Switch 2 is coming, but PC handhelds are facing stiff competition

The first-generation Nintendo Switch largely set its own course, with Nintendo immediately proving the power of hybrid console and handheld to great success. We now know that the Switch 2 will launch in 2025, but it will be releasing into a world filled with powerful handheld gaming PCs, which could present an interesting challenge for Nintendo, especially after the news from CES 2025.

Valve's Steam Deck spurred the development of handheld gaming PCs, in large part because its Linux-based SteamOS made playing games as easy as on a console. That's why one of the biggest announcements at CES was that Valve will let people install SteamOS on other handheld devices as soon as April, potentially making the entire handheld PC gaming market more attractive.

The first official non-Valve device to ship with SteamOS will be Lenovo's $499 Legion Go S, launching in May. But it's not hard to imagine that many other hardware manufacturers will announce their own SteamOS handheld devices in the near future, which means that the magic of SteamOS may soon be showing up in all kinds of interesting devices. (Hopefully, increased competition means Valve will eventually make the next Steam Deck real OK )

The Lenovo Legion Go S is located next to the Steam Deck OLED.

Photography: Antonio G. Di Benedetto/The Verge

CES 2025 also showcased a lot of other handheld gaming hardware, such as Acer's Nitro Blaze 11. It has a huge 10.95-inch screen, detachable controllers, and a stand. Too big! Intel and Tencent also launched a handheld computer with an 11-inch screen, and their mobile phones have stereoscopic 3D capabilities. My colleague Sean Hollister finally got his hands on the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus. Razer makes a docking station that works with handheld gaming computers. During a CES panel, Microsoft promised to have news later this year about changes to the handheld Windows experience that could improve the lives of people who already own Windows-based hardware.

This is a lot of cool stuff! But Nintendo is the 800-pound gorilla in the room, and as interesting as all PC gaming hardware is, the Switch 2 already looks like a pretty compelling upgrade: We already know it has a bigger screen, and it's likely to have more Good Joy-Cons, and a new one mario kart. While Nintendo has yet to reveal detailed performance specs, the Switch 2 is likely to be more powerful than the original and could feature compelling new games among other Nintendo's biggest names. (I bet there are already released Switch games like "Metroid 4: Beyond" and Pokémon Legends: ZA It will also get some kind of Switch 2 boost. )

Switch 2 will also have a huge game library from the get-go, as it will be backwards compatible with both physical and digital Switch games — a catalog that includes many popular indie titles, as well as some of the best games on the handheld.

Back in 2017, when the original Switch launched, there was no similar product. The Switch 2 will compete in a more crowded field, and the field will become even more crowded after CES 2025. Hopefully this competition means everyone can make better hardware and better games. It's a great era for handheld devices.