How does the Change 2 stack up in opposition to the Steam Deck?

The largest risk to the Steam Deck in 2025 received’t be the arrival of different Home windows-based handheld gaming PCs. As an alternative, it’ll seemingly be the Nintendo Change 2, which arrives on June 5 for $449.99 — smack dab between the price of the $399 Steam Deck LCD and the $549 Steam Deck OLED.

Sarcastically, the Steam Deck can also be the Change 2’s largest risk. Whereas Nintendo’s new console could have Valve’s beat on display screen decision, refresh price, and a customized Nvidia processor able to DLSS and ray tracing, Steam trumps it in worth, significantly with recreation costs.

I get it, I get it. They’re completely completely different gadgets. So though evaluating Nintendo and Valve’s {hardware} and software program philosophies is an apples versus oranges train, the 2 gadgets — and firms — are extra aligned than you would possibly assume. And that’s very true when customers, whether or not due to tariffs or different financial causes, want to decide on between one or the opposite.

You’ve come to the precise place, as we’ll break down the entire specs value caring about to point out how they stack up.

As talked about, the Change 2 and the Steam Deck have considerably comparable costs. The Change 2 will launch on June 5 for $449.99 to begin, although there shall be a $499.99 bundle obtainable for a restricted time that features Mario Kart World. Preorders go stay on Wednesday, April ninth for the console, its equipment, and launch titles.

Valve’s Steam Deck doesn’t include varied recreation bundles, though there are two fashions to select from: the $399 Steam Deck LCD (additionally recognized merely as Steam Deck) and the Steam Deck OLED, which begins at $549. A number of specs, in addition to storage quantities, differentiate the 2. The Verge’s Sean Hollister has a overview of the Steam Deck OLED that neatly sums up their variations. Within the US, the Steam Deck is simply obtainable via Steam, Valve’s on-line recreation storefront. Internationally, it’s obtainable via varied shops.

That is the place issues get actually attention-grabbing. The Change 2 took many unexpectedly by that includes a 7.9-inch 1080p LCD touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh price. Not solely that, it helps VRR and HDR10. In comparison with the launch Change and Change Lite, each of which had 720p LCDs of various sizes (6.2 inches within the Change, 5.5 inches within the Change Lite), it’s an enormous distinction by way of added measurement, options, extra readability, and smoothness in how video games seem onscreen. The identical may very well be mentioned for the Change 2’s display screen enhancements over the Steam Deck LCD, which has a 7-inch 60Hz LCD touchscreen (with chunky bezels) with out VRR or HDR assist.

The Change OLED’s 7-inch 720p OLED display screen could also be higher than the Change 2’s display screen by way of distinction and viewing angles, however the Change 2’s is quicker and higher in each different metric.

The Change 2 meets its match within the Steam Deck OLED. Many hoped that Nintendo would come out of the gates with an OLED show, however that also makes Valve’s $549 handheld particular. The Steam Deck OLED has a smaller 800p touchscreen than the Change 2 at 7.4 inches (however with out the chunky bezels of the Deck LCD), however provides 90Hz refresh price and HDR into the combo.

It’s a stunning display screen, with stellar viewing angles and sensible shade replica, making 800p video games one way or the other look increased decision. Some could desire the upper refresh price and VRR within the Change 2, which can enable the display screen to rapidly adapt to a fluctuating body price with out tearing. The VRR distinction is one thing you must expertise your self, and it’s nice to have within the Change 2 as not many handhelds assist it, save for the Lenovo Legion Go S and choose others.

Efficiency and battery life

There’s certain to be extra to come back by way of evaluating efficiency between the Change 2 and the Steam Deck. Palms-on time with the Change 2 has been restricted to a couple video games coming at launch, so you need to count on extra on how video games obtainable for each examine by way of visuals and body price.

We will make some comparisons primarily based on specs. Each the Steam Deck fashions use a customized AMD APU (bundling the Zen 2 CPU and RDNA 2 GPU) that performs a swath of PC video games comparatively easily at good-to-great visible high quality with surprisingly good battery life. Not each recreation can take full benefit of the Steam Deck OLED’s 90Hz refresh price, however that’s not a declare Valve makes. Some AMD’s FSR graphical upscaling expertise is obtainable in choose video games to scale back the render decision of the picture and upscale it utilizing AI. In lots of instances, it makes supported video games run higher on Steam Deck, however with a serious hit to visible high quality.

Alternatively, I feel Nintendo’s Change 2 is extra of a spec powerhouse than anybody anticipated. It makes use of a customized Nvidia processor, although nearly no particulars about its energy have been unveiled on the time of publishing. Nintendo is publicly concentrating on as much as 120 frames per second in some video games in handheld mode, with a 60 frames per second cap at 4K when docked, indicating that there’s fairly a little bit of potential within the Change 2. Nintendo Change 2 {hardware} engineers declare the console makes use of DLSS and ray tracing — key options provided by Nvidia graphics playing cards. It’s unclear how these options shall be utilized in titles throughout the board, and if there are any downsides to its implementation.

Switching over to battery life, the Steam Deck has the Change 2 beat, although for each handhelds it’s essential to notice that battery longevity varies wildly relying on the video games you play. Balatro, as an illustration, is much less taxing on {hardware} than Cyberpunk 2077. The Change 2 has an anticipated battery life between 2 and 6.5 hours. Valve’s Steam Deck LCD (which has a 40Wh battery) can final between 2 and eight hours, whereas the Steam Deck OLED, because of its extra environment friendly show and soar from 40Wh to 50Wh, lasts between 3 and 12 hours.

By default, the Change 2 incorporates 256GB of speedy UFS storage that presumably can’t be upgraded by the tip person. Nevertheless, it may be expanded upon with microSD playing cards — however not simply any will do. It’s one of many first gadgets to assist microSD Specific, that are labeled as PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs, however are simply as tiny as different microSD playing cards. The console helps as much as 2TB capacities, although we’ve solely seen as much as 1TB fashions hit cabinets thus far (extra will definitely present up in time for the Change 2’s June fifth launch).

The Steam Deck presents extra versatility. For one, all fashions include M.2 2230-sized SSDs that may be upgraded by opening the system. Doing so doesn’t void the guarantee, however you’ll need to watch out. As soon as inside, you may change the SSD with one thing greater. It’s unclear at the moment whether or not the Steam Deck’s built-in SSD is quicker or on a par with the Change 2’s inside storage.

If you wish to complement the SSD with extra user-friendly expandable storage, every Deck additionally helps UHS-1 microSD playing cards. These are slower than the Change 2’s microSD Specific playing cards, however they do the trick.

Each handhelds can be utilized as hybrids, both in handheld mode or docked to a TV. Talking of their handheld use case first, the Change 2 features a versatile kickstand, whereas the Steam Deck doesn’t.

Putting both on a dock grants you extra ports to connect with the console. The Change 2 dock, which comes with every console, contains an HDMI port, USB-C for energy, plus an Ethernet port for wired web. The Steam Deck docking station is a separate $79 accent that features extra ports, resembling HDMI, DisplayPort, three USB-A ports, Ethernet, and a USB-C port for energy.

The Steam Deck and Nintendo Change 2 have USB-C ports that ship video out to your show. Nevertheless, solely the Change 2 encompasses a second USB-C port, positioned on its high, which can be utilized to plug in peripherals, resembling a digital camera for GameChat, or quite a few different equipment to be launched sooner or later. This Change 2’s secondary USB-C port doesn’t assist video out. Within the case of the Change 2, its dock unlocks extra energy capabilities, whereas the Steam Deck’s dock doesn’t increase its power.

The Steam Deck places your Steam library at your fingertips. You’ll be capable of play most of them on the Steam Deck, however how every recreation performs — together with whether or not you may launch it in any respect, as a result of anti-cheat or different incompatibility causes — varies relying on the sport. Valve makes an attempt to make it straightforward to know whether or not a recreation will work effectively on Steam Deck. If it’s “Verified,” which means you’ll in all probability have an excellent expertise. If it’s “Playable,” there is perhaps some controller-based difficulties that may negatively influence and in any other case good expertise. “Unsupported” video games are merely that — they both received’t work when you boot them, or Valve hasn’t examined them and doesn’t know what sort of time you’re in for. One defining function of Steam is that the shop hosts many gross sales, and Steam video games will be legally acquired via third-party websites at huge reductions. Video games are sometimes considerably extra reasonably priced by comparability to the Change and different gaming consoles.

The Change 2 helps nearly all unique Change video games, although there are some titles that have issues. It helps them via a way “someplace in between a software program emulator and {hardware} compatibility,” based on Switch 2 developer Takuhiro Dohta. This sounds considerably just like Valve’s Proton, a compatibility layer that permits Home windows video games to run on the Steam Deck’s fork of Linux.

Persevering with on the Change 2, there are “Change 2 Version” upgrades to pick out Change titles that add prospers allowed by the extra highly effective {hardware}, starting from sooner frames per second and better decision (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom), in addition to different Change 2-only options, like GameChat performance (Tremendous Mario Social gathering: Jamboree – Change 2 Version), or mouse controls (Metroid Prime 4: Past – Change 2 Version). Then, there shall be Change 2-exclusive video games, like Mario Kart World, that may solely be performed on new {hardware}.

Video games apart, let’s communicate concerning the underlying software program. The Change 2, very similar to its predecessor, is targeted nearly solely on gaming. We don’t but know whether or not video streaming companies shall be obtainable. Nevertheless, on the Steam Deck, you’ve the choice to change from gaming to “desktop mode,” basically turning it right into a Linux desktop. From there, you may set up apps of your selecting, run a browser, join Google accounts to it to kind paperwork — something that involves thoughts.