this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2025
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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.

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[–] Shardikprime@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The funniest thing is that Nintendo buyers are not even part of this conversation LMAO 🤣

[–] thisisnotmyhat@programming.dev 6 points 22 hours ago

In a sense, this is also the point. They are different devices targeting different markets.

[–] Scotty_Trees@lemmy.world 56 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I'll emulate Nintendo games till the day I die because fuck Nintendo and their greed.

[–] Denjin@lemmings.world 1 points 3 hours ago

It's always morally acceptable to pirate Nintendo games.

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 23 points 1 day ago

I won't even pirate their games

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They make great games and they're a super anti-consumer company. Perfect combination for going out of your way to pirate their games.

[–] Psythik@lemm.ee 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Meh, personally I haven't enjoyed a Nintendo game since the GameCube. Every new game they release feels like a rehash of the same shit they've been shoveling down our throats since the Wii. Nintendo forgot how to innovate.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 7 points 1 day ago (7 children)

BotW and TotK were both really good. Don't mistake this as me saying "Nintendo is good actually", more like a broken clock is right twice a day sort of statement.

[–] KuroiKaze@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 3 points 22 hours ago (5 children)

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.

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[–] Buske@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago

Steam Deck is the winner, They don't even advertise.

[–] Luckaneer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 day ago

I loved my steam deck, but it was too chunky for me and certainly for my kid.

My compromise is Anbernic type devices. Long battery life, better form factor, lots of ported games too.

[–] Stovetop@lemmy.world 34 points 1 day ago (6 children)

Console wars stopped being cool years ago. Everyone has their preferences and favorites, no need to shit on someone's fun because you think yours is better.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Its unfair to call it a "console war" when one is a classic locked down console and another is a general handheld computer. This also means there are bigger societal stakes in this argument than just "which corporate flavor you like more" because one empowers people and the other does the exact opposite.

So no, "console wars" here are very much cool.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 6 points 1 day ago (5 children)

Competition is good. If the Switch didn't exist then I don't think we would've gotten the Steam Deck.

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[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Steamdeck also isn't a console anyway, it's a handheld PC.

[–] joel_feila@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

it plays like a console and repairs like a pc.

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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.

[–] joel_feila@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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.

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

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.

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[–] Surp@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Actually you will be able to play switch two games on PC. It's only a matter of time so no your only option isn't just switch two. It's patience 😜

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 131 points 2 days ago (13 children)

If you want to play Mario Kart World, your only option is to buy a Switch 2. Period.

For now.

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[–] joel_feila@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

There is a reason why i call all these handheld gaming pcs as decks or gaming decks.

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