By: Anayah Peterson, Reporter
Steam Deck is coming out with a new portable gaming device, the Valve, similar to the Nintendo Switch. The targeted price for the base Steam Deck console is $399, while a Nintendo Switch currently costs $299, but the release in October upgrades the features and is priced at $399. The main differences between these two consoles will come from player preference.
The Nintendo Switch is a popular device Nintendo created to allow game play to be portable and easy to carry around, By being lightweight. In October, Nintendo is releasing a new version of the Switch that features a 7-inch Organic Light-Emitting Diode display and has 64 GB of memory
Steam is adding to the competition by creating its own portable gaming device—the Steam Deck Valve. Steam is releasing its portable console in December of 2021. The purpose of creating this console is to allow people to play PC games on the go. TechRadar explains that the Steam Deck console can be compared to the Nintendo Switch because of its setup. These two devices may be alike because of the portable gaming aspect. However, they each have their pros and cons.
The Steam deck can handle PC and console games while the Nintendo Switch tends to stick to Nintendo mainstream games. Additionally٫ players can choose the preferred Operation Systems for the Steam Deck console. It looks similar to the Nintendo Switch, but you can not detach the controllers on the side like the switch. The analog stick on the Stream Deck is comparable to an Xbox controller; however, Nintendo has the option for a wireless controller.
Cassie (Cass) Brunette, a Sophomore, loves the idea of portable PC gaming. They enjoy playing on the Nintendo Switch.
“I like the idea of having the ability to have more games. I also like that the games are cheaper,” said Cass Brunette.
They are excited about buying more games on that console. Brunette expresses that Nintendo Switch games are much more expensive to pay for than Steam. However, they enjoy playing on their switch during their free time.
Mikaylah Chisholm, a freshman, is excited for a Cross-platform with the console. “I want to be able to play with my friends on the PC without needing a computer,” said Mikaylah Chisholm.
They enjoy playing Minecraft with their friends who play on different consoles. Cross-platform allows players to be able to play with different devices platforms from their own console.
When it comes to storage between the two devices٫ the Steam Deck can handle more storage than the Nintendo Switch. The Steam Deck comes with three different storage sizes, which are: 64 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB. The current Nintendo Switch model has 32 GB of storage, but the new edition will have 64 GB.
The Steam Deck is much more powerful than a Nintendo Switch; however, more power means more battery use. Nintendo Switch has a battery life of “four to nine hours” while the Steam deck has a battery life of “two to eight hours,” said TechRadar.
Both consoles come with their own advantages when it comes to the preference of the player. Gamers can now order through Reservations for the console through the Steam Store.
