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Steam Deck vs Nintendo Switch OLED: which portable console to choose?

The Nintendo Switch OLED and the Steam Deck, the two most popular portable consoles of the moment. While Big N’s was officially released on October 8, 2021, Valve’s Steam Deck is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022. We invite you to see together what the differences are between the two portable consoles, so that you can make the best choice.

Compare steam deck vs nintendo switch oled

If 2020 marked the arrival of next-gen consoles with Sony’s PS5 or Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and Series S, 2022 will likely be the year of portable consoles. Nintendo with its new OLED Switch released recently, and Valve’s surprise announcement that no one expected with the Steam Deck, the most powerful portable console ever released.

In this article, we list the differences between the two consoles so that you can get a little idea and choose the one that best suits your expectations.

Steam Deck VS Nintendo Switch OLED: which is the best console?

The Steam Deck is equipped with a 7″ IPS LCD panel in 1280 x 800 pixels and 60 HZ, an AMD Zen 2 processor (up to 448 Gflops FP32), an RDNA GPU (up to 1.6 Tflops FP32), 16 GB of RAM and 64 GB eMMC storage or a 256 or 512 GB NVMe SSD depending on the model chosen.

Regarding the Nintendo Switch OLED, it incorporates an NVIDIA Tegra X1 chip consisting of an ARM Cortex A57 CPU and a Maxwell GPU. Nintendo’s hybrid console therefore offers a theoretical raw power of 0.5 Tflops FP32, which is three times less than the Steam Deck. From a purely technical point of view, the Steam Deck is much more efficient than the Nintendo Switch OLED.

That being said, the Nintendo Switch OLED has the advantage of being delivered with its docking station which allows it to be transformed into a living room console. The Steam Deck should also be entitled to its docking station, but you will have to put your hand in your wallet to equip it since it will be sold separately. For now, we don’t know the price of the Steam Deck docking station; we just know that it will be equipped with 3 USB-A 3.1 ports, an Ethernet port, DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0.

It should also be 117mm × 29mm × 50.5mm and weigh around 120 grams, but the specs aren’t final, according to Valve. Anyway, it will be an expense that will be added to the already salty price of the portable console from Valve. As with the Switch, the docking station will allow hybrid use of the console, with the possibility of playing on a monitor or television. The only difference being that it will have to be purchased separately.

Steam Deck vs. Switch OLED spec sheet

Steam Deck Nintendo Switch OLED
Screen Touch LCD, 7 inch 1280 × 800 px, 60 Hz 7-inch OLED touchscreen 1280 x 720 px
Processor Zen 2 4c/8t; 2.4 to 3.5 GHz (up to 448 Gflops FP32) Octa-core (4xARM Cortex-A57 + 4xARM Cortex-A53) @ 1020 MHz
Expandable memory Yes Yes
Internal memory 64 GB eMMC / 256 or 512 GB SSD 64 GB
Amount of RAM 16 GB 4GB
Graphic Architecture 8 RDNA 2 CPUs: 1 to 1.6 GHz (up to 1.6 Tflops FP32) 256 NVIDIA Tegra cores @ 768 MHz Maxwell
Operating system Steam OS 3.0 Horizon OS
Battery and autonomy 40 Wh, between 2 and 8 hours of autonomy 4310 mA, between 4.5 and 9 hours
Weight 669 grams 420 grams
Dimensions 117mm×298mm×49mm 101.6mm x 241.3mm x 13.97mm
Release date First quarter 2022 October 8, 2021
Price €419, €549 or €679 349 €

Switch OLED and Steam Deck: release date and price

If your budget is limited and you don’t have more than 350 euros to put in a portable game console, then you will prefer the Switch OLED to the Steam Deck.

The Nintendo Switch OLED starting price is 349 €. It will obviously suit the tightest budgets. Regarding the portable console from Valve, it is displayed at a price between 419 and 679 €.

If there is only one OLED Switch model, there is 3 Steam Deck models. Here are the advertised prices for each available configuration:

  • 419 euros with 64 GB eMMC storage and carrying case
  • 549 euros with 256GB NVMe SSD storage, carrying case and exclusive Steam community profile bundle
  • 679 euros with 512GB NVMe SSD storage, carrying case, exclusive Steam community profile bundle, glass with premium anti-reflective treatment and exclusive virtual keyboard theme.

As for the Nintendo Switch OLED, you can buy it now from all online merchants such as Fnac Darty, Amazon, Boulanger, Cultura. It is not always available in stock and it will therefore sometimes be necessary to be patient to have one of the two models (in white or in neon and black).

Regarding the Steam Deck, the console was quickly victim of its success when pre-orders opened on July 16 : from the first seconds allowing the console to be reserved, Valve’s servers encountered major problems, preventing a large number of players from acquiring the machine.

If many players were unable to order their copy, the scalpers have had a field day. The console is now trading around 2500 dollars on eBay, even though it is still not available for sale. You can buy the Steam Deck here.

Steam Deck VS Switch OLED: which one to choose?

While Nintendo Switch OLED broadly resumes the technical sheet of the 2019 version, except for more storage space, a screen that uses OLED technology and an improvement in the sound part. We obviously find a very complete catalog of titles, the same as the classic Nintendo Switch (or the Nintendo Switch Lite). With all exclusive licenses which make the success of the Japanese manufacturer, such as Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, etc. Many games are also available on the eShop and believe us, there is plenty to do. On this subject, find our selection of the best Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED games in 2022.

the Steam Deckmeanwhile, is geared towards gamers looking for portability and performance in games, where Nintendo’s OLED Switch is more family friendly. Same use therefore, but a slightly different audience for the two portable consoles. However, Steam’s very complete catalog of titles can tip the scales, since the games in the Steam Deck will be those from your own Steam library (at least those that are compatible, you can check it here).

So, Switch OLED or Steam Deck, which one are you going to fall for? Feel free to leave your opinions in the comments.

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