The Steam Deck Is Far From Switch 2's Only Serious Portable Rival

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 account 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.

Viewing Nintendo console prices adjusted for inflation highlights that the NES was effectively close to $600 in today’s dollars, but the sticker shock is still more palpable for a $450 console than the $200 NES. The Switch 2 price puts it within striking distance of some of the high-end portables from Ayaneo and makes more reasonably priced portables look incredibly attractive as alternatives. Hardcore fans may be rushing to pre-order the Switch’s iterative successor, but for most consumers, there are a lot of options to weigh before pulling the trigger on Switch 2.

Windows Portables Offer More Flexibility, Less Simplicity

The PC Ecosystem Opens The Door To Many More Games Than The Switch Does

An image of the ASUS ROG Ally handheld Windows gaming device at an angle.

Comparing the ROG Ally and Steam Deck might be a close race, but the ROG Ally suddenly seems more appealing when juxtaposed with Switch 2. The Ryzen Z1 version of the ROG Ally is available at many major retailers for about the same price as Switch 2, or even less for an open-box unit. On the other extreme, the ultra-powerful ROG Ally X retails for $800, but it will certainly offer more power than Switch 2. There are certainly downsides to using the Windows OS on a gaming-focused portable, but working past Windows’ technical hurdles offers numerous benefits.

Mario looking confused next to a Nintendo Switch 2.

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The Lenovo Legion Go S is powerful but pricey, and earlier Legion Go models also retail for more than Switch 2, though used units sell for about the same price as Nintendo’s upcoming console’s MSRP. Though they are difficult to track down now, there are also economically priced Windows handhelds, like Anbernic’s Win 600 and Ayn’s Loki Zero, which cost as little as $200 to $300. The lower specs of these consoles limit them to indie games, emulation, and running PC games with lower requirements. These still open the door to many more games than even the impressive Switch library.

Setting up Windows on a portable built for gaming is admittedly a hassle. Attaching a wireless keyboard and mouse would allow experienced PC gaming fans to speed through the process, certainly, setting up Windows portables with easy access to a large gaming library for subsequent uses. The Windows gaming ecosystem allows for emulation of the largest number of legacy consoles and includes more native titles than any other operating system. Gaming fans have access to libraries with myriad games from GOG, Epic, and Steam, among others, along with streaming options like Amazon Luna, or even PlayStation Plus and Game Pass.

Switch 2's Price Point Comes Close To High-End Options

Extremely Powerful Portable Consoles Suddenly Look Appealing Next To Switch 2

Obviously, many fans reacted to Switch 2’s pricing with shock and frustration. In the vacuum of consoles, or even Nintendo consoles, there is ample reason to be upset, but when factoring in the larger portable console market, the pricing is even more baffling. Android portables include the extremely powerful Odin 2 at $300, options like the Anbernic 406H and Retroid Pocket 5 for around $200, and boutique choices from Ayaneo at around the Switch 2’s price point. Today, Android offers nearly all the same major emulation options as Windows, alongside native Android games and apps, making these portables more versatile.

Animal Crossing character with the Nintendo Switch 2

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Android may dominate the conversation with smartphones, as Linux-based smartphones never took off, but the Steam Deck has highlighted Linux as an ideal OS for gaming portables. Some other Linux-based portables are coming just in time to compete with Switch 2. A Lenovo Legion Go S that uses the Steam OS is scheduled to release a month earlier than Switch 2 at a $550 MSRP, and the Orange Pi Neo advertises an expected price of $500. Benchmarks show that the lean Linux OS allows the Steam Deck to punch above its weight in terms of gaming, making Linux consoles noteworthy.

Now there are a panoply of quality gaming portables at competitive prices, many of which offer access to much larger gaming libraries than the Switch.

Extremely cheap Linux portables solely focused on emulation might be enough to make consumers second guess a Switch 2 pre-order. Lower-end portables from companies like Anbernic, Powkiddy, and Trimui, might cost as low as $40 to $60 and still offer emulation up to the Dreamcast. For much less than the price of a single Switch 2 game at MSRP, it's possible to snap up a portable that can support multiple generations of gaming history. Switch 2 will obviously have new Nintendo first-party exclusives, but compared to competitors’ value, it is a harder sell.

Great Portables Are Out There, Beyond Valve & Nintendo's Offerings

Consumers Have Great Options For Portables, Making Switch 2 Much Less Appealing

Though an Xbox portable could kill Series S, it could also push consumers to reconsider a Switch 2 purchase. Numerous exciting portables are already available, and many more are slated for release in the future. This makes the next couple of months less a race to secure the “sure thing” that the Switch 2 could have been but instead the time to carefully weigh other options. At a total price of $500 with a Mario Kart pack-in game, Switch 2 comes closer to the high-end Ayaneo Flip DS, an extremely powerful Windows portable with two screens.

Nintendo Switch 2 with a pink and blue background.

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For many years, Nintendo had little real competition where portable gaming was concerned. With the first Switch, the company leaned into this advantage, rolling its home console line and its portables into a single hybrid, and clearly the gambit paid off. As the realization hit home that the Switch was becoming an under-powered tablet with controllers stuck to the sides, its first-party exclusives were forced to do the heavy lifting. Now there are a panoply of quality gaming portables at competitive prices, many of which offer access to much larger gaming libraries than the Switch. Nintendo faces an uphill battle.

As with prior generations, a strong first-party library will no doubt justify a Switch 2 purchase to many fans, but with its higher price point, it no longer owns a guaranteed slot as everyone’s second-favorite gaming device. At $200 or even $300, Nintendo could present its consoles as outliers instead of direct competition to more traditional consoles or PC gaming. Now, it encroaches on the price of an Xbox Series X or a PS5. The comparison with Windows, Android, and Linux-based gaming portables remains the biggest argument against Switch 2, with competition that goes well beyond Valve’s handheld devices.

Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube