[bwilliams]

I love my Steam Deck aside from the quality control issues I ran into, one of which required an RMA. It's really hard to justify $1000 for it when the Switch 2 is $450 (soon $500).

I do think there's a bright future for PC handhelds, especially when (not if) ARM processors can be utilized. I'm less sure about that if prices keep rising since that quickly becomes the difference between niche hobbyist device and mainstream gaming portable.

[tailscaler2026]

> It's really hard to justify $1000 for it when the Switch 2 is $450

For someone without an existing library, sure, but if you have a massive existing Nintendo/Switch1 or Steam library, that's going to drive your decision making far more than the price tag.

[bwilliams]

I think that's a factor for sure, but is less important (generally) as the price gap increases. The Steam Deck also has a disadvantage in that only some of your existing library will be playable on the device.

There's definitely a price point for some where it will make sense to rebuild your library on the Switch vs pay the higher cost of a Deck.

[Kreutzer]

The nice thing about the Switch 2 is you can find a plethora of games at your local library (if you have one, that is). That's essentially how my wife played 20+ games with her Switch 1.

[plqbfbv]

> It's really hard to justify $1000 for it when the Switch 2 is $450 (soon $500).

I had a Nintendo Switch 1 and sold it. My wife wanted to play the latest Pokemon release, she did for 2 months, then it sat unused for 3 years in its charging deck.

If you like some titles that Nintendo has to offer, then sure (I never understood the appeal of the Zelda saga for instance).

If you want a portable PC optimized for gaming with a huge library and where you can also do anything else you want, including modding it, 1000$ is still a bargain for what it offers. EDIT: and the library will keep expanding as Proton keeps maturing.

[ariwilson]

Android handhelds (e.g. AYN Thor, Odin 3, Retroid Pocket 6) have been becoming more and more useful for PC gaming via apps like GameNative and GameHub. See for example, Elden Ring: https://youtu.be/GlzMkqFmKjo?si=w9q-j2ntt154b0--&t=621

[dayvid]

You can buy a Macbook Air for that price. It doesn't make sense to buy it at that price.

I bought an original LCD Steam Deck and wouldn't purchase one if it was that price. This is great news for the Switch, but the Ally X would be the only other viable option right now (~$650)

[hibikir]

The question is how long Apple will be able to maintain those prices, given the run for memory that there is. Someone is making a lot less money selling to apple than elsewhere, and while the long term contracts are worth a lot in stability, there's a limit to it. Not everyone gets hit equally by a demand shock, but nobody is immune.

[thayne]

> I do think there's a bright future for PC handhelds

Maybe if RAM prices go down and hardware becomes affordable again.