The handheld console wars are coming soon, who you got?
Wednesday, 12 Mar 2025
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The steamdeck has been a prefect device for me so far, so I’ll likely be getting the new one when it’s released
I honestly hope this is the next true “console war” because I’m enjoying gaming on the go as an adult more than I ever have! Switch Lite restored my joy in gaming!
Now we just need more accessible price points on these devices, like the lite at $200 new.
Idk if this is an unpopular opinion but I’d like a dedicated handheld. Not just a cloud streaming device.
Xbox so I can ditch my series x, since I moved to PC last year. Switch 2 if gamefreak can do something amazing with a gen 5 remake, remaster, or third entry.
Nintendo and a PC handheld.
Microsoft and Sony are releasing steadily for Steam so I don’t need their handhelds if I have a SteamDeck, Legion Go or Rogue Ally.
The switch 2 and the steam deck. If I can afford both of course
I’ve had all the Playstation handhelds, and looking forward to the 3rd. But honestly I want a steamdeck.
Considering you can play pretty much all those those games in one way or another on the steam deck imma have to stick with Steam plus my library is too big to go back now (thank you Steam sales). But like I bought some app for 5 bucks and can stream my xbox series x to my Steam deck now already
My Wii U is still fine.
So gaming on tv is suddenly not cool anymore?
Steam Deck 2 because I doubt the PlayStation one will be able to run PS5 games.
Console wars? Naw, imma just enjoy the games I have and not worry what I have them on
This is how its going to be
Xbox: will play Xbox games and most third party games
PlayStation: will play PlayStation games, some Xbox games and most third party games
Nintendo: will play Nintendo games and very few third party games
Steam deck: Will play all third party games, all Xbox games, all PlayStation games (not day one though), but no Nintendo games
Nintendo has won every single war when it comes to handhelds. I’m sticking with the horse with the record to prove itself.
I had hopes for the PlayStation Portal but they should have had it where you can download games from your library onto it and not just be a streaming thing. I need a way to play my games at work, lol!
Gimmie that SteamDeck.
I just don’t see Sony and Microsoft having games that I particularly care about taking Mobile. Games I’m playing on the PS belong on my big screen in my comfy living room.
Handhelds are perfect for my favorite Nintendo IPs and the Steam Deck is a great way to cull the PC backlog.
It is very hard to bet against Nintendo in the handheld market. Although I have always enjoyed Sony’s handhelds more
Nintendo. Nobody has ever touched them on handheld
Switch 2 easy. There will be new games to play on it. The others are just gonna have ports of everything you can already play.
Steamdeck all the way. Being able to play 98% of my library (back to 2010) + gog + epic* + “any console from atari to ps2”
Switch and Steam Deck. This depends on who has exclusive games from my perspective. The Xbox handheld would just be a worse Steam Deck, and the PSP3 isn’t going to do well with stiff competition from Nintendo.
All of those, except the Steam Deck, will be platform-exclusive. Xbox will play Xbox games, PS will play PS games, and Nintendo will do whatever the fuck they want to.
Steam Deck, on the other hand, will play all of those games and then some, so it has my back. The Deck OLED is a fantastic device, so I am most likely going to get the next one. However, now with SteamOS coming out soon, I would want to check what other manufacturers have to offer as well. Lenovo is showcasing their stuff next month, so my ears are all open.
I have zero interest in the new PlayStation Portable. Sony will most likely release something that plays PS4 or PS5 games, and I have no interest in that.
Xbox Handheld some interest from me because I want to see which direction it takes. Will it support Steam and other launchers? Will it introduce a handheld-friendly version of Windows? Will it use a custom chipset? Curious to see how Microsoft handles this, especially since they want to exit the hardware business for games almost entirely.
Switch 2 has zero interest from me, too. Not only is the device un-ergonomic for me, I am also not a Nintendo kid.
Nokia N-gage!
I am too broke for any of them.
I recently got an Asus ROG Ally X. Portable mini computer that runs better than my 5 year old “gaming” laptop. I opted for it over the Steamdeck. I really like it so far.
The handheld console wars never left, they just entered thr next generation with thr steam deck (PC) as the most viable option and the PC market entering the scene. Sure theres been small Portable PCs marketed towards gaming but nothing as intended for gaming as the steam deck. Xbox never had much for portable consoles beyond their cloud service (though Sega did have some handhelds before they stopped making consoles) and Sony hasn’t had anything since the PS vita, except for their cloud based tablet thing, Nintendo has been the most consistent with the handheld game going from resently the 3ds family to the switch family (with thr awkarf Wii u hybrid in the middle)
As for speculation, if Microsoft does what valve did they could release a performant handheld device at a price loss and be on par with the steam deck. However I would think they would want to compete with Sony more and end up making a cloud based tablet like they did. Switch 2 I dont care thst much considering Nintendo’s suing palworld for patents while releasing an alarm clock right now… And I want nvidia to make a new shield tablet anyways because the switch ran on nvidia last mobile CPU. The steam deck is too early, I hope valve sees how well the meta quest 3 has been doing and opts for an index 2 or similar VR device soon, especially if its a steam deck strapped to your face, aka with similar specs as the handheld and being able to run light PC VR titles directly on it.
So, from a consumer point of view – and just my opinion and use cases, all I need is the Nintendo console, and a PC.
Most of the games worth playing will be ported to the PC legitimately, except for the Nintendo ones. I don’t typically emulate on my own unless a game on the secondary market is unreasonably priced. (Anything > $150 is too much. Refusing to pay that much doesn’t hurt the publisher, who already got their money and won’t make it available on the newer platforms. It only hurts price gougers and profiteers.)
The fact that these are handheld form factors is a luxury to get to play them away from the house. So, the handheld PC I am going to get will depend on how I feel at the time. Did I play everything I needed to play on my Steam Deck? Did it help me finish a significant portion of my backlog?
I am a patient gamer, so I don’t mind playing a game well after launch, unless the online component is best enjoyed while the game is popular. So, for me the Steam Deck worked really well.
Add to that that I am not very well impressed with the display size. I’d rather see a different company develop personal displays and I’ll just trade out the computing component as needed and get new glasses when I feel the need to upgrade. (Graphics are not the draw for me, gameplay and story are.)
Between games, books, and video media, there is too much out there to be able to experience it all. You’ve got to cultivate your own experience and remove the stress and pressure of “keeping up” just for the sake of saying you’re keeping up.
I just see 4 different Xboxes
the steam deck doesn’t just wipe the floor, it forces the other 3 to do it for him while he waits on dinner and wine. you cannot beat their price/performance ratio. the others might as well be non-existent unless you’re a big nintendo fan. if not then there is no decision to be made as it was already made when valve priced the steam deck
the fact that i am running RDR2 on a fucking SD card at a pretty solid 40 FPS on high textures in the wilderness which is like 95% of the game. towns are easily above 30, even saint denis
the steam deck has it’s issues and quirks but all in all, i would’ve killed for something like this as a kid. in cold blood 🤣
Gotta go with Steam!
“Console Wars” and “Who you got” tells me that OP is asking who we think is going to win. And, to me at least, the obvious answer is Nintendo. Until someone else knocks them off they are still the champion.
BANANA
I might buy all 4
Steamdeck will be superior due to emulation.
Steam Deck as it can play games from the other 3.