Video: Switch 2 Vs. Steam Deck System Face-Off, Digital Foundry Investigates

Digital Foundry has returned with a new face-off video – this time putting Nintendo’s hybrid hardware, the Switch 2, up against Valve’s PC handheld, the Steam Deck.

In the video above, you can see how the Switch 2 holds up against the Steam Deck OLED model across various “head-to-head” match-ups, including battery life, form factor, controller design, as well as OS and software availability.

Digital Foundry’s Oliver Mackenzie acknowledges how there are some obvious similarities, but also notes how these are two very different systems at the end of the day. Here are his closing thoughts, if you don’t get the chance to watch the full video:

“I think the Switch 2 is better as a console-like device than the Steam Deck is. It offers a streamlined, stress-free experience for playing controller-oriented games, the OS is rock solid, it docks perfectly, and it has great exclusive games – it’s a more enjoyable, delightful machine to use moment to moment, if you want a slick gaming experience, it’s hard to go wrong here, but it doesn’t have the flexibility of a PC handheld, it can’t access thousands upon thousands of PC games, you can’t add special launch parameters, change up settings, swap refresh rates, or check out performance overlays, and you don’t have the control options to make cursor oriented software work on the go. So, each machine has its strengths.

“The Switch 2 is a great machine to enjoy a game like Cyberpunk 2077 or exclusives like Mario Kart World or Fast Fusion, but a game like World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy 14 benefits enormously from having trackpad input, and the deck can play a larger vaiety of software, including older games that will probably never get a Switch 2 release. It’s kind of an intractable battle, a fight between a console and essentially a PC in a console suit. Personal preferences and priorities are going to dictate this one, but I think most gamers will find a lot to like in both devices.”

So, it comes down to what’s best for you, along with your personal preferences, according to Digital Foundry. If you’re eager to see more, Digital Foundry has also done comparisons of Cyberpunk 2077 and investigated Switch 2’s GameCube emulation.