After spending a couple of week with the Nintendo Swap 2, I’ve to confess that it’s console. It’s priced pretty for its glossy type issue and the efficiency it provides, and it units Nintendo as much as keep related whereas gaming graphics solely proceed to get extra advanced. And but, for my very own preferences, it’s nonetheless not my handheld of alternative. As a substitute, I’ll be sticking to Valve’s Steam Deck, the primary and nonetheless general greatest handheld gaming PC, at the least going by worth for cash. And when you don’t essentially care about Nintendo’s unique video games, there’s probability it is likely to be the higher choice for you, too.

The Steam Deck is cheaper than the Swap 2

Out of the gate, the obvious motive to get a Steam Deck over a Nintendo Swap 2 is worth. Beginning at $400 for a brand new mannequin, it’s solely modestly cheaper than the Swap 2’s $450, however that’s solely a part of the story. Valve additionally runs a licensed refurbished program that gives used Decks with solely beauty blemishes for as little as $279. Restocks are rare, since Valve is just in a position to promote as a lot as will get despatched again to it, however after they do occur, it is a heck of an ideal deal.

That stated, there may be one catch. The Steam Deck OLED, which provides a much bigger, extra colourful display screen and a bigger battery, is dearer than the Swap 2, beginning at $549. Nevertheless, it’s perhaps a bit unfair to check the 2, because the Swap 2 doesn’t use an OLED display screen and comes with much less storage. If all you care about is the fundamentals (I’m completely pleased with my LCD mannequin), the bottom Steam Deck is sweet sufficient—it’s obtained the identical efficiency because the newer one. And that efficiency, by the way in which, ended up being about on par with the Swap 2 in my testing, at the least in Cyberpunk 2077 (one in every of my go-to benchmark video games).

The Steam Deck is extra comfy to carry than the Swap 2

This one is a little bit of a toss-up, relying in your preferences, though I feel the Steam Deck takes a slight lead right here. Whereas the Nintendo Swap 2 goals for a very flat and considerably compact profile, the Steam Deck as a substitute permits itself to stretch out, and despite the fact that it’s just a little larger and just a little heavier for it, I finally suppose that makes it extra comfy.

At 11.73 x 4.60 x 1.93 inches towards the Swap 2’s 10.7 x 4.5 x 0.55 inches, and at 1.41 kilos towards the Swap 2’s 1.18 kilos, I gained’t deny that this will probably be a non-starter for some. However personally, I nonetheless really feel just like the Steam Deck comes out on prime, and that’s due to its ergonomics.

I’ve by no means been a giant fan of Nintendo’s joy-con controllers, and whereas the Swap 2’s joy-con 2 controllers enhance on the Swap 1’s with larger buttons and sticks, in addition to extra room to carry onto them, they nonetheless pale as compared subsequent to the Steam Deck’s controls.

Steam Deck in profile (above) vs. Swap 2 in profile (under)
Credit score: Michelle Ehrhardt

On the Swap 2, there are not any grips to wrap your fingers round. On the Steam Deck, there are. The triggers additionally flare out extra, and since the console is wider, your arms can stretch out a bit, somewhat than choking up on the machine. It may well get a bit heavy to carry a Steam Deck after some time, however I nonetheless choose this method general, and you probably have a floor to relaxation the Steam Deck towards (like an airplane tray desk), weight is a non-issue.

Plus, there are some further bonuses that include the extra area. The Steam Deck has giant touchpads on both facet of the machine, plus 4 grip buttons on the again of it, providing you with some further inputs to mess around with. Good.

It’s a bit much less moveable and a bit heavier, however for my grownup arms, the Steam Deck is simply higher formed to them.

The Steam Deck has a much bigger, cheaper library than the Swap 2

That is the kicker. Whereas there are low cost video games that may run on the Swap 2 courtesy of backwards compatibility and third-party eShop titles, the massive system attracts (Nintendo-developed titles like Mario Kart World, for instance) can get as dear as $80. To not say the Steam Deck doesn’t have costly video games as nicely, however on the entire, I feel it’s simpler to get low cost and free video games on the Steam Deck than on the eShop.

That’s as a result of, being a handheld gaming PC, the Steam Deck can benefit from the various gross sales and freebies PC gaming shops love to present out. These occur a bit extra often on PC than on console, and that’s as a result of there’s extra competitors on PC. Somebody on PC might obtain video games both from Steam or Epic, as an illustration, whereas somebody on the Swap 2 can solely obtain video games from the Nintendo eShop.

So, even sticking to only Steam, you’ll get entry to common weekend and mid-week gross sales, quarterly occasion gross sales, and developer or writer spotlight gross sales. That’s extra gross sales occasions than you’ll often discover on the Nintendo eShop, and when you’re in search of cheaper first-party video games, neglect about it. Nintendo’s personal video games hardly go on sale, even years after launch.

However that’s only the start. Regardless of being named the Steam Deck, the machine can really run video games from different shops, too. That’s due to an simply put in Linux program referred to as Heroic Launcher, which is free and allows you to obtain and play video games out of your Epic, GOG, and Amazon Prime Video games accounts with only a few clicks.

Credit score: Heroic Video games Launcher

It is a recreation changer. Epic and Amazon Prime are each underdogs within the PC gaming area, and so to bolster their numbers, they each repeatedly give away free video games. Epic specifically provides one free PC recreation each week, whereas when you’re a Twitch person, you would possibly discover an honest however extra rare quantity of notifications permitting you to say free Amazon Prime video games. A few of these are huge titles, too—it’s how I obtained Batman: Arkham Knight and Star Wars Battlefront II. With a easy set up and some months of ready, you could possibly have a Steam Deck stuffed to the brim with video games that you simply didn’t even pay for. You simply can’t do this on Nintendo.

After which there’s the elephant within the room: your backlog. In the event you’re something like me, you most likely have already got a Steam library that’s a whole bunch of video games giant. It was perhaps even like this earlier than the Swap 1 got here out—common gross sales tend to construct up the quantity of video games you personal. By selecting the Steam Deck as your handheld, you’ll be capable of play these video games on the go, immediately providing you with what would possibly as nicely be a full library with no added value to you. In the event you migrate over to the Nintendo Swap 2, you’re going to have to start out with a contemporary library, or at the least a library that’s solely as previous because the Nintendo Swap 1.

Principally, whereas the Swap 2’s {hardware} is just $50 dearer than the Steam Deck, it’ll be simpler to fill your Steam Deck up with top quality, cheap video games than it will be on the Swap 2. In the event you don’t care about getting access to Nintendo unique video games, that’s an enormous draw.

TV Play is a blended bag

Lastly, I need to acknowledge that the Steam Deck nonetheless isn’t essentially a greater choice than the Swap 2 for everybody. That’s why I’m writing from a private perspective right here. Like all gaming PCs, it’ll take some fiddling to get some video games to run, so the Swap 2 is unquestionably a smoother expertise out of the field. It’s additionally obtained much less battery life, from my testing. However the huge level of departure is TV play.

Taking part in your moveable video games on a TV on the Swap 2 is so simple as plugging it into its dock. With the Steam Deck, it’s a must to purchase a dock individually (the official one is $79), and even then, it’s a must to join your personal controller to it and manually discover appropriate TV graphics settings for every recreation by itself. It’s not practically as straightforward or versatile.

And but, for people like me, I’m keen to say that even TV play is best. Or, relying on what kind of PC gamer you’re, monitor play.

That’s since you’re not restricted to enjoying your Steam Deck video games on the Deck itself, dock or not. As a substitute, you may play on the Deck whenever you’re away from your private home, after which swap over to your common gaming PC whenever you’re again. Your Deck will add your saves to the cloud routinely, and your PC will seamlessly obtain them. Whereas not as intuitive as plugging your Swap 2 into its dock, the profit right here is that your non-portable play isn’t restricted by the facility of your moveable machine, whereas docked Swap 2 play continues to be held again by working on moveable {hardware}.

The tradeoff is that sustaining a devoted gaming PC along with a Steam Deck is dearer, however perhaps extra importantly, requires extra tinkering (there are methods to construct an inexpensive gaming PC, in spite of everything). And I feel that’s the important thing level right here. If you’d like a simple-to-use, pick-up-and-play handheld, the Swap 2 is a superb alternative for you. However when you’re like me, and also you’re not afraid to obtain some launchers and sometimes dive into compatibility settings or swap between two gadgets, the Steam Deck would possibly nonetheless be one of the best handheld gaming machine for you, even three years later.