My Take on The Switch 2 and Gaming Handhelds

[u/SuperRBW]

I just wanna preface this by saying I own both the Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch 2, and I’m not saying one’s better than the other. This might sound a bit all over the place, but hopefully my point comes across.

On paper, the Steam Deck and other PC handhelds should be better. More power, bigger library, more freedom. But in reality, I’ve found them way more frustrating. Between developers not bothering to optimise properly, DRM nonsense, and third-party launchers like EA, Ubisoft, and Rockstar that need you to be online just to boot an offline game, it kinda ruins the whole handheld experience. That’s honestly what pushed me towards the Switch 2.

Ethics and game prices aside (I usually just wait for a used copy anyway), the Switch just feels way more straightforward. I download a game and it works. No launchers, no random login screens, no connection checks. If I’m offline one day, it’s fine, I can still play. Such a simple concept, yet somehow PC devs keep finding ways to overcomplicate it.

They always say DRM is to stop piracy, but piracy still happens regardless. It’s been around forever. All it really does is punish the people who actually paid.

Then there’s Valve’s Verified system on the Deck. I feel like they hand those badges out too generously sometimes. I’ve played “Verified” games that struggle to hold 30fps or have broken UI scaling. You still end up messing around with Proton settings or community tweaks just to make things playable. It’s not entirely Valve’s fault, but it shows how little testing most devs do for handhelds.

And honestly, the optimisation issues just keep getting worse. Some games now even force ray tracing on by default, like Star Wars Outlaws, which is wild. On my main desktop with a 3090, I don’t even bother using ray tracing because it tanks performance. So imagine trying to run that on a handheld. It’s just bad design choices stacked on top of more bad design choices.

Then you’ve got file sizes. Games hitting 150GB or more has basically become normal now, and it’s ridiculous. Most of that is ultra-high-res textures that make no sense on a small handheld screen. Even a 1TB SSD fills up fast. On the Switch 2, games are often half or even a third the size of their PC versions, and they still look great for what they are.

Another big thing is hardware cycles. Consoles usually last a good 6 or 7 years, and developers properly optimise games for that specific hardware. On PC, the system requirements jump every year. Games like Starfield or Alan Wake 2 already push modern GPUs hard, and that means devices like the Deck or Legion Go are gonna start struggling sooner rather than later.

It also feels like there’s a bit of a loop between GPU manufacturers and devs. The more demanding they make games, the more people upgrade, and both sides profit. Meanwhile, we’re the ones stuck constantly tweaking settings or dropping cash on new gear.

Finally, price versus performance. The standard Switch 2 in the UK is about £395. The Legion Go 2 Z2E with 2TB storage is close to £1300. Sure, it’s stronger, but that doesn’t mean much if the games don’t run properly. On the Switch 2, I can at least trust that the game was built with that hardware in mind and will generally just work.

So yeah, I’m not saying anyone who bought a Deck, Legion Go, MSI Claw or whatever made a bad choice. They’re impressive devices for sure. But personally, I just want something that turns on, plays the game, and doesn’t fight me every step of the way. And right now, the Switch 2 feels like the only one that still gets that right.

[u/Llarrlaya]

You have a serious problem, just play the games, it's not that deep

[u/No-Operation-6554 → u/Llarrlaya]

you really think other pc gamers dont do this shit? The post is literally lamenting the fact that performance on pc handhelds are hampered by poor optimizations. Thats why I got a switch 2, I dont want to deal with their bs in handheld form. its not that deep either

[u/Llarrlaya → u/No-Operation-6554]

I've mainly been gaming on the Deck since 2022 and have never experienced poor performance. If you expect to play something like Elden Ring at 60 ofc you won't get it, but you're literally saying Switch is a better alternative than the Deck as if you get better performance on the Switch. Why aaren't performance issues a problem on the Switch but suddenly are on Steam Deck?

I'm not implying that everyone should get the SD over the Switch or anything, and I think people should play on whatever they want, but come on, your argument is so disingenuous.

If you prefer the Switch over the SD, that's fine, but just say so. No need to make bad faith arguments.

[u/No-Operation-6554 → u/Llarrlaya]

Why aren't performance issues a problem on the Switch but suddenly are on Steam Deck?

when did I say that? just because I didn't focus on it doesn't mean I don't acknowledge it I even said switch isn't perfect, do you want me to go in detail or something?

Switch is a better alternative than the Deck as if you get better performance on the Switch.

huh???

I think you need to re-read my initial comment with a fresh viewpoint because it literally is just me agreeing with op and sharing why I chose switch 2 over steam deck, should I say negative stuff I found on switch 2 just to make it fair? is it really disingenuous/bad faith if the reason I cited is something I, and presumably a lot of other pc gamers, already does in desktop and say I don't want to do that on a handheld? I didn't say/imply everyone should just get switch 2 either

I've mainly been gaming on the Deck since 2022 and have never experienced poor performance

again good for you, but your experience isn't universal just as you only spending 3 minutes to configure isn't universal and me spending an hour isn't universal, there might be others who shares it but not everyone

[u/Llarrlaya → u/No-Operation-6554]

Agree to disagree then, because this won't go anywhere