Company Valve not conceived of a portable gaming PC Steam Deck as a direct competitor to the hybrid console Nintendo Switch – despite the external similarities, both systems initially aim at different audiences. On comparisons of the two approaches in the interview with the resource IGN senior technical designer spoke Greg Coomer…
The Steam Deck is primarily aimed at PC gamers who use Steam and want a new way to interact with their game library, he said.
Currently, the Steam Deck can be ordered exclusively by the audience of the Valve digital store.…
“In making absolutely all decisions regarding the Steam Deck, we kept in mind a specific audience that already actively spends time playing games on our own platform. [Steam]… It was from this position that we worked. We ended up with a system that externally may resemble the individual elements of the Switch, but this is simply the result of our design guidelines and goals, “explained Greg Coomer.
Separately, the current head of Valve spoke about the difference between the Steam Deck and the Nintendo Switch Gabe Newell…
“Nintendo works great with its audience by offering them a library of their own content. [Steam Deck] everything is somewhat different. As soon as you pick up the system in your hands, you will feel the sensations similar to some expensive pro-controller. Our system is bigger and heavier than Switch. And if we have not made any mistakes, then our consumers should like this difference, “- said Gabe Newell.
At the same time, Newell admitted that Nintendo’s strategy had been very successful. As of March 31, 2023, the company has sold 85 million Switch family consoles.
Despite the differences between Switch and Steam Deck, it is clear that on a certain plane, the Steam audience and the console audience overlap, so there will definitely be owners of two systems in the world, as well as users who will choose between the two directions. And here everything depends on the preferences of each person. Newell believes that the modern gamer is able to understand in seconds whether this or that platform is right for him or not.…
READ ALSO: Gabe Newell: I’ve Always Envied Companies Like Nintendo…
