industry’s top games, this is incentive enough to never quit the Switch. And if a third-party game, whether it a little indie or a difficult port, works well on the Switch (Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion is fantastic! ), that’s where I’ll spend the most of my time.

The One-Console Future

That However, as someone who follows the whole video game business, I’m aware that many amazing titles aren’t available on the Switch. I don’t use the Steam Deck as a replacement for the Switch. I play the Steam Deck for the same reasons I play the Switch: portable AAA games and to replace other, more limited platforms. Finally, a technology that goes above the petty console battles.

Microsoft has always been supportive of PC gaming, and due to the Steam Deck, I’m playing my Xbox far less…and that’s before I figure out how to put Xbox Game Pass on this device. On the Steam Deck, I played everything from Halo and Forza to High on Life and Immortality. I also invested many more hours into critically regarded games that I dislike, such as Elden Ring and Vampire Survivors, simply to discover what all the buzz was about.

More importantly, as a result of Sony’s recent PC gaming shift, the Steam Deck has become the PlayStation I no longer need to purchase. It’s the PSP’s comeback. The Vita is the only one worth having! My Christmas Steam Deck backlog was jam-packed with fantastic titles that were previously available only on PS. Stranding Death! Remake of Final Fantasy VII! Spider-Man! Despite my dislike for Naughty Dog’s recent game library, I briefly contemplated purchasing Uncharted.

There are several clear drawbacks to this PlayStation replacement technique. Unlike Microsoft, which releases first-party games on PC on the same day they are released on Xbox, these PlayStation conversions often arrive a few years later. God of War and Horizon launched to Windows mostly as playable advertisements for the future PS5 successors. You must be patient. In addition, you may have to tolerate lower-quality images on the Steam Deck when compared to the PS5, much alone a high-end gaming Computer. Of course, years of loving the Switch have taught me not to be concerned about these flaws.

Hand in Hand

The way we speak about the Steam Deck and its relative ease of usage for general audiences has a bit of a hard-core bubble to it. If you’re unfamiliar with the Steam Deck, I wouldn’t suggest it unless you’re prepared to put in some effort for your amusement. Nonetheless, I adore my Steam Deck, and I’m becoming fonder of it as its actual position in my gaming ecology becomes clear. The Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch, when combined, have supplanted conventional gaming Computers as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Long live powerful handheld gaming!

More about Steam Deck can be found in our Steam Deck retro emulation guide, which explains how Valve’s mistakes set the path for Steam Deck’s success.