I stopped buying most games for my Nintendo Switch the day I bought a Steam Deck. My Switch has been a Mario and Zelda machine ever since. It’s simple: the Steam Deck took the Switch’s best trick — pick-up-and-play portability — while offering more games that run better. I can easily resume the ones I started on my desktop PC, or continue to play portable titles on my desktop and marvel at improved graphics.
But the Nintendo Switch 2, coming later this year, may change that value proposition. Not only will it continue to be the console that attracts families and kids with inventive, surprising, must-try exclusive Nintendo games that use its detachable Joy-Cons’ many tricks, but it also has a real chance at convincing the enthusiasts who might otherwise buy a handheld gaming PC — or who were waiting for handheld PCs to become less of a wild west.
The Switch 2 may meet or beat the Steam Deck in performance. If history’s any indication, it should easily sell better than every handheld gaming PC combined. When the original Nintendo Switch launched nearly eight years ago, there was almost nothing to play but Zelda, and Nintendo held its game catalog in an iron grip — but now, the backwards-compatible Switch 2 will launch with one of the largest and most welcoming libraries of all time, rivaled only by smartphones and computers. The Switch could theoretically become the new baseline for game developers to target, and the most reliable place to find new handheld-friendly titles.
So: How can the budding handheld PC revolution escape the shadow of the Switch 2? I won’t say I know for sure, but I did just check the industry’s temperature at CES 2025, the world’s biggest tech show — and I’m afraid PC handhelds may stay in that shadow unless the industry does more.
Handheld ergonomics was one bright spot going into 2025. While I still prefer the Deck’s overall feel, practically every PC handheld I touched had nicely sculpted grips that made them more comfortable to hold than their predecessors. From the 8-inch MSI Claw 8 AI Plus and Lenovo Legion Go S, to the 8.8-inch Legion Go 2, and the giant 11-inch Tencent Sunday Dragon, even the largest Windows handhelds didn’t feel as awkward as some of their first-gen predecessors.
There are four places I think the industry has to change — and maybe, band together — if these handhelds want a meaningful piece of the Switch.
Operating system
Buyers need to know that their game will be ready to play when they press the power button on a handheld. That’s the Nintendo Switch experience, and it’s similar to how the Steam Deck works once games are downloaded — but it’s far from what Windows handhelds currently offer.
