steam deck: Will Nintendo Switch 2 be better than the Steam Deck? Possibilities explored

The much anticipated, rumored successor to the Switch, the Nintendo Switch 2, is expected to be released sometime by 2025. The Switch 2 will face the conundrum of having to compete in a highly competitive market, with the likes of Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally taking center stage. While the Nintendo Switch 2 is unlikely to attain the same performance threshold as the ROG Ally, it should, in theory, be able to compete with the Steam Deck.

This article speculates on the strengths and weaknesses of the Switch 2 when compared to the Steam Deck and the various technical additions that it must possess.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinions.

Everything to expect from the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware-wise

A barrage of leaks have hit the internet over the past year, detailing the rumored specifications and abilities of Nintendo’s next-gen console. All specifications seem to agree that it is a portable console capable of delivering PS4-like visuals while docked.

While it could seem unimpressive at first, it should be kept in mind that PS4-level performance is incredibly impressive on its own - especially for a handheld.

This would place it alongside the Steam Deck OLED’s performance, which would be interesting. Nintendo does, however, have the advantage of working with Nvidia to source their chips.

Continued collaboration with Nvidia may likely result in the use of upscaling technologies such as DLSS on the handheld, which is far superior to AMD’s own FSR solution. Coupled with frame-generation and RTX techniques (such as ray-tracing), this should offer a premium handheld gaming experience on titles such as Cyberpunk 2077, among others.

However, one thing Nintendo absolutely needs to nail is efficiency. Valve perfected this with the Steam Deck OLED, and Nintendo needs to offer a minimum of three or four hours of gameplay on a single charge. Poor battery life will likely discourage customers and severely limit the handheld's appeal.

While an OLED display would be nice to have, multiple reports have confirmed the presence of an LCD panel for the Nintendo Switch 2. It is, however, hoped that the display would at least possess VRR capabilities, along with a refresh rate that is higher than 60 Hz for smoother gameplay.

In short, the Nintendo Switch 2 must possess the following technical specifications:

A vibrant, large display with VRR and high refresh rates.
A battery of sufficient capacity along with an efficient custom-tuned chip.
DLSS and RTX upsampling techniques.
A comfortable design that does not breach into the extremes of portability (such as the Lenovo Legion Go).
Performance that is, at the very least, similar to that of the Steam Deck.
A base storage or sufficient capacity, with MicroSD expansion.

The Nintendo Switch 2 does not necessarily have to do better than the Steam Deck to succeed

While it would be nice if the Switch 2 were more powerful than the Steam Deck, pushing the limits of mobile computing, it would not be a deal breaker in the slightest. Nintendo has proven that users will continue to buy their systems, regardless of how underpowered they are, simply by releasing a stream of masterful first-party exclusives that please owners of the system.

This has been Nintendo’s strategy for some time, and it has paid off very well. As such, the console does not need to be more powerful than a Deck to succeed - so long as Nintendo maintains its stream of exclusives and a minimum base configuration that can keep up with modern releases (much like the Steam Deck itself).