The Nintendo Switch 2 has drawn lots of comparisons to a variety of different handheld gaming consoles on the market, but perhaps none more so than the Steam Deck. Produced by Valve, perhaps most well-known for the digital video game storefront Steam, the Steam Deck is an excellent handheld that combines the simplicity of a gaming console with the flexibility of a PC - and it's portable, to boot. Still, the Steam Deck is the Switch 2's biggest competitor at this point - though other handhelds are available, these two are similar in price point and custom OS. 6c6u1x

The announcement that Switch 2 will have an MSRP of around $450 USD begs comparison to the other modern portable gaming options available, or releasing soon, leaving Nintendo’s newest console in a precarious position. This is the highest price a Nintendo console has ever launched at, and while taking inflation into can make that seem understandable, looking at the price of the Steam Deck might provide a more salient comparison. Valve’s system is not Switch 2’s only competition, however. Numerous quality Android, Windows, and Linux portables present solid value propositions that Switch 2 may not be able to match.

The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been revealed with an hour-long presentation filled with system details, subscription updates, and a bunch of confirmed games. While there's controversy over the pricing, the games shown left much to be desired, and it's not even Nintendo's fault. The brand-new games looked incredible, but most of the titles revealed to launch on Nintendo's latest system seemed pointless to buy when devices like the Steam Deck exist.

Ahead of Assassin's Creed Shadows' release on March 20, one major question that's been lingering is whether the game will be playable on the Steam Deck. The game promises an immersive experience set in feudal Japan, with detailed environments and weather systems built in a new version of Ubisoft's Anvil engine. However, that also means the game will have high system requirements, which can often spell doom for Steam Deck compatibility.

Handheld gaming controls have been around since the late 70's, but they've seen a massive resurgence after the success of the Nintendo Switch, and subsequent Steam Deck. While there have been plenty of attempts at bridging the gap between the power of a console and the flexibility of a mobile device, the Steam Deck was one of the first to successfully act as a serious competitor to the Nintendo Switch. Despite only being two years since the release of Steam's gaming handheld, the rise in competition begs the question if a Steam Deck is still worth buying.

Three years after its initial announcement, Team FOLON's massive Fallout 4 conversion mod, Fallout: London, launched on PC in July 2024. The mod tells a completely original story about the English capital in the years after the series' nuclear apocalypse, something that will likely never be explored in the main series as Bethesda Executive Producer Todd Howard previously stated that he has no official plans to set future Fallout games outside of the U.S.

Steam Deckowners eager to better stream games to the handheld system from their main PC are in luck because Valve may be working on some new technology. When it comes to offering a robust experience, it's difficult to beat the Steam Deck in of sheer accessibility. A fantastic piece of hardware that's made all the better by being deeply integrated with Steam's software and ecosystem, one of the few areas where it struggles is streaming data from an external source, a limitation of the hardware and general infrastructure.

Handheld gaming has come a long way over the years, from the original 1978 Merlin, to the popularity of Nintendo's Game Boy, and now, to the stage where players can take their PC libraries - including major AAA titles like God of War or Elden Ring - on the go with the likes of the ROG Ally or the Steam Deck. Compared to the Windows-based handhelds on the market, Valve's offering - which runs on the Linux-based SteamOS - proved to be popular due to its lower price point, and an OLED offering was released in November last year that resolved several issues players had about the original LCD models, with an improved screen, battery, and the option for a larger amount of internal storage.

Valve's gaming handheld, the Steam Deck, is currently discounted, making it the perfect time to pick one up. The Steam Deck launched in February 2022 to high praise and was already able to play an impressive number of Verified games at launch, with that number growing in the years that followed, and players even finding several untested titles would play at a decent quality on the device. Since then, there's also been the launch of the newer OLED models in November 2023 with a better screen, battery life, and more.

The Xbox Games Showcase may reveal Microsoft’s next console, and if the rumors surrounding it are correct, the Xbox Portable will avoid the mistakes of the lackluster PlayStation Portal. Despite the Portal’s financial success, its longevity is dubious, as an expensive gadget with the singular function of streaming games from a PlayStation console. PlayStation fans have been able to do this on their mobile devices and computers for some time thanks to the PS Remote Play app, and the officially licensed Backbone controller offers ideal tactile controls for mobile s, making the Portal entirely pointless.