The Steam Deck did that, and I would happily buy a Sony handheld or something if it offered value.
But no, they instead want me to buy a locked down system that competes with my existing PC, and their sales pitch is, “buy this or you can’t play these games.” I don’t respond well to threats of FOMO, so I’m not going to buy it. I own a Switch and a Steam Deck because they provide value I can’t get elsewhere, I don’t own a Playstation or an Xbox because they don’t.
When so much is multi-player now, the cross platform stuff sucks on console. Average PC players are gods compared to using a regular controller on console.
If it helps, I mostly got it so I could play fun couch co-op games w/ my kids. We’ve taken it camping, on road trips, etc, and it’s honestly quite good for that.
Yes, Nintendo is anti-consumer and way worse in that regard, but they really deliver on the “new ways to play” angle. I just can’t get anything like the local multiplayer experience I get with Nintendo elsewhere, and that’s true for almost all of their history:
NES - awesome accessories, like the DuckHunt gun, running pad, etc
N64 - local multiplayer games were fantastic, and the controller was interesting
Wii - controller made for a very fun casual multiplayer experience
Switch - very portable and the joycons are very easy to pass around
And their handhelds were all the best on the market:
gameboy - first and had fantastic battery life, the gameboy color was immensely popular; no competition whatsoever
gba - way better gameplay experience vs gameboy, Sega Game Gear had terrible battery life, huge back catalogue with gb compat, so upgrading was a no-brainer
Nintendo DS - PSP had better hardware, DS had better battery life, better load times, and just better portability all around; 3DS improved on this
Nintendo has continually delivered an interesting gaming experience with almost each generation. That’s why they appeal to people despite the anti-consumer behavior they have, and that’s why I buy their systems.
Valve gets most of my gaming money because they win the rest of my priorities, but Nintendo gets some too. PS5 and Xbox compete in all the ways I don’t care about, Nintendo and Steam compete in the ways I do.
But it can’t. Can you remove the controllers and play with a friend? Can you slip it in a bag, just in case? Can you play on an airplane or road trip without worrying about battery life?
The Steam Deck is fantastic for single player gaming, which is why I have it. But battery life isn’t great for portability (road trips or flights), and for multiplayer, you basically need to hook it up to a TV and have more controllers.
I don’t see much point in a Switch Lite except to reuse games from another Switch you have.
I play Switch games on Switch, and PC games on Steam Deck. Switch, for me, is casual gaming with my kids or friends. PC, for me, is more intense gaming alone or with friends online.
Can you play something like Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, or Mario Party with someone on an airplane or in a car with a PC? If you’re playing games with friends visiting, can you easily hand off a controller every round and expect the next player to have fun?
Couch co-op kinda sucks on PC generally. Xbox was cool with the Kinect, but they killed that so I’m back to Nintendo. Nintendo just offers a fantastic casual gaming experience.
I have Switch because it’s a lot of fun with my wife and kids. I have Steam Deck because I like playing games in bed. I have a gaming PC for more intense games. I don’t have Xbox or PS because they aren’t better in any way imo.
If they want to entice me, they need to:
The Steam Deck did that, and I would happily buy a Sony handheld or something if it offered value.
But no, they instead want me to buy a locked down system that competes with my existing PC, and their sales pitch is, “buy this or you can’t play these games.” I don’t respond well to threats of FOMO, so I’m not going to buy it. I own a Switch and a Steam Deck because they provide value I can’t get elsewhere, I don’t own a Playstation or an Xbox because they don’t.
Gravity Rush was great and I’m disappointed no one has done anything similar since.
When so much is multi-player now, the cross platform stuff sucks on console. Average PC players are gods compared to using a regular controller on console.
Good thing I don’t play multiplayer games very often.
Good thing I quit multiplayer games that aren’t just against friends a long time ago.
Removed by mod
If it helps, I mostly got it so I could play fun couch co-op games w/ my kids. We’ve taken it camping, on road trips, etc, and it’s honestly quite good for that.
Removed by mod
I wrote both things.
Yes, Nintendo is anti-consumer and way worse in that regard, but they really deliver on the “new ways to play” angle. I just can’t get anything like the local multiplayer experience I get with Nintendo elsewhere, and that’s true for almost all of their history:
And their handhelds were all the best on the market:
Nintendo has continually delivered an interesting gaming experience with almost each generation. That’s why they appeal to people despite the anti-consumer behavior they have, and that’s why I buy their systems.
Valve gets most of my gaming money because they win the rest of my priorities, but Nintendo gets some too. PS5 and Xbox compete in all the ways I don’t care about, Nintendo and Steam compete in the ways I do.
Removed by mod
But it can’t. Can you remove the controllers and play with a friend? Can you slip it in a bag, just in case? Can you play on an airplane or road trip without worrying about battery life?
The Steam Deck is fantastic for single player gaming, which is why I have it. But battery life isn’t great for portability (road trips or flights), and for multiplayer, you basically need to hook it up to a TV and have more controllers.
I don’t see much point in a Switch Lite except to reuse games from another Switch you have.
Removed by mod
Why make teams?
I play Switch games on Switch, and PC games on Steam Deck. Switch, for me, is casual gaming with my kids or friends. PC, for me, is more intense gaming alone or with friends online.
Can you play something like Smash Brothers, Mario Kart, or Mario Party with someone on an airplane or in a car with a PC? If you’re playing games with friends visiting, can you easily hand off a controller every round and expect the next player to have fun?
Couch co-op kinda sucks on PC generally. Xbox was cool with the Kinect, but they killed that so I’m back to Nintendo. Nintendo just offers a fantastic casual gaming experience.
I have Switch because it’s a lot of fun with my wife and kids. I have Steam Deck because I like playing games in bed. I have a gaming PC for more intense games. I don’t have Xbox or PS because they aren’t better in any way imo.