What people miss about Steam Deck's "loss" to Nintendo
-
It’s silly to compare Switch 2 sales to Steam Deck sales.
The Switch 2 is a locked-down, vertically integrated platform. There are no ROG Switch 2s. No Lenovo Switch 2s. No Switch laptops or tower PCs with discrete GPUs. If you want to play Mario Kart World, your only option is to buy a Switch 2. Period.
Steam Deck, by contrast, isn’t a platform. It’s just one hardware option—one entry point into the sprawling, open ecosystem known as PC gaming.
Every year, around 245 million PCs are shipped globally. If even 20–25% of those are gaming-focused, that’s 49–61 million gaming PCs annually. Steam Deck is a sliver of that. So of course it won’t outsell a console that’s the only gateway to a major IP.
But that’s exactly the point.
PC gaming is too decentralized for any single device to dominate. The last “PC” that did was the Commodore 64, which sold 12.5–17 million units over 12 years because it was a self-contained platform, unlike modern Windows, Mac, or Linux machines.
That the Steam Deck has sold 4 million units despite competing with every other gaming PC in existence is remarkable. It didn’t just sell—it legitimized a category. Handheld PC gaming is now a thing. That’s why Lenovo, ASUS, and MSI have followed. Even Microsoft is getting in, optimizing Windows for handhelds—something they would never have done if the Steam Deck didn't hold their feet to the fire.
So no, Steam Deck didn’t outsell the Switch 2. It didn’t need to.
It won by changing the landscape.
Steam Deck is just one of many devices capable of playing PC games. It isn't an entire game platform the way that the Switch 2 is.
If you want to play Switch 2 games, you have to buy a switch. If you want to play PC games, you have an absurd number of options. If you want to play PC games specifically on a handheld device, you still have a bunch of options.
-
Exclusives are good for the company making them, but they are anti-consumer. I'd be open to buying Switch games if they were available on PC. But I'm not buying a whole separate piece of hardware (complete with various accessories) so that I can play whatever exclusives that I'm interested in. I'll just pass on it.
-
I stopped buying consoles and moved pretty much exclusively to Steam because it gives me many more options. Thankfully, I don't think that's changing anytime soon. Consoles are great for some people, but I need more flexibility. I sometimes wish I could (legally) play Nintendo first party games, but it's really not that big of a deal.
Yep, last console I bought was an XB1. I really only use it for playing 4K discs and for couch co-op.
I don't foresee buying another console unless I have a really good reason to.
-
It’s silly to compare Switch 2 sales to Steam Deck sales.
The Switch 2 is a locked-down, vertically integrated platform. There are no ROG Switch 2s. No Lenovo Switch 2s. No Switch laptops or tower PCs with discrete GPUs. If you want to play Mario Kart World, your only option is to buy a Switch 2. Period.
Steam Deck, by contrast, isn’t a platform. It’s just one hardware option—one entry point into the sprawling, open ecosystem known as PC gaming.
Every year, around 245 million PCs are shipped globally. If even 20–25% of those are gaming-focused, that’s 49–61 million gaming PCs annually. Steam Deck is a sliver of that. So of course it won’t outsell a console that’s the only gateway to a major IP.
But that’s exactly the point.
PC gaming is too decentralized for any single device to dominate. The last “PC” that did was the Commodore 64, which sold 12.5–17 million units over 12 years because it was a self-contained platform, unlike modern Windows, Mac, or Linux machines.
That the Steam Deck has sold 4 million units despite competing with every other gaming PC in existence is remarkable. It didn’t just sell—it legitimized a category. Handheld PC gaming is now a thing. That’s why Lenovo, ASUS, and MSI have followed. Even Microsoft is getting in, optimizing Windows for handhelds—something they would never have done if the Steam Deck didn't hold their feet to the fire.
So no, Steam Deck didn’t outsell the Switch 2. It didn’t need to.
It won by changing the landscape.
There is a reason why i call all these handheld gaming pcs as decks or gaming decks.
-
Steamdeck also isn't a console anyway, it's a handheld PC.
it plays like a console and repairs like a pc.
-
it plays like a console and repairs like a pc.
How? Its a PC with a built in steam controller. You can play dwarf fortress over SSH using a keyboard, it plays like a PC.
-
How? Its a PC with a built in steam controller. You can play dwarf fortress over SSH using a keyboard, it plays like a PC.
You turn it on and boom steam library ready to launch, click buy download play just like a console. Remember most peopl just want easy use and the steam deck does that.
Yes the average steam Deck user is above average in tech literacy.
-
You turn it on and boom steam library ready to launch, click buy download play just like a console. Remember most peopl just want easy use and the steam deck does that.
Yes the average steam Deck user is above average in tech literacy.
So steam is set to autorun by default?
By that reasoning my old PC in like 2008 was a console because you boot and it starts up with a list of games to play that are all loaded from Linux DVD, just click to launch any of them immediately.
-
So steam is set to autorun by default?
By that reasoning my old PC in like 2008 was a console because you boot and it starts up with a list of games to play that are all loaded from Linux DVD, just click to launch any of them immediately.
Yeah ease of use, no technical skill or knowledge needed.
-
I'm owning a Ayaneo Flip DS and a Switch 2...
There are a lot of reasons why some one would buy two handhelds. Especially a PC Handheld.congratz. most people still are not gonna own 2
-
Meh, it amortizes over time. Switch 1 lasted 10 years
Switch 2 will probably be the same, buy the games now, play for 10 years sounds like a deal to the lowest common denominator in gaming
It lasted 8 years and sold as much as it did because it's considerably cheaper than the competition, especially the Switch Lite at $200. We'll see if the inevitable Switch 2 Lite moves as many units at $350.
-
I mean, I played most of my library in that space. I 'S' ranked plenty of Beat Saber maps on Hard. Played Space Pirate Trainer a few times. The Lab. Phasmophobia. Etc. You can genuinely easily play most VR games seated if you really wanted to, even if it's not as nice as having standing room
I needed more room to not hit things when I used it, but I am pretty clumsy. Must be a skill issue.
-
BotW and TotK are by far the worst Zelda games ever made. What's the point of having a huge open world if there's nothing to do in it? Plus there are no real dungeons and there's barely a plot. It honestly blows my mind that people enjoy those games. Hell, TotK was so lazily slapped together that they couldn't even bother creating a new map.
TotK didn't have real dungeons? Huh? I disagree with that criticism for BotW, but I can at least understand why people say it.
But I'm not gonna get into this. I like them. They're very popular. A certain vocal subset of the Zelda fandom hate them. A certain vocal subset of the Zelda fandom has hated a lot of more opinionated Zelda games on release only to view them more favorably later. People loathed Wind Waker on release, but now tons of people love it. I think these games will be viewed more favorably by fans long term. Yes, they're different from the others, but not all of them need to follow the same formula. Variety is the spice of life.
For example, I really enjoyed Link's Awakening HD.
-
Personally I thought botw was pretty mid overall. The world is so empty and there's no reason to really ever fight anything for the most part. The weapons breaking so easily just cements that. Haven't played the second tho.
There's not a reason to fight most enemies in most video games to be honest. TotK mostly fixed the weapon breaking mechanic in my eyes. They're much more durable now and last longer when fused (there is generally no reason to not do fusion). The only thing that's more fun in BotW than TotK is riding a horse through Hyrule field while dodging tons of guardian lasers.
-
I remember when botw came out and some time after it was cracked and you could play it in 4k 60. So i did and i was just like meh. Do i really want to collect all the same shrines in a boring world?
You only think a game is fun if you're willing to 100% it?
-
I have played them, they are ok. But I would be extremely disappointed if I spent that much money and that is all I got.
It's almost like different people enjoy different things haha
-
Sorry, should've clarified that this isn't directed towards you, OP! Just at a lot of the other comments in here who are acting like someone else's decision to buy an expensive gadget is a personal insult to them.
That is unfortunately very common, especially in the gaming world.
-
Fuck $80 mario you can get Garfield Kart for $5
Personally I'm big on Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart. A mod of a doom mod that plays like super mario kart pushed to it's absolute limit, with a community that has added most characters you can think of, a million quality of life changes, and some things that crank it to 11 for me, like the blue shell equivalent moving just slightly faster than your top speed, so if you play perfectly and drift dash nonstop you can keep it just barely tickling your butthole but not hitting you.
-
There's not a reason to fight most enemies in most video games to be honest. TotK mostly fixed the weapon breaking mechanic in my eyes. They're much more durable now and last longer when fused (there is generally no reason to not do fusion). The only thing that's more fun in BotW than TotK is riding a horse through Hyrule field while dodging tons of guardian lasers.
There’s not a reason to fight most enemies in most video games to be honest.
Hmmmm... that's a thinker.
In the older zeldas, you didn't especially need to fight stuff on the overworld. I'd usually just run by, or kill the ones that were in my way.
In most FromSoft games, you can run past enemies but that can quickly spiral out of control. Killing them gives you time to explore safely, on top of the XP rewarded.
In shooters like Doom, you could probably run past most enemies, but they'll keep attacking. Clearing them makes you safer.
Monster hunter it's the whole point of the game.
What games are you thinking of where fighting is pointless? I don't think it's "most" games.
-
The funniest thing is that Nintendo buyers are not even part of this conversation LMAO
In a sense, this is also the point. They are different devices targeting different markets.
