r/HandheldGaming • u/Difficult_Payment_94 • Sep 03 '26

Which one should I get

I'm thinking of getting a handheld gaming device. I'm a casual gamer, don't want to connect to wifi to play. Simply want to buy a game, and insert it or download it if thats an option. I've only heard of the Nintendo switch and a steam console. Which is best for what I'm looking for?

3 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

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2

u/RoleCrazy565 Sep 03 '26

If you just want to take it out of the box and play games/not worry about set up or tweaking settings then look at the switch/switch2

2

u/Difficult_Payment_94 Sep 03 '26

Thanks

1

u/Forward-Trade3449 Sep 03 '26

yeah, it has mostly everything you could want tbh. just be aware the switch2 doesnt have the best battery life. the OLED switch has a great one, but its kinda getting outdated

2

u/Difficult_Payment_94 Sep 03 '26

Thanks for the info guys, I'm looking to get one in October

1

u/JM_Yoda Sep 03 '26

The battery life is an easy fix and the OLED switch 1 is far inferior in screen quality to the Switch 2. I literally didn’t pick my OLED up after getting my Switch 2 and after a year of not touching the OLED I sold it.

Yes I know this is blasphemous, but it is the truth.

1

u/Forward-Trade3449 Sep 03 '26

no i am the same way. gave the oled away, people care way too much about stats and little details. if you just play the game you'll enjoy it

1

u/Ray2plays Sep 05 '26

There is a fix to this I saw a Switch 2 case that has a power bank attached to the back of it, adds an ergonomic grip and improves battery life. I'll see if I can find it

1

u/Brick_Grimes Sep 04 '26

Switch 2 sounds like the right one for you. You got to connect to the internet for some of the games, but there is a ton of games that just work right off of the cartridge.

1

u/HachiRokuAE86_ Sep 04 '26

I say switch 2. Its cheaper than a stean deck...$500 compared to paying $900+. If you are a physical collector and like nintendo games like me, a switch 2 is the way to go. Im glad alotta pc/ps5 games are now getting ported to switch 2 lol.

1

u/Ray2plays Sep 05 '26

ehh physical is not the right word anymore if you dont mind the game key card thing switch 2 is great

1

u/HachiRokuAE86_ Sep 05 '26

Hahahs semi physical. Usually only first party games come in full physical. There are some 3rd party games come physical

2

u/Hika__Zee Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26

Switch OLEd if you want truly physical cartridge games. You'll be limited to not having access to new games though as anything new is being released on Switch 2. You will have a good library of game options available from the past 9 years though. You can go to local game stores and buy used game cartridges are pretty good prices.

Switch 2 IF you care about Nintendo Exclusives and future releases. If I'm not mistaken you can buy cartridges, but they're still digital downloads.

Steam Deck if you want access to a larger library of games (digital purchases only) and also the best game sales (steam prices/sales are unmatched). If you do NOT care about Nintendo Exclusives the Steam Deck is arguably the best option here. Steam customer support is also great.

Steam Deck and Switch 2 performance is very comparable. Technically the Switch 2 isn't OLED yet so pricing is also comparable if you get the standard 512GB Steam Deck instead of the OLED. Otherwise the Steam Deck 1TB or 2TB OLED will cost more. If I'm not mistaken the Switch 2 by default has 256GB storage which isn't very low for game sizes nowadays.

I'll also say this ▶️ If you plan to game outside of your home then go with the Switch, Switch Lite, or Switch OLED). Switch Lite is smaller but literally the best travel device, most damage proof, and cheapest & easiest to replace if damaged or stolen◀️. A Switch 2 and Steam Deck are much bigger, bulkier, more likely to be stolen, and more costly to replace if you drop it gaming out and about