Topic: Are you still playing Switch 2 if you have the game already on PC

I know the likes of Cyberpunk 2077 etc are supposed to be pretty good ports (less so if playing handheld) but it confuses me why you would buy if you don't use the Switch 2 as a primarily handheld console (me) I get the novelty factor of having them run at all on a portable device but the Steam Deck has you covered there. I get the feeling that Nintendo are going to struggle more and more into the Switch 2's lifecycle when relying upon 3rd party ports, either they are just gonna have to be very old or they are just not going to work at all, neither being good for the consumer.
Arguments could be made for a Switch 'box which I'd really like to see' although this completely negates the set in stone concept Nintendo currently has for the Switch brand (and can't see it changing anytime soon if at all) but hey ho you get what you pay for, and as long as people are willing to keep on shelling out their cash for the same old rubbish all this b******* is still gonna happen.

Depending on the game I prefer to play on handhelds, and Steamdeck OLED is unfortunately as expensive or more expensive than Switch 2 here (unless you buy 2ndhand). So I don't have much choice but to pick on Switch 2... Which I think probably is better choice for now?

Switch 2 is a lighter thing to play on... While things are more expensive but I love the thing to bits.

Will wait for Steamdeck 2 before picking it up methinks

I generally only get Nintendo consoles with a few exceptions in the past. That doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in the likes of Witcher, Cyberpunk, Elden Ring, or other PC-adjacent games. Now, I’m admittedly not interested enough to actually get a PC, but I’m interested enough to play them on a console I already have a few years later. The portability isn’t the main selling point for me. I’m down just to play some modern classics without having to get a second device.

@darkfenrir

I was thinking of a SteamDeck myself but they are exorbitantly expensive, with the 2 version being even more so. so I guess it's up to the Switch 2 to deliver on it's first party content until then

@Dhaladog yeap. I have a few games I planned to rebuy on Switch 2 as well, although I'll see how it goes ( so far I only have Hades 2 on my list, as having it on Switch 2 is a must, even though I already bought it on steam)

@darkfenrir

So far I only want to buy Nintendo 1st party games on the Switch 2 that's why I'm a little p***** off with Nintendo's AAA games so far.. yeah I know, 'what you talking about the Switch 2 is only a month old' blah, blah, blah but the fact remains that it's launch games was p*** poor and not what you should expect from a mainline console release. They need to stop dragging their heels!

@Dhaladog ehh it's kinda the same as Switch 1 for me? I only have BotW then which is cool but like, I got nothing else to play until December with Xenoblade 2.

I feel 2 is far better even if I don't play MKW just because there's many things now (back compat) and the future already announced lineup is good. I just need them to give a humongous trailer now...

Legend ZA and Kirby Air Riders will be fun, I hope

I built a PC and picked up a Steam Deck last year. Still bought a Switch 2 on day one but it's pretty much only going to be for first party games and other games that don't release on PC (looking at you Vanillaware). My Switch 2 is mostly collecting dust at the moment thanks to how disappointing Mario Kart World is for me but I'm hoping Donkey Kong will give me something to enjoy for a while.

No I plan to play Switch 2 for first party games, I may get a few third party but almost all third party are game key cards which I don’t care for.

You already missed the reason. SteamDeck doesn't compare to Switch 2. This isn't novelty factor but power upgrade and people whom use such comparisons are doing "Console Wars" only nothing more.

Take another look from Cycu1 latest comparisons and you'll know why.

@sethfranum

Nope, completely disagree with you, this isn't 'console wars' but a statement of pure fact the wealth of online information only supports this.

I used to split my library between Switch 1 and XB1/Series X (games that didn't come to Switch 1 I was interested in I'd buy for Xbox) but over time the 3rd party support for Switch 1 made me realize I can just wait for it to come to Nintendo hardware. So for the Switch 2 era (whenever I get the console), the plan is to just buy stuff on Switch 2 (Switch 1 games via backwards compatibility and Switch 2 games).

In what form, I'm not sure. It won't be Key Cards but the recent Nintendo survey about Key Cards gives me a bit of optimism that Nintendo may do something to increase the quantity of real physical versions. My order of preference is:

Real physical version >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Digital >>>>> Key Card

@Dhaladog What fact? Please list them. When people mention consoles to bash Switch 2 that is "Console Warriors". Unless they do real Review comparisons with matching specs that is when a Complete review is done. But anything short of that is just Opinion pieces. Also SteamDeck is a niche product that doesn't even have sales figures of Switch 1 over 150mil so tell me which one will garner more consumer interests. One can go over specs/details but end of the day Switch outstrips SteamDeck sales.

"Nintendo clocked up more than 3.5 million units sold in only four days, making it the fastest-selling Nintendo console ever."
So how does SteamDeck compare???

In general yes (Disclaimer: I have a PS5, series x and gaming PC, granted I am saving to upgrade it, and have for the past three gens bought all 3 of the major systems.). My focus at this point is “where do I put in the play time? Can I consolidate my playtime on less systems?” I tend to play the switch above other systems. So I will buy there first. In the beginning I was stuck double dipping because a game would come to switch years later, but now I simply wait several years before buying what looks like a multiplat game to me.

I am not as sensitive to framerate or resolution so unless there is a very obvious difference I will play on switch. (and sometimes even then. I grew up when multiplat meant “different version” for handhelds/lower powered systems so I am not bothered so long as the game is fun.) My switch wishlist is big enough as is. I sorta developed a similar policy with the twins and PC. I will either double dip or play on gamepass with the intent to buy the final version on PC. Except starfield. Mods on starfield don’t do much (I don’t want custom ships) So I finally picked it up on series x once I realized its also quick enough to burn through that I don’t need god mode either.

It does mean that aside from a few games (Assassins’ Creed Shadows and Ghost of Yotei) I stopped buying non Nintendo games day 1 (unless they get same day release on switch family). I am also consolidating and winding down this hobby as well so that is also why I don’t care.

I'm sure about a month ago or more I read an article on this site saying that somebody was sure Switch 2 would become the main platform developers targeted for their new games.
To be honest, in my opinion that was a statement of rare bullsh*tness. Nobody wants to spend more to play a game (and we all know most of Switch games are insanely high), unless he's seeking for something that goes beyond the gaming experience (a physical edition? a collector's edition?), and the 3rd party game situation on Switch 2 clearly shows that.
CP2077 is probably not the best example of that, because that's a game that needs a RTX videocard on a PC and not everybody can afford one. So, among the 3rd party games, that makes it the best selling game, in other words the best of the poorly selling games.
Still, I refuse to spend any money to play it again on Switch 2. After all, the game is not cheap, it's already pretty old, and most people already played it, so why should they trash their money in this way?
Now apply the same reasoning to games that require way less resources (almost 99%?), imagine crazy prices, and you'll get why it just won't work.

Firstly, the main implication of this thread is that you have other better platforms to play these games on. Of course a multi-platform game will "run better" somewhere else than on Switch. A PS5 or a PC or whatever. And if you want to go portable you can get it on PC and play it on Steam Deck also. But not everyone has ALL of the platforms

I have a Deck OLED, a PC with a 4060Ti, a Switch 2 and a Switch. I would say I have more options than a lot of people. Of these platforms? Switch 2 is the best home console experience and the best performing portable (yes, it outclasses Deck in both modes). Deck is more flexible in terms of library compatibility and is an emulation beast. Then obviously my PC is the powerful one and allows stuff like VR and, you know, actual work to be done on it

So there are a lot of variables at play here if I was to look at a third party game. Is there a Switch 2 Edition or a patch to allow the game to actually use the additional features/power of Switch 2? Is it a game that I'm more likely to play on the TV than I would at my desk? Is it a game about gameplay and story or is it more of a tech demo kind of thing? If it's a visual showpiece can it comfortably exist within the power constraints of Switch 2? If it hits these marks it's probably best played on Switch 2 for me

Of course I could remedy this by getting myself a PS5 in which case PS5 would become the place to play a lot more of these third party "TV" games. But I have a rule for myself I try to stick by that I only treat myself to one major tech gadget a year. This year it was Switch 2, last year Deck. I don't really want to burn that on a PS5, especially when Switch 2 now fills that role well enough. I'd much rather burn next year's "treat myself" on an upgrade to my now 6 year old desktop (excluding the 4060Ti). I can't just get ALL of the platforms, there has to be a limit, there are diminishing returns

Lastly, you're naturally sitting here asking yourself why people would buy these several year old games on Switch 2 over other platforms where games are discounted because they're old. Which is fair, especially if you have more than one platform available. I would be a bit silly for me to pay $114AU for a release that was $67AU on Steam a couple of weeks ago. However I think you're stuck in launch day land and not seeing the forest for the trees

It won't always be now, it won't always be launch, what about going forward? What about something like 007 First Light or Borderlands 4? Where do you go for multiplatform titles if the date and price on Switch 2 is the same or at least close enough to everywhere else? Because if Switch 2 was a platform that existed before I picked up Street Fighter 6 on Steam I would've got it on Switch 2 instead

These posts are always funny to me because I've almost never had a computer that can run modern, AAA PC games, and statistically neither have you, person reading this.

I remember back in the day when I had a computer, I was already running into issues a year and a half later trying to run Unreal Tournament 2004. My two laptops the past decade or so shut down from overheating if I try to play anything other than the most basic of smaller games on Steam (even Jet Set Radio, a Dreamcast port, had this risk). All of these cost more than any gaming system I've ever bought, because I'm a normal human being who buys computers pre-built from a store.

(also a significant amount of games get good sales when they aren't first party on Switch, so shut up about Steam games you bought but never played, k thx)

Edit: I almost forgot to bring up the obvious point that the vast, vast majority of good games don't need tech better than a PS4, AAA games that need to be beyond that are the minority, to say the least.

Just realised this thread is talking about PC gaming specifically not multiplatform titles. In which case the argument becomes even clearer. PC gaming in a lounge setup sucks. Steam OS gets somewhat close to closing the gap there but at this stage it's an OS targeting Deck primarily. Understandably so, but this also means that the Deck is the most viable platform for Steam OS. And Deck.... really isn't built for playing games on the TV

Until Steam OS is mature as a home theatre OS PC gaming really doesn't cover that space. For me at least. As such other platforms have to fill that niche. And as I said in my other post Switch 2 is, frankly, good enough that I don't really see the need to spend additional money chasing something else

To be fair this is comparison to the Switch 2. A platform that's probably closest GPU competitor is the kind of thing you'd find in the cheapest new laptop that has more than Intel integrated graphics. From around 3 years ago. The trick of the Switch 2 is its efficiency, size and price. Not its power

I would wager that anyone who has a PC, and especially if it's a desktop, that's newer than the original Switch and has a dedicated GPU? They almost surely have something more capable than Switch 2 at playing modern AAA games. Especially as game engines have become increasingly more scalable. My GPU is relatively new (4060Ti) but the rest of my desktop is not (Ryzen 3600, 32GB DDR4). By the console warrior "rah, rah" nonsense this isn't what they think of when they say "AAA games on PC". But this spec I have, it's still well beyond Switch 2

The question then is more one of form and function.... and a Switch 2 is a better home console than any PC. Both because the Switch 2 is literally designed to sit on a home theatre cabinet but also because its OS is FAR better at that task than Windows. I'd much rather sit down to play something like Street Fighter 6 on my Switch 2 on my TV with one button and go than bother with running it on Windows or Steam Deck. At some point that additional performance or platform flexibility just.... doesn't matter....

I find on my Switch I play the big games at home docked like Zelda and Mario Odyssey but often play simpler games on the move like puzzle games because sometimes I've only got 10-30 minutes to play. I don't tend to play multi-platform games on Switch as those games are much better typically on other platforms. I guess its down to how you use it but I am a cheapskate so if the Nintendo option is extremely poor value I will look at another format ideally PC. However I've never owned a PC handheld but do have a compact Celeron laptop I take around with me at times. It only has a Celeron N4120 which gives about 100 Gflops of graphic performance but that little laptop can emulate most Gamecube games at full speed like Zelda windwakers even if compiling shaders takes a bit of time at the beginning. It can even play a good chunk of wii games at full speed. It has a 11" 720p screen which looks lovely playing Gamecube games. The battery lasts up to 18 hours but not playing emulated games that is probably around 4-5 hours. I have a more powerful larger Ryzen laptop and I'd probably be lying if I said I got a solid 1 hour of gameplay out of it when gaming. Just browsing the web I get 3-4 hours.

Ultimately I will be buying a Switch 2 when the hardware is improved a bit and there are a good selection of first party games I want to play. I know some people are disappointed with Mario Kart World but it looks great to me but not so great that I would pay over 400 pounds for it with a Switch 2. I need a lot more games than that to justify such a purchase. I have zero intention of buying multiformat games on Switch 2. I'm also coming around to the idea of buying a PC handheld. I just think to play the PC games I love well on a handheld I need something more powerful than steamdeck or at least as powerful but with decent upscaling technology too. I'm quite happy to play on a screen that size with 720p resolution. I don't need 1080p for that size screen at all. I realise steam deck is actually a 800p resolution so somewhere in the middle and that is fine for me.

There are about 2 billion gamers on PC but of course the hardware varies massively. At the moment I would guess PC handhelds are a tiny part of that market but I think it is destined to increase with newer generations of PC handhelds. Most of the PC handhelds so far are from more premium expensive companies and I feel more budget options will become available. I suspect at some point a decent performance PC handheld could be 250 pounds or less. It doesn't need to be more if its using intelligent upscaling and can render at a low resolution like Switch 2.

I play game key cards. idgaf