I have one, I like it as a slightly better switch, but, yeah. There’s not a lot of reasons to get one for now.
Mario Kart World and Age of Imprisonment are disappointing, most of the other first party games are just upgrades of Switch games, including Prime 4 that’s… Meh.
Bananza was a lot of fun, but it’s not selling a whole console.
This is exactly the problem, weird policy quirks and better alternatives didn’t help the situation but quite frankly there’s no new content for the Switch 2, and the performance bump over the OG Switch is almost irrelevant because raw performance isn’t the reason people buy Nintendo systems & games.
I have a big switch library, and my OG switch is not in the best of shapes. Also, I honestly expected better from Mario Kart.
So yeah, as I said, I’m not exactly advising anyone to get one right now. I’m just saying, it’s more comfortable than the switch, it has one good exclusive game, and it runs some switch 1 games significantly better.
The Wii made me absolutely rage because those consoles were region locked, preventing me from playing titles I had imported from other countries that weren’t published by Nintendo north America. I never spent money on Nintendo products after that. The rest of my family was still happy with Nintendo, and they have continued to purchase their consoles. I finally got my wife invested in PC gaming 2 years ago, and it warmed my bitter heart to hear she wanted a steam deck instead of the switch 2.
That was always the case for Nintendo's home consoles, not like it was a new thing that started with the Wii. Switch was the first one to be region-free.
This was not the case for Nintendo consoles in the past. I imported plenty of NES, SNES, GC, GB, GBA, and DS carts that were published in Asia/Europe, but not published in the Americas, and had no issues playing them until the Wii. Those consoles I just mentioned were all region free.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t region locking on the NES and SNES largely implemented via the shape of the cartridge? Frank Cifaldi and the VGHF just put out that NES history video, and it had some kind of authentication chip that could only be provided by Nintendo, and it was in the NES but not the Famicom. And on Gamecube, I seem to remember you needed an Action Replay to break the region locking, but I never dabbled in it myself.
Did you have a modded console? Without modification, the 10NES lockout chip prevents PAL cartridges from running on NTSC or vice versa. But it is possible to disable the chip to get around this.
NES and SNES were region-locked. In addition to an actual lockout chip, they even had different cartridge shapes so you couldn't physically fit Famicom or Super Famicom games.
Handhelds were not (until DSi and 3DS), but I specifically said home consoles.
I love mine. The FPS boost alone in Zelda and Pokémon made it worth it for me. Cheaper than the GPU I want for my computer too. Then again, I went all in on the Switch in 2017 after skipping the Wii U, so more performance is fine with me. I do wish there was more stuff announced, though.
I skipped the Switch because I did get the Wii U. They abandoned that system too quickly due to poor sales so I was a little bitter. I almost went with the OLED, but decided to continue waiting since I had other systems and PC to play on. It’s the first Nintendo console I have ever skipped.
I did pick up the Switch 2, however, so I get to play all the games I missed over the years and any new ones. Glad I don’t have to wait so long on loading screens for Zelda like I did on the Wii U… which was painfully long.
My Switch 2 is pretty much strictly my Nintendo machine. And yeah, just have to wait for them to come out with more 1st party games. I usually buy 3rd party games on other systems because the graphics tend to be superior.
Oh yeah, watching my girlfriend play her Switch 1 now is agonizing. Her birthday is coming up and I think I know exactly what I’m going to be getting for her.
Games like Zelda now load so fast you can’t even see your stats on the loading screen. And ya know, that’s an okay problem to have.
“Never discounted” is just factually untrue, though. The biggest hitters don’t reach Steam-sale levels, sure, but I’m looking at $70 Tears of the Kingdom for $47 USD right now on Woot. I’ve purchased a fair number of Switch 1 games for around $40 in the last year and some (like Mario & Luigi Brothership and Super Mario RPG) went for as low as $25 USD around Black Friday.
That’s the thing. Such being considered a ‘discount’ is why people say Nintendo doesn’t discount games; why the Nintendo consoles end up being quite expensive when compared with a Steam Deck, where games are on discount on the regular.
Not saying don’t enjoy the console. Just with prices like that, it’s hard to justify for many. gestures at OP’s article
i was planning to get a the first switch, with pokemon dint because of how bad the quality it was, and due to them admitting all future POKEMON games are going to be this way was the biggest turn off.
Too expensive, too enshittified for me to consider. All they had to do was not fuck this up and they would’ve had a guaranteed sale but I don’t ever see myself spending a cent on Nintendo ever again.
they got the idea from pokemon games, how you need an app just store all the pokemon, plus another app for certain other features for the main pokemon game. before the switch/3ds transition, i believe you had to pay for “storing your excess pokemon” on a app.
The point they are probably trying to make is with a key you don’t own the game like you would with a hardware cartridge in older Nintendo systems. So you own nothing on the switch.
It’s funny. I feel like with the switch 2 Nintendo finally listened to the fans who were saying they just want an incremental improvement. Just make the switch with a better processor. But they really just got too greedy with it and made it an incremental improvement in the worst way possible. Paid online, $70 games which never go on sale, paid switch 2 upgrade packs, LCD screen, digital download physical games.
It’s an incremental upgrade done as horribly as possible, it feels like people are struggling right now and Nintendo is trying to extract every dollar out of customers then wonders why the console isn’t doing well.
For me it’s a hard sell because like at that price why wouldn’t I just buy a steam deck. I don’t have to buy any new games, I don’t have to pay for upgrade packs to have my games run on it, I don’t have to pay for online services. I’m not going to have to rebuy games if I buy a steam frame or steam machine. It also has seamless save transfers, and steam is famous for its sales.
It’s just funny because I feel like people were asking for a switch with more power but now that it’s here like why would you buy it over a steam deck.
Also to top it off Nintendo’s lawyers are aggressively going after emulators, streamers and modders. Why would I want to support a company so hostile to its own community
I mean there were like… NO sales. What the hell do you expect? We got one for our son and good Lord after Nintendo Online, Tax, Screen Protector, Insurance, one extra game its like an $800 expense!
Well I saw Pokemon Legends ZA for 48% off recently. Not that it‘s worth that much or that I would ever buy a Switch 2. I actually stumbled upon that sale randomly. But the fact it‘s on sale already speaks volumes. Nintendo is likely in panic mode.
i wonder if it has do with pokemon being slop for the past generation and this one too. the lack of quality of the pokemon games doesnt justify its high cost. also because game freak said this the future of all pokemon games.
and I guess no. 10 was a copy of Coral Island I was gifted, oops lol
At some point I still want LAN Party Adventures, and The Lonesome Guild but those will wait until the next sale. In the meantime I have plenty to sink my teeth (thumbs?) into!
It might be, but if you care about the newest games, you either stick with the Switch 2, wait for a SD 2 or look elsewhere… The SD is getting closer to the Switch 1 state where modern games start to look more blurry, and if you want a hybrid device… Well, it is gonna show more.
Also for some stupid reasons SD availability sucks in several countries, like Mexico.
Most of “the newest games” are well within the spec of the Steam Deck. Of the 4 non-exclusive games nominated for GOTY at the Keighleys, they’ll all run on it just fine. Some of the biggest games of the year end up being the likes of Peak, Schedule I, or Megabonk, and not only are those games only available on PC (at least for a while), but they’re not even pushing the spec of the Steam Deck to its limit. With RAM pricing issues going on right now, high end studios are likely going to target a lower spec. And the companies that can afford to make a game that hits that higher spec are few and far between anyway, compared to the AA and indie studios that made most of the best games of the past few years.
From what I’ve heard, Expedition 33 runs like hot garbage. Even if you use something like Lossless Frames to use AI generated frames to fill in gaps and run at super low settings.
I played it all on desktop, but it looks like it got an update a month ago and is now Deck verified. Friends of mine played it on Deck before that and didn’t mention any complaints, but I wasn’t fishing for them either.
With RAM pricing issues going on right now, high end studios are likely going to target a lower spec.
That is quite a positive thought that I would truly want to become real, let’s just wait and see I guess, that doesn’t change the fact that SD 2 is imminent though (I know that is obvious).
What about hybrid gaming? I don’t think anyone can agree that SD is better than the Switch 2 or any other handheld device in 2025 regarding that… Perhaps only in certain cases as locked awful framerate (for the Switch 2).
All of new gaming hardware is decidedly less imminent now that this pricing nonsense is going on. Even if the tech exists, no one thinks they can sell at what they’d have to charge for it. It’s going to be a rough near term future for gaming hardware before it eventually levels out. Reports are that consoles planned for 2027 are now looking like they’ll be pushed back.
I’m not super used to calling that “hybrid gaming”, but my wife seems to have no problem playing cozy games on the Steam Deck, almost exclusively on the TV when I didn’t take it with me on the go. And we’re once again back to the best games and the best graphics not being all that correlated. The other part is that even if a random gamer has a Steam Deck, it’s unlikely to be their only gaming PC, and if they want the power to produce that larger image at better frame rates at home, they’ll play on that other PC, and that game will run its best there. On Switch 2, that one device is your only option no matter what. That means that if you want to play one of those beefier titles from the Switch 1, they’re not going to run at better settings ever unless the developer explicitly upgrades them; even then, there’s often the Switch tax compared to buying the same game on PC.
I’m not trying to talk you down from a Switch 2 if that’s your preference, but if someone’s asking me for a recommendation for a gaming handheld, the Steam Deck is going to be what I tell them until I rule it out due to some other need. I definitely wouldn’t start with a Switch 2. The Deck just hits a compelling price with a good software experience and, perhaps most importantly, a library that dwarfs what Nintendo could ever hope to match by following the traditional console model.
There are several yuzu and ryujinx forks floating around. For yuzu there’s citron, and eden-emu; for ryujinx there’s ryubing. Game compatibility varies so I suggest trying them all and see if any works.
Idk I picked it up and personally I felt the complete opposite. Everyone says its so massive and huge, I expected this massive bulky handheld but sadly its the opposite. Its big yeah but not really controller sized, my hands are too big for it so I’ll just stick to the steam controller (until the new one releases)
I doubt the ability to brick your console remotely played too large of a part in this. It’s far more likely the asking price combined with the general economic situation for the average consumer, combined with a worse screen and a lesser launch offering of titles. For my own biases, when you see how consoles have required online subscriptions and how your old games don’t automatically run at higher settings when you buy the new machine, I wonder how much more gas in the tank consoles even have without some fundamental transformation.
Yeah, this is a bubble. I don’t blame op for not liking that but the average consumer isn’t even aware and wouldn’t care anyway. Look at all the other shit the average consumer tolerates.
I agree also- just too expensive and no real improvements. I know two people with one. The one games a lot and he enjoys it but I don’t know how often he plays it anymore compared to steam. The other family plays it but are starved for games.
Nice if you have the pocket change but fundamentally just a lot of money for a slightly upgraded switch with few dedicated games. Jmho.
The same is true of PlayStation and Xbox too (and has been for a decade or more). At least in US, don’t know about Europe. This is not to defend Nintendo, just saying that if that was the issue, it would effect all the consoles, and would have been effecting them for last many years. Average people don’t even know about these, and many probably don’t even care.
There might be more to this, but with the current economy, and consoles getting more expensive instead of cheaper as time goes on could be some of the reasons, IMO. And there weren’t much holiday sales this year.
First year sales are also generally limited by supply, not demand, so it will be interesting to see how Switch 2 does in its second and third years, specially if we do get next PS and Xbox next year.
Oh yeah, that last lines were about Switch 2 doing record sales in first year, not about the holidays sales, should have made it clear.
I agree with all your points about holiday sales, but I am not sure if it means that it’s momentum has slowed down or it just went down because of other expenses and stuff people wanted to buy over this period. Will be interesting if the sales go back up or if they keep going down.
It was the best selling console in the US this holiday season, but not sure how it’s sales compared to previous years. It also was on a big discount which definitely helped.
The song is mine. I wrote it with June, I sing it, I created the melody, I recorded my vocals in my studio, and they do not own it.
That’s not enough to “own” a peace of copyrighted material or work. This depends on the license and contract. Note, I am not arguing against his opinion that this work is his own, I just argue that the given reasoning can be not enough (depending on the situation). He claims to be the owner and to get paid, but WE as the reader who don’t have all details don’t know if that is really his right (to get the money). From the outside it looks like another victim of capitalism. But really, without all the details, I would not automatically empathize based on claims. I wish him good luck, if there are no bad intentions behind it.
I personally don’t think that “Copyright” itself is bad idea. In example without Copyright, we could not have Open Source rights like the GPL. However I acknowledge that there are negative effects of the Copyright system and companies and lot of people misuse it to make money or to hurt.
in a perfect (communist) world, we wouldn’t need copyright because everyone would have their needs provided for, so anyone can use anyone else’s art because it doesn’t meaningfully hurt anyone.
The problem with such a world is, that innovations would be hurt, because there is less incentive to be the next incredible invention. Either to make money or to get fame. It’s never a simple solution, there are always caveats and side-effects.
So does humans with copyright and capitalism, even more so, with more competition and incentive to make money or get fame. Let’s say without Copyright 10 people do art for fun, take ages and quality does not matter. Its all fun yes, maybe 1 of them is talented. Add Copyright and incentive to earn money, suddenly you have 100 competing for money, try to make the best it can and earn it.
Copyright is not all about making money either. Without it, someone could “steal” your open programming code and then do modifications and sell it for anyone who desperately needs it. In example to hospitals. And because there is no rights and licenses to “own”, the GPL can’t be in effect and protect the Open Source of it.
The correct business model is to be cheaper and more convenient than piracy. But, since i don’t own my digital products anyway according to these ass hats, then stealing isn’t piracy anyway.
Didn’t upvote or downvote you, but just voicing my disdain for that stupid ass slogan because “master race” has always been associated with Nazi beliefs, and I don’t think making it cute or trying to take it back is something that should really even be considered. Let it die.
I think its ridiculous that every console’s controller is $70 or more, but the JoyCons are most ridiculous because they are also built like trash and get terrible stick drift after just a few months.
Lol, you think steam decks won’t go up in price too? Sanctions affect everything. If you already have a deck you’re unaffected but if you already have a switch you’re also unaffected, for now…
I have a PS5. I don’t intend to ever buy a console again. That era is dead.
I have a PS5. I don’t intend to ever buy a console again. That era is dead.
Similar situation here. Bought the PS5 and probably used it for a year or so and now it’s collect dust. Literally. Kind of regretting getting one. I only game on PC nowadays.
I was thinking to get a Switch 2 but then all the chaos hit with the emulation takedowns, Nintendo suing Palworld, Prices of Nintendo games, prices of their accessories and the whole game key card stuff. Just to much negativity.
Still thinking about Steam Deck but it’s 3 years in its life. So not sure whether that’s worth the €700 euro. Have heard it struggles with the current games.
But yeah, there are quite a few AAA/higher graphical fidelity games I just won’t bother, even if it’s technically playable at a "smooth’ 30FPS. Like Kingdom Come 2 ran pretty decently on it, surprisingly, but damn did it really make the game look pretty rough.
I expect there’ll be a new Steam Deck in the next year or two.
But, honestly, I still use my Deck a shit ton, especially at work. It’s hands down the best portable emulator machine and there are tons of indie games that run great on it. It also works great as a small laptop in desktop mode. I use it almost daily at work.
Well my main usage for the Deck would be games like; Almost all Switch popular Switch 1 games (except Zelda), Persona 5 Royal, Persona 3 Reload, Metaphor and Expedition 33 as well as the Ori games.
But yeah, there are quite a few AAA/higher graphical fidelity games I just won’t bother, even if it’s technically playable at a "smooth’ 30FPS. Like Kingdom Come 2 ran pretty decently on it, surprisingly, but damn did it really make the game look pretty rough.
I saw videos on YT that Metaphor runs on 30-40FPS in cities, 60FPS in battles and that with emulation it’s a bit hit-or-miss. Someone told me, I’m asking to much of a handheld device but considering that the Deck is €700 which is a kind of a normal budget PC.
This might be a personal thing but 30FPS is going to bother me to no-end. I’m probably just spoiled with the at least permanent 60FPS and very often 144FPS.
But, honestly, I still use my Deck a shit ton, especially at work. It’s hands down the best portable emulator machine and there are tons of indie games that run great on it. It also works great as a small laptop in desktop mode. I use it almost daily at work.
Great to hear! Did not expect the Deck being able to work as a small laptop, hah. Though, my main usage would be gaming at home (for example; in bed, on the couch or outside in the yard). Kind of want a handheld because after 5 days of office work, it’s nice to game somewhere else than in front of the PC.
I, too, can’t handle 30FPS on many games. Fortunately, there are still lots of recent games that can hit ~45FPS, which–while not great-- makes it much more bearable. And if it’s too poor of performance, I will often just stream from my desktop while in bed or on the couch. But again, I primarily use it for less demanding games to begin with (e.g. I’ve been playing a lot of Dragon Quest X on it recently).
I’m not saying it’s worth it for everyone, but if the choice is between its closest competitors and the Deck, I think the Deck offers more value for the money spent.
Sure, the deck can go up in price, but it would have to go up a lot to even reach the Switch’s current price. The Switch was already way more than I’d be willing to pay to get locked into Nintendo’s ecosystem.
That wasn’t the argument, though. Im not saying the switch is better, I’m saying the argument that it’s wildly more expensive than the steam deck is patently ridiculous.
It kind of is, though. The cost of the system on its own is not the cost of the platform. Buyung the same games on a switch+paying for online mp is substantially more expensive than having a steam deck and using steam.
You can also resell (physical) switch games, which you can’t do with steam games.
But that’s honestly beside the point. Your argument started as a comparison of the prices of the two consoles. Trying to justify a bad argument by changing it after the fact doesn’t make it suddenly a good one.
Used isn’t exactly the same as refurbished, but even a new unit is still cheaper than a Switch 2, more versatile, has more games, and isn’t locked into any ecosystem. You get a lot more value with a Steam Deck, and like you said, for $50 less.
nintendolife.com
Gorące