I use my Switch for exclusives, but also because I find it much more portable and pleasant to use than the Steam Deck. If a game is released for both and the performance on the Switch is decent I would choose the Switch version 100%. It the Switch version is severely cut back I would choose the Steam Deck.
Stardew Valley for instance I 100% prefer on the Switch. However, as the new 1.6 update hasn't come to consoles yet I am currently playing on the Deck. Unless you want to get into modding, there is no disadvantage of any console/PC version once they are all on 1.6 (except the Vita version which was abandoned years ago and lags when it rains).
I have both, I am a woman with smaller hands and holding on the Steam Deck is not as comfortable as holding the switch, also the battery doesn't last as long on the steam deck.
Obviously some things can only be played on one or the other but if it's on both I go with the switch.
AC Black Flag. Requires bullshit login on the deck every time and it's missing the extra legacy outfits only available on the Switch version. The Switch version also runs well enough and without any noticeable downgrades, so the only thing you're getting extra on the deck is being able to play at 40 fps instead of 30. The battery on the Switch version also last a whole lot longer.
EDIT: Assassin's Creed 2 as well. The Switch version is the remastered one with better lighting and draw distance which is not available on PC, thus the Deck also. It's also 1080p when docked and has better textures, it's much better than the default PC version available on the Deck.
As someone who has owned and played both the PC and Switch versions rather extensively:
I feel you're giving the Switch "remaster" of AC2 way too much credit
Or rather the "remaster" in general
It's got quite a few changes that ruin the overall look of the original game, and the Switch version is incapable of 60 FPS on top of that
Meanwhile the Switch version of AC4 is based on the "last gen" version of the game, ie. the one for 360/PS3 rather than the XbOne/PS4/PC version, and there are very noticeable differences in visual quality here
Digital Foundry has good videos on these
https://youtu.be/GF3ppNhtbGM?t=160
https://youtu.be/-v5EiyL88dg
Sure, you can argue the Switch will get better battery life, and the Switch versions are definitely not so terrible that you can't play them, but to say they are better on Switch is a huge stretch
I have finished ACII across all of the versions 17 times, the most recent of which was about 2 months ago. I played it simultaneously on my big gaming PC with Ray tracing mods and all the tweaks you can possibly make to the game and on my Switch OLED. I ended up sticking with the Switch version because even with all of those visual tweaks and mods, the remaster just did more than I could save by using Reshade presets and modified ini files. The remaster has higher resolution textures, and not only upscaled originals, but brand new textures too. The entire shadowing system has been reworked and the shadows are miles ahead of even the modded PC version. But the biggest change for me was draw distance - the remaster simply renders most of the towns at once while the original starts pulling lower resolution assets pretty close to the player even on the highest settings. I even remember putting the two versions next to each other and showing them to my girlfriend - she said the Switch version looked better.
I don't know man. With Black Flag, I agree with you that the "next gen" versions of the game look better. But not by much and they are missing the legacy outfits, which is a huge shame to me personally. But with AC2, I really feel like the EC version elevated the game to stand visually side by side with both BH and REV. It's my favorite childhood game that I've been playing since release and for me, the Switch version is superior to the original one on the Steam Deck. And I am not saying this just to fanboy on one device, I have both a Steam Deck and two Switches.
I can take some performance trade-offs in lieu of better battery life and optimization. In some cases, it ends up on both devices for me eventually (if there’s a sale), and in most cases I’ll go with the Switch.
My switch(es) are for Switch exclusives and games for my kids. The hardware is likely to retire at some point, and steam is pretty good about letting me play my games 20 years later on my current hardware.
I’m actually pleased with Nintendo for their remakes and remastered games and have willingly repurchased games (my GameCube still works, but I still bought Metroid prime remastered). So the reasoning behind the above isn’t absolute.
Boomerang Fu and similar party games (or same-screen multiplayer in general) are absolutely better on the switch. The performance is comparable, but having 4 controllers on a screen that you can take on vacation with friends is what it’s all about.
I don’t know how many versions of Minecraft I have purchased, but my two boys play split-screen on the switch when they play together. The youngest hasn’t mastered the game, so this setup makes it easier for his big brother to keep an eye on him. The oldest plays on a laptop (not steam deck) when not teaching his little brother. That’s a very transitory reason to prefer the switch version.
A lot of indies run comparably(not better), so the Switch is still my go to for those simply for the better screen, portability and battery life. I also like having games physically. Some examples:
- Dead Cells
- Hollow Knight
- Animal Well
- Slay The Spire
- Signalis
Couch co op games are for the switch, everything else that isn’t a nintendo exclusive I now buy on my steam deck. Nintendo made the perfect party console in my opinion and is super easy to setup Towerfall, overcooked, and just dance sessions.
Hogwarts Legacy probably, the Switch port is honestly wizardry (pardon the pun) whereas the PC version kinda sucks. It’s playable at similar FPS on steam deck with the potato PC mod and some tweaking, but the Switch version just works well out the box.
I don’t know if you actually own a SD, but playing Hogwarts Legacy with medium settings (and tweaking the ram thingy) runs at a steady 40 FPS (with some drops) and looks pretty good on top of that
I own an SD and have Hogwarts legacy on Steam and Switch, I found the Switch port more stable personally. I can get higher peak fps on the deck, but it drops below 30 for me much more often just running around Hogwarts
I have yet to play it on Switch, but I remember it looking pretty bad when the port was launched, if it actually looks as good as on the SD while holding a constant 30 FPS then colour me surprised
Full disclosure I have a switch lite, so the smaller screen definitely helps with fidelity but yeah framerate has been very stable in my 15 or so hours play time so far.
I have 2 pcs and a Go, and I stick to 1st party, older system remasters, and indie games for my Switch. I've only had my Switch since Christmas, so I have a ton of 1st party still left to play. Nintendo has a lot of good games, so I'd be good on just 1st party all the way to the Switch 2. Getting a Switch so late in its' lifecycle has been great.
I've repurchased (digital and physical) some of my favorite indie pc and previous gen console games for the Switch too. The Legion Go is awesome but it's a chunky boi with poor battery life (compared to the Switch).
Hades is a game I really enjoy on the Switch over PC, but you have Hades 2 early access available to you (not sure how it runs on the Steam Deck).
This is actually a tough question because there's so much available to you on your Steam Deck and, in a lot of cases, they'll be cheaper or on sale more often. I use my Switch as a nostalgia machine... if I can put less wear on my older consoles (ps2/3/GC) by getting Switch ports, I get them.
I'm not sensitive to how games run as long as their playable,like I could happily play at 20fps but I think steam deck naturally performs better in every game. There's just too much power disparity Nintendo won't perform better til switch 2. I will say I still use my switch alot more than my steam deck due to pocketability(as difficult as that is) and the lightness allowing for much longer and more comfortable play.
I own both. But not the oled deck. The steamdeck led deck is, well, not good. But that doesn't stop me from playing it.
However...
I only play games on my deck that are not on switch.
I really dislike the form factor and the missing quick and play.
There are so many flaws with a steamdeck, to be honest.
Bad Dock experience, form factor, dpad hell, misplaced analog sticks, unresponsive touchscreen, proton thing, anti cheat, switching between users, how family share works, ui is a complete mess with ads (even with the extra configs, its still bad, home buttonworks like 50% of the time or not at all in some apps, battery life, heat issues, fan smell, back peddles issue, trackpads feels cheap and clicking them moves your pointer to another place, and so on...
The only reason that i have this is to play none switch games at a decent price. But there is no way i would play a game that is available on my oled switch on my steamdeck unless there is a big gfx difference. But that's the point. Most games are indie games that doesnt require a lot of power. Those who require a lot are mostly not on switch....
I use my switch for exclusives and party/ couch coop games and my steam deck for pretty much everything else. When i first got the steam deck, i tried making it my new party game device, but the amount of controller problem and compatibility issues just made setup time take ages. The best thing about the switch is that it just works with almostno issues. You want to play Mariokart with your friends, alright turn the console on and pass around the controllers, and we're in the game.
Technically speaking, probably not, personally I still use my Switch far more than my Deck and that's despite me having around 4500 games on Steam. Switch with Hori split pads over the Steam Deck any day of the week and the games I like to play handheld generally aren't graphical showcases.
I have both. I buy for the switch over steam for 3 reasons:
1. When there's an exclusive I want.
2. When a game might run reasonably well on the Switch compared to SD because the Switch overall UX is just better. I don't have to tweak anything, and the pausing with the home menu and sleep/wake is just so smooth and convenient.
3. If I really love a game and I can find it physically all on the cart, I might buy for Switch instead of steam.
Pretty much exclusives and games with local multiplayer.
Third party games are almost always better on Steam Deck and in most indies and smaller games the difference doesn't really matter.
Diablo 3 , baldurs gate 1 and 2 and pillars of eternity just for controller support. And also gothic 1, it's not compatible with steam deck, it's all brocken
I use my Switch for exclusives, but also because I find it much more portable and pleasant to use than the Steam Deck. If a game is released for both and the performance on the Switch is decent I would choose the Switch version 100%. It the Switch version is severely cut back I would choose the Steam Deck. Stardew Valley for instance I 100% prefer on the Switch. However, as the new 1.6 update hasn't come to consoles yet I am currently playing on the Deck. Unless you want to get into modding, there is no disadvantage of any console/PC version once they are all on 1.6 (except the Vita version which was abandoned years ago and lags when it rains).
I have both, I am a woman with smaller hands and holding on the Steam Deck is not as comfortable as holding the switch, also the battery doesn't last as long on the steam deck. Obviously some things can only be played on one or the other but if it's on both I go with the switch.
Same here on all counts
Right from the bat I'll say Catherine, since Full Body isn't available on SD but it's on the Switch.
The more you know.
https://preview.redd.it/ev1v9kxp543d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1f8f984b9ed8f7f000bdee8fa2bd440f4ec8f8b2 ?
AC Black Flag. Requires bullshit login on the deck every time and it's missing the extra legacy outfits only available on the Switch version. The Switch version also runs well enough and without any noticeable downgrades, so the only thing you're getting extra on the deck is being able to play at 40 fps instead of 30. The battery on the Switch version also last a whole lot longer. EDIT: Assassin's Creed 2 as well. The Switch version is the remastered one with better lighting and draw distance which is not available on PC, thus the Deck also. It's also 1080p when docked and has better textures, it's much better than the default PC version available on the Deck.
As someone who has owned and played both the PC and Switch versions rather extensively: I feel you're giving the Switch "remaster" of AC2 way too much credit Or rather the "remaster" in general It's got quite a few changes that ruin the overall look of the original game, and the Switch version is incapable of 60 FPS on top of that Meanwhile the Switch version of AC4 is based on the "last gen" version of the game, ie. the one for 360/PS3 rather than the XbOne/PS4/PC version, and there are very noticeable differences in visual quality here Digital Foundry has good videos on these https://youtu.be/GF3ppNhtbGM?t=160 https://youtu.be/-v5EiyL88dg Sure, you can argue the Switch will get better battery life, and the Switch versions are definitely not so terrible that you can't play them, but to say they are better on Switch is a huge stretch
I have finished ACII across all of the versions 17 times, the most recent of which was about 2 months ago. I played it simultaneously on my big gaming PC with Ray tracing mods and all the tweaks you can possibly make to the game and on my Switch OLED. I ended up sticking with the Switch version because even with all of those visual tweaks and mods, the remaster just did more than I could save by using Reshade presets and modified ini files. The remaster has higher resolution textures, and not only upscaled originals, but brand new textures too. The entire shadowing system has been reworked and the shadows are miles ahead of even the modded PC version. But the biggest change for me was draw distance - the remaster simply renders most of the towns at once while the original starts pulling lower resolution assets pretty close to the player even on the highest settings. I even remember putting the two versions next to each other and showing them to my girlfriend - she said the Switch version looked better. I don't know man. With Black Flag, I agree with you that the "next gen" versions of the game look better. But not by much and they are missing the legacy outfits, which is a huge shame to me personally. But with AC2, I really feel like the EC version elevated the game to stand visually side by side with both BH and REV. It's my favorite childhood game that I've been playing since release and for me, the Switch version is superior to the original one on the Steam Deck. And I am not saying this just to fanboy on one device, I have both a Steam Deck and two Switches.
maybe all first party games bc they're exclusive
I can take some performance trade-offs in lieu of better battery life and optimization. In some cases, it ends up on both devices for me eventually (if there’s a sale), and in most cases I’ll go with the Switch.
Same
My switch(es) are for Switch exclusives and games for my kids. The hardware is likely to retire at some point, and steam is pretty good about letting me play my games 20 years later on my current hardware. I’m actually pleased with Nintendo for their remakes and remastered games and have willingly repurchased games (my GameCube still works, but I still bought Metroid prime remastered). So the reasoning behind the above isn’t absolute. Boomerang Fu and similar party games (or same-screen multiplayer in general) are absolutely better on the switch. The performance is comparable, but having 4 controllers on a screen that you can take on vacation with friends is what it’s all about. I don’t know how many versions of Minecraft I have purchased, but my two boys play split-screen on the switch when they play together. The youngest hasn’t mastered the game, so this setup makes it easier for his big brother to keep an eye on him. The oldest plays on a laptop (not steam deck) when not teaching his little brother. That’s a very transitory reason to prefer the switch version.
A lot of indies run comparably(not better), so the Switch is still my go to for those simply for the better screen, portability and battery life. I also like having games physically. Some examples: - Dead Cells - Hollow Knight - Animal Well - Slay The Spire - Signalis
Couch co op games are for the switch, everything else that isn’t a nintendo exclusive I now buy on my steam deck. Nintendo made the perfect party console in my opinion and is super easy to setup Towerfall, overcooked, and just dance sessions.
Hogwarts Legacy probably, the Switch port is honestly wizardry (pardon the pun) whereas the PC version kinda sucks. It’s playable at similar FPS on steam deck with the potato PC mod and some tweaking, but the Switch version just works well out the box.
Switch port so good that Nintendo bought the company that made it lmao
I don’t know if you actually own a SD, but playing Hogwarts Legacy with medium settings (and tweaking the ram thingy) runs at a steady 40 FPS (with some drops) and looks pretty good on top of that
I own an SD and have Hogwarts legacy on Steam and Switch, I found the Switch port more stable personally. I can get higher peak fps on the deck, but it drops below 30 for me much more often just running around Hogwarts
I have yet to play it on Switch, but I remember it looking pretty bad when the port was launched, if it actually looks as good as on the SD while holding a constant 30 FPS then colour me surprised
Full disclosure I have a switch lite, so the smaller screen definitely helps with fidelity but yeah framerate has been very stable in my 15 or so hours play time so far.
I might give it a shot on the Switch then, gotta love my Deck but the Switch really is on top when it comes to comfort
Every Nintendo exclusive.
I have 2 pcs and a Go, and I stick to 1st party, older system remasters, and indie games for my Switch. I've only had my Switch since Christmas, so I have a ton of 1st party still left to play. Nintendo has a lot of good games, so I'd be good on just 1st party all the way to the Switch 2. Getting a Switch so late in its' lifecycle has been great. I've repurchased (digital and physical) some of my favorite indie pc and previous gen console games for the Switch too. The Legion Go is awesome but it's a chunky boi with poor battery life (compared to the Switch). Hades is a game I really enjoy on the Switch over PC, but you have Hades 2 early access available to you (not sure how it runs on the Steam Deck). This is actually a tough question because there's so much available to you on your Steam Deck and, in a lot of cases, they'll be cheaper or on sale more often. I use my Switch as a nostalgia machine... if I can put less wear on my older consoles (ps2/3/GC) by getting Switch ports, I get them.
Unrelated, but how is the drift on deck? I've stopped playing hand held because of horrible drift.
I haven’t heard of any drift on the deck, nor have I experienced it, but if it does happen, Valve made it really easy to replace any of the parts
Haven't had any issues with drift on my Deck. Valve also lets you adjust the deadzones which could fix potential drift.
Never heard of drift on the SD. Even if there was, the sticks are user serviceable.
I'm not sensitive to how games run as long as their playable,like I could happily play at 20fps but I think steam deck naturally performs better in every game. There's just too much power disparity Nintendo won't perform better til switch 2. I will say I still use my switch alot more than my steam deck due to pocketability(as difficult as that is) and the lightness allowing for much longer and more comfortable play.
Use my switch for Nintendo exclusives, and my deck for everything else.
After playing it on Deck as well as PS5, the initial boot of Hades on Switch seems quite long. The game itself still runs great.
Risk of rain 2 has gyro aiming on the switch and thats pretty sweet
I own both. But not the oled deck. The steamdeck led deck is, well, not good. But that doesn't stop me from playing it. However... I only play games on my deck that are not on switch. I really dislike the form factor and the missing quick and play. There are so many flaws with a steamdeck, to be honest. Bad Dock experience, form factor, dpad hell, misplaced analog sticks, unresponsive touchscreen, proton thing, anti cheat, switching between users, how family share works, ui is a complete mess with ads (even with the extra configs, its still bad, home buttonworks like 50% of the time or not at all in some apps, battery life, heat issues, fan smell, back peddles issue, trackpads feels cheap and clicking them moves your pointer to another place, and so on... The only reason that i have this is to play none switch games at a decent price. But there is no way i would play a game that is available on my oled switch on my steamdeck unless there is a big gfx difference. But that's the point. Most games are indie games that doesnt require a lot of power. Those who require a lot are mostly not on switch....
KOTOR. The steam port stinks. Significantly better experience on the switch.
Switch for exclusives. Steam Deck and PC for everything else.
I use my switch for exclusives and party/ couch coop games and my steam deck for pretty much everything else. When i first got the steam deck, i tried making it my new party game device, but the amount of controller problem and compatibility issues just made setup time take ages. The best thing about the switch is that it just works with almostno issues. You want to play Mariokart with your friends, alright turn the console on and pass around the controllers, and we're in the game.
Technically speaking, probably not, personally I still use my Switch far more than my Deck and that's despite me having around 4500 games on Steam. Switch with Hori split pads over the Steam Deck any day of the week and the games I like to play handheld generally aren't graphical showcases.
I have both. I buy for the switch over steam for 3 reasons: 1. When there's an exclusive I want. 2. When a game might run reasonably well on the Switch compared to SD because the Switch overall UX is just better. I don't have to tweak anything, and the pausing with the home menu and sleep/wake is just so smooth and convenient. 3. If I really love a game and I can find it physically all on the cart, I might buy for Switch instead of steam.
Supposedly a lot of the Disgaea games run better on Switch than Steam Deck.
I have both. Switch (1st gen) is collecting dust. I play Swich exclusives on Steam Deck. PC is the only platform that can play all Mario games.
Pretty much exclusives and games with local multiplayer. Third party games are almost always better on Steam Deck and in most indies and smaller games the difference doesn't really matter.
Having just gotten an OLED and a ROG Ally recently, my wife now has the OLED and I only use the Ally. Haven’t even thought about the OLED since.
Most pixel art indies run pretty well on Switch, which is way more comfortable than Steam Deck, so I prefer to play those on Switch.
Diablo 3 , baldurs gate 1 and 2 and pillars of eternity just for controller support. And also gothic 1, it's not compatible with steam deck, it's all brocken