I’ve been heavily debating between Steam Deck OLED and Switch OLED

I mean you’re going to get a lot of the same opinions around here but I don’t think there’s any debate to be had. If you can’t afford the OLED, you can get the LCD for roughly the same price.

Consoles are just fancy DRM machines. The chip in the Switch is 10 years old and wasn’t even fast when the Switch was brand new.

Steam Deck is an incredibly versatile and customizable machine.

it seems that Steam Deck runs Linux and that the emulation isn’t really as good as it is on the PC.

Well first of all the Steam Deck is a PC. Secondly, no, quite the opposite. There’s a bunch of software written specifically for the Steam Deck for emulation and it’s pretty widely considered the penultimate emulation machine.

but then I’ve been reading that the games are mostly 30FPS locked

I’m not really even sure what that’s supposed to mean but I’ve never played a game that was locked at 30FPS. Lots of them are software locked at 60 but that’s nothing to do with the Deck or Linux. And you’re certainly not getting more than the SD on the Switch.

I am only an original (hacked) Nintendo Switch and I have been enjoying BOTW recently with higher than 30 FPS (60 at best) with some overclocking, that is good enough for my gaming standards.

If I were to get a Steam Deck… I wouldn’t use it for Switch games because I am more than happy with how my own Switch behaves… And I am aware emulation is not perfect with the Deck, like, PSP emulation level of perfect.

If I had to choose one though, I’d go for the Deck, but not specifically for the Switch gaming capabilities, I have a considerable PC backlog.

It’s super easy on the steam deck. You don’t need to know Linux. You boot into desktop mode, open Firefox, install emudeck by clicking on a link. Then you configure in there a bit and download roms - all pretty straightforward and easy. A noob can do it in a couple of hours.

Now that said - the steam deck is hit or miss emulating switch games. Most games work awesome. But not every game. It’s not clear to me if the hardware is a little too slow for emulation overhead, or if it’s more an issue between the emulator and the game. My take is it’s a bit of both.

Someone else will have to comment on modding the switch as I haven’t done that, but I bet once modded, it plays every game 100% fine.

Assuming my prior paragraph is true: if the ONLY thing you want to do is switch games - then I’d skip the steam deck. If you want to do OTHER things as well (snes, nes, all other older consoles, actual pc games that play on steam deck) then ya, steam deck all the way. Make sense?

The Steam Deck literally is a PC. If for some inane reason you can’t get it to do what you want you can install Windows on it.

I think the only reason emulation is “worse” on it than on PC can be that a desktop PC has more power. Almost all emulators in general usage are open source and have Linux versions.

There are also no problems with running pirated Windows games. By now the only games that are problematic on Linux are multiplayer games with kernel level anti cheat that hasn’t been configured to work on Linux.

The Steam Deck is better than the Switch in almost every aspect. It just doesn’t come with detachable controllers. That’s it.

So if you want a portable console with detachable controllers buy a Switch. Otherwise there is no reason not to get a Deck.

I’ve got a couple of Switch games on my Deck. The whole process is a piece of piss. Would recommend.

You don’t need a switch, or any other console really, when you have a steam deck.

According to this list the switch currently has around 40 exclusive games. The majority of these I’m guessing are Nintendo games and will probably be ones that emulators prioritise working with.

For everything else you could want there is probably going to be a PC version or another console that could also be emulated should the switch version not work. The PC version will probably be superior anyway as switch games are mostly running in an inferior manner.

I dont think this is even a question that needs considering when you factor in the sheer amount of other game options you have for the steam deck whether you are pirating them or actually purchasing them. In my opinion you’d be foolish to get a switch, not least because Nintendo are a deplorable company and personally I think their first party games are shite.

Emulating switch games on the steam deck works quite well, but sometimes you run into compatibility issues.

That being said, I completely finished both Pokemon Violet and Mario Kart 8 on it.