Witcher 3 Remastered: Switch 2 vs Steam Deck, Frame by Frame
A new side-by-side from ElAnalistaDeBits pits The Witcher 3 Remastered's Switch 2 build against its Steam Deck version, and the trade-off is smaller and more honest than you'd expect.
Two little screens, one enormous Witcher game, and a very honest answer about what each one gives up to run it.
ElAnalistaDeBits put The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered through its paces on both the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Steam Deck, and the numbers are refreshingly unglamorous. On Switch 2, the remaster tops out at 40 frames per second, whether you're docked to a 120Hz display or curled up with it in handheld mode. Steam Deck runs faster on average, but only after Valve's hardware trims the settings and resolution using the defaults CD Projekt shipped for it.
That is the whole trade. Switch 2 holds a steadier, prettier picture behind a firm cap; Steam Deck lets the frame rate breathe by asking the visuals to shrink first. The channel calls both versions excellent, and having watched the comparison, I don't disagree, which is more than I said after the rougher edges this site already flagged in its own Switch 2 performance analysis.
Pick Switch 2 if a stable, better-looking 40fps sounds like your idea of a good evening in Toussaint's countryside. Pick Steam Deck if you'd rather chase a higher number and let the picture soften around it.
Just do not let Nintendo's price tag convince you it bought you power that Valve's cheaper little box was never promising in the first place.