My Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch live in harmony. Yours should too

digitaltrends.com:

Ever since the Steam Deck was but a wee rumor, it’s been inseparable from the Nintendo Switch. It was initially hailed as a “Switch killer” well before it was announced and that distinction only heated up when Valve revealed the device’s impressive specs. Now that it’s finally getting into more players’ hands — and with Valve promising to ramp up production — Steam Deck vs. Nintendo Switch debates are reaching a fever pitch.

There’s a lot to unpack in the heated conversations popping up on social media. It’s a war between ride-or-die Nintendo fans, who are over-eager to defend the company’s honor, and PC loyalists, who are historically loud about touting the power of PC over consoles. It’s also a mutation of a long-running frustration of Nintendo’s hardware shortcomings, which has left players begging for a 4K capable Switch Pro. Mix in all those combustible elements and you get a lot of impassioned arguing.

It’s all a little silly. As someone who owns and uses both regularly, it’s clear that both devices fill different niches. My Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch aren’t competing for my attention; they’re living together in perfect harmony.

When I first got my Steam Deck, I wasn’t sure how it would fit into my gaming rotation. At that point, my habits were pretty set in stone. I played consoles at home and used my Switch exclusively in handheld mode. Since both my home and on-the-go niches were filled, it just felt like I’d acquired another big gaming device I’d hardly use.

There were a few hurdles that initially led me to keep my Steam Deck packed away. As a portable device, it’s not terribly portable. Its battery life is notably low when playing demanding AAA games, its screen doesn’t look nearly as good as my Switch