The Nintendo Switch 2 is unlikely to be more powerful than the Steam Deck, let alone the weakest current-generation console, the Xbox Series S, but it won’t matter much for a few reasons.
A recent video discussion shared by Digital Foundry highlights how not being as powerful as other current-generation systems, and Valve’s handheld system won’t matter much in the grand scheme of things, as the next Nintendo console will be getting ports tailored to its specifications, which will include NVIDIA DLSS support that will allow the system to render games at a low resolution and still make them look good. For comparison, we should look at what has been achieved with the original Switch, which received ports of games that no one thought possible, such as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The same will likely happen on the Nintendo Switch 2 as well.
Further elaborating on performance, while the Nintendo Switch 2 performance should be in the ballpark of a last-generation system, the console’s CPU and GPU are ahead of those of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, so they may let the system punch above its weight, depending on the game, and could achieve better results than the Steam Deck. Ultimately, belonging to very different architectures, a direct comparison is difficult, and the console’s power may be used differently to achieve similar, if not better results. One area where the Nintendo console may have the edge over the Steam Deck is the battery to provide a better user experience.
The Nintendo Switch 2 has yet to be officially revealed, and is rumored to release next year. We will keep you updated on the console as soon as more come in on it, so stay tuned for all the latest news.
