I love playing games in bed
How Nintendo walked so Valve could run
The last time I was introduced to a big change in the game industry was 2020. It was only a couple months into Jenn and I dating, but COVID-19 was on the horizon and we were at Target for one thing and one thing only: A Nintendo Switch.
This was our first BIG purchase together – a funny thought now considering we’ve bought bigger things since then. At the time neither of us were doing great financially, so this was a HUGE deal. It felt both like a financial commitment and a commitment to our relationship (though we did joke about who would get the switch if we broke up!)
But we just had to have this thing. I mean, come on: a console that could be played on your television OR in the palm of your hands? Sign me the heck up!
We ended up buying what would end up becoming the classics - Tears of the Kingdom, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, etc. It was a very good tool for COVID, helping us try to dissociate and forget about the economy, the possibility of getting sick, and trying to work while all this shit was happening.
It helped us tremendously, and in the process the Switch blew my fucking mind.
I know that portable gaming is common these days, but prior to the Switch, I always had to sit in front of my TV if I wanted to play on my Xbox 360. This often took a bit of effort as the disc drive on my 360 stopped properly working after five years, requiring me to insert a paper clip into it anytime I wanted to switch games.
Then, after turning my TV on and changing it to the right channel for the A/V input, I could FINALLY play whatever game it was. This could take anywhere from a couple minutes to several depending on whether I knew what I wanted to play.
But now, it was as simple as leaving the Switch next to my bed, waking up the next day, and playing something within seconds of waking up.
When I thought gaming hardware couldn’t get any cooler, in stepped Valve, a company known for creating digital storefront Steam, creating classic games like Team Fortress 2 and Half Life 2, and being afraid of the number 3 (they have NEVER made a third iteration of a series as far as I’m aware – womp womp.)
Their invention was The Steam Deck, and I knew as soon as I saw it that it was going to once again change what we thought was possible in gaming.
For those unfamiliar, the Steam Deck is similar to the Switch, except instead of it being a console, it’s a PC – again, IN THE PALM OF YOUR HANDS.
This meant you got access to all the games you had on your steam account and could participate in all the steam sales you wanted from the comfort of your couch, bed, toilet, or really anywhere.
Even better, it can function as a desktop computer when docked, running on Linux and letting you do all the normal computer stuff you do like deleting System32 to make extra space on your hard drive (please don’t do this.)
Prior to this, I had two ways to play computer games – an ancient gaming desktop that took literal minutes to boot up and crashed randomly, or my laptop that’s as loud as a jet engine taking off and hot enough to fry an egg.
All to play Yakuza 0 – a game that came out over half a decade ago.
So yes, I’m very happy the Nintendo Switch came out and that the Steam Deck followed a couple years later. It’s made my gaming life SO MUCH EASIER and got me back into video games with how easy it is to pick them up and put ‘em down. It even got Jenn into games too!
And now? The Switch 2 is coming out very soon, though the tariffs may make for a rocky (and expensive) debut.
I guess we’ll see, but for now you can catch me on Steam playing Assassin’s Creed 2 – all without a paperclip or burning my hands off.
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Tara Y
I honestly forget I have a Switch sometimes hah I wish it could be more of an active priority in my life, but most of the new indie games I’m curious about aren’t on switch, so I just want a playthrough of it online.
I do like the portability aspect of the Switch in theory, but I rarely take it outside my apartment. I took it on the bus once and nearly missed my stop while playing so I do t do that anymore. The steam deck does seem like a cool investment though