When Nintendo launched Switch in 2017, he had no competition in dedicated portable games, the sector he founded from Game Boy in 1989 and has been ruled since then. Sega came and disappeared; Sony, after two determined PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita attempts, almost gave up.
When Switch 2 approaches the launch in 2025, things look a little different – but only a little. The colossal success of Switch woke up about the giants. Sony and Microsoft are supposed to prepare dedicated PlayStation and Xbox conveyors. Incorrectly, however, the sphere of PC games made the first move. Valve led with a steam deck in 2022, which quickly instilled the growing ecosystem of similar portable devices based on PC from producers such as Lenovo and Asus. After a peaceful decade, non-nintendo handheld gaming is something again. And this means that switch 2 will not act without objection to portable game supremacy.
In a sense, Nintendo is a victim of its own strategic prediction. Thanks to Switch, he first noticed that the narrowing gap in the power of processing between mobile and home devices enabled the unification of portable and home impressions. Finally, the same games can work in both contexts. The switch turned out to be definitely, and now everyone wants a song.
But with dedicated devices from Sony and Microsoft still in a few years, for now the competition must come from the Steam waist and other portable to the PC. My colleague Chris Plante argues that these devices are “the greatest threat of Nintendo in the present.” They leaned the turnover and closed the gap to the newfangled AAA game at home until it was almost imperceptible. When it comes to software, they offer attractive value and a stunning range of almost everything on Steam-a significant part of computer games outside of it, if you are prepared for a bit playing.
It is true that the price and specifications of Switch 2 introduce it to direct competition with lower PCs. At 449 USD it is 50 USD more pricey than the basic steam deck. Switch 2 is approximately comparable in terms of power supply and storage, has a much better screen, and with disconnected controllers and television docks contained in the price is much more pliant to employ. The basic model ROG Ally Handheld ASUS (499 USD or later) and the fresh Legion Lenovo Go (USD 549) are also quite close to competitors in terms of specification.
In the case of raw equipment, these are very similar devices. It is worth noting that the exclusive access of Switch 2 to the leading Upscaling technology DLSS NVIDIA should allow it to slightly exceed the weight class. But there is not much realistically between them.
But – and it is very, very huge, but – comparison of switch 2 with computer conveyors, moving your finger on the specification sheet, or noting that everyone can play Civilization 7 AND Elden RingIt doesn’t tell the whole story. In an enthusiastic bubble, PC conveyors are a great matter, but they do not exist in the same universe as Nintendo consoles. Simply put, PC conveyors are still niche.
The steam deck was very successful for Valve, but let’s look at it from a perspective. Valve did not discuss sales numbers, but the market research estimates that Sold about 4 million steam decks. And a steam deck of dwarf your competition; The same research suggests that a total of about 6 million conveyors on the PC were sold within three years from the steam deck on the market. Disturbing, there are no signs of a forceful enhance in sales yet.
Arrange this compared to 150 million switch units, and the wild difference on a scale becomes apparent. Of course, this is not directly an analogous comparison. PC conveyors have only existed for three years; Switch has been around for eight years, and Nintendo has been in the portable industry for over 35 years. Despite this, Nintendo predicts that it sells 11 million aging units in the current financial year – more than five times more than expected sales of computer conveyors at that time. Meanwhile, analysts believe that Switch 2 will be the size of the portable computer market Almost immediately, from 6 to 8 million pieces available during the premiere and to 20 million sales in the first year.
Photo: Valve
Valve is a substantial player in the gaming industry and a very wealthy company. But he is a novice in the world of retail electronics and has a lot to catch up – if it is even interested. Steam deck is not available for purchase in stores; You can’t go to Walmart and pick it up. Valve does not buy advertising on television or at bus stops. Companies such as Lenovo and Asus have more classic distribution channels, but they are compact minnows compared to marketing, retail and Nintendo distribution.
There are other factors that produce niche portable niche products. User impressions based on Windows, such as ROG Ally and Legion Go, is extremely bad. Valve evaporation is much better, but it is still quite far from the reliability and simplicity offered by Nintendo and other console platforms.
You can’t unpack the fresh steam deck, turn it on and play the game immediately. It requires DIY to make the best employ of. Although the Valve Game Verification System is a helpful guide, it does not guarantee that you will receive a good, playable experience in every game. The deck is also bulky and bulky. You would never buy one for a child or share one in your family – apparently it is not designed for sharing. Realistically, it remains arduous sales for anyone who is not a hobbyist of games.
Apparently, there is one upcoming device that can change this narrative slightly. It is said that Microsoft works with a manual computer manufacturer in a system that will have Branding Xbox and a user interface based on the fresh version of the PC Xbox application. This can be a more amiable device that offers uncomplicated access to computer games, which would be quite convincing. But although Microsoft has been producing Xbox consoles for over 20 years, it has he fought consistently To employ this experience so that the game on computers is more fluid, despite repetitive tests – and the device does not sound much more than Stopgap until the dedicated Microsoft console is ready.
Nintendo will not have real competition in conveyors until his peers in the console space are involved. Apparently, Microsoft looks at 2027 to release its manual Xbox. Portable PS5 Sony is also said to be in years if it is ever released. It definitely warms up for Nintendo, and to the end (and even the center) of the life of switch 2, the gaming market will certainly be much more busy than now. But for the next few years the competition for a fresh console will remain distant – at best.
