Some media and gamers see the Steam Deck as a potential threat to Nintendo Switch. However, in a recent analysis of the situation by Kotaku, we learned why Valve’s Steam Deck wouldn’t actually pose a threat to Nintendo Switch and its market leadership.
In the report, they point out a few key points that would justify why Steam Deck would actually be a competitor more closely related to another market entirely rather than Nintendo Switch. They are as follows:
- Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch’s potential buyers are different or good cohabitants.
- This is due to the catalogue of games available on each console.
- The games available on Nintendo Switch and Steam are very different from each other.
- The best-selling Nintendo Switch games are Nintendo Switch-exclusive titles, so interested users will continue to buy Nintendo Switch, something we have already seen with the OLED pre-orders.
- Steam Deck also needs to gain the trust of those who are wary of Valve’s previous cases like Steam Link and Steam Machines.
- They add that Nintendo Switch is already fully installed in the market, many people already have it and it can be easily found in shops at a discounted price.
- Speaking of price, they question whether the average person would really spend more than $650 for the best version of Steam Deck.
Finally, we should also bear in mind that Steam games and a wide range of available PlayStation and Xbox titles are being brought to the console market with a different proposition and in parallel to Nintendo Switch, so Nintendo’s hybrid console is likely to be unaffected by this launch.