The competition among handheld gaming devices has become tougher than ever. This duo of OLED technology devices can unlock massive gaming potential, thanks to their friendly design and vast game libraries, but do you really need to own both? Probably not!
Nintendo Switch OLED Price vs. Steam Deck OLED Price
The first category is easy to determine. Nintendo will always win on price – and this is no different here. The starting price for the Nintendo Switch OLED: $349. The starting price for the Steam Deck OLED: $549. That’s a $200 difference, enough to buy a Nintendo Switch OLED and a Nintendo Switch Lite for the price of one Steam Deck OLED. Of course, there are good reasons for the higher price of the Steam Deck OLED as you’ll see later, but for now, Nintendo takes the lead.
Winner: Nintendo Switch OLED
Nintendo Switch OLED Design vs. Steam Deck OLED Design
It might be challenging for Nintendo to maintain the lead as we move down this list of categories, but the actual design is another area where the Nintendo Switch OLED triumphs over the Steam Deck OLED. The Nintendo Switch remains a wonderfully designed system. However, the two machines are more alike than different in this regard. Both have large screens surrounded by typical gaming controller layouts, with dual analog sticks, a D-pad, four face buttons, and four shoulder buttons. The Steam Deck also features some touchpads on both sides that you can use to replicate mouse inputs, along with some optional rear buttons that you can assign to almost anything.
On Nintendo’s side, you can detach the Joy-Con controllers for things like local multiplayer. This, to be fair, isn’t my favorite feature as the Joy-Con controllers are quite small in adult hands, but the option exists and is appreciated. Nonetheless, Nintendo outshines its competitor Valve when it comes to portability. Even with the Joy-Con controllers attached, the Nintendo Switch OLED weighs 0.93 pounds, compared to the relatively hefty weight of the Steam Deck OLED at 1.41 pounds. The Nintendo Switch OLED is a much easier device to carry around and use wherever you go. Additionally, unlike the Steam Deck, Nintendo outfits every Switch with a dock that you can use to play games on the TV. The Steam Deck can do this too, but it’s an optional accessory that costs $79.
Winner: Nintendo Switch OLED
Nintendo Switch OLED Screen vs. Steam Deck OLED Screen
It’s time for Valve to start scoring points. Let’s begin with the obvious: these are both OLED screens, and that’s a plus for both devices. Compared to LCD screens (which earlier models of the Steam Deck and Switch used), OLED screens can display deeper blacks due to the absence of a large backlight behind each pixel. Contrast is also improved, resulting in an overall more beautiful image. However, Valve excels in the rest of the specifications: Switch OLED screen: a 7-inch display with a resolution of 720p and a refresh rate of 60Hz. Steam Deck OLED screen: a 7.4-inch display with a resolution of 800p and a refresh rate of 90Hz. Both devices boast a larger, clearer, and faster screen.
Winner: Steam Deck OLED
Nintendo Switch OLED Performance vs. Steam Deck OLED Performance
Yes, this isn’t even a competition. In terms of raw specs, the Steam Deck wins hands down. The AMD graphics processor with 16GB of RAM in the Steam Deck vastly outperforms Nintendo’s portable Nvidia Tegra chip with only 4GB of RAM. This is not to diminish Nintendo’s capabilities; they simply don’t focus as much on raw power like other gaming device manufacturers do. Nintendo wants to keep its devices affordable and family-friendly, and that’s commendable, and the company has managed to do well since it started this trend with the Wii in 2006.
But
The difference between the two devices is really clear when you play with them and see that the Steam Deck runs smoothly on all modern games except for the most complex games at 60 frames per second (or better), while the Switch cannot reliably play Batman: Arkham Knight, a game designed for previous-generation consoles released in 2015. The hardware running the Switch was relatively old at the time of the console’s launch nearly seven years ago, and now it is completely outdated.
Winner: Steam Deck OLED
Game Library for Nintendo Switch OLED vs Steam Deck OLED
Both of these devices have great libraries filled with amazing games, but one device is better than the other. Specifically, the Steam Deck has 20 years of PC games available by default, while the Switch can only play games that have been designed and released for the Switch since 2017. Additionally, you can hack the Steam Deck and install Windows on it to play games from other stores like Game Pass and Epic Games Store. Without going into details, there are other ways to play almost anything on the Steam Deck.
But I don’t want to crown the Steam Deck OLED the winner here without giving the Switch some recognition. Its vast library includes many amazing indie games like Stardew Valley, along with stunning exclusive Nintendo games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, one of my personal favorite games, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. No device can succeed for seven years without building a great library. It’s just that Valve’s library is a bit better.
Winner: Steam Deck OLED
Battery Life for Nintendo Switch OLED vs Steam Deck OLED
This has been a tough time for Nintendo in recent categories, but that may end here. Neither of these devices has great battery life. I could only manage between 3 and 4 hours on average from a full charge on the Steam Deck OLED, and that will definitely decrease if I play something like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Cyberpunk 2077 on the device. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch OLED is rated between 4 and 9 hours.
Sometimes, having less power is a good thing, especially when it comes to battery life.
Winner: Nintendo Switch OLED
Final Thoughts
If money is no obstacle for you and you aren’t very interested in Nintendo games, this isn’t a contest. The Steam Deck OLED may cost $200 more than the Nintendo Switch OLED, but what you get for that price increase is a better screen, much better specs, and a more diverse game library to choose from. There is definitely a case to be made here for the Nintendo Switch OLED, especially regarding exclusive Nintendo games, but from most angles, the Steam Deck OLED is the better choice.
Winner: Steam Deck OLED
Leave a Reply