Debating which console to buy next....Switch 2, or?

Ghost-Babel · May 2, 2026

Been gaming on a variety of consoles and PC's for decades, but these days I pretty much just play my Switch. I also have a modded Playstation Mini for emulating games not available on Switch, like the original FFVI, King's Field, and my name sake.

Since I own a lot of Switch games (60 physical, 200+ digital) I figured a Switch 2 makes sense.

But browsing the forum last night I saw an Ayn Thor littlemisskittn posted about and it intrigued me.

Doing some research on those and other powerful handhelds like the ayaneo flip, I'm not so sure what to get now.

I've played a lot of games on emulators and through ports on androids over the years with bluetooth controllers or a razor kishi, but I like the idea of a dedicated console better.

I guess these are my priorities:

- Portable form factor (Doesn't have to be pocket sized though, I use a case + work backpack with my switch)
- Quick and easy to hook up to a TV and Bluetooth controller for home use
- Robust selection of older games (I mostly play 80's - 2002 games, Atari to Morrowind)
- Good battery life
- Large screen (Preferably large enough for couch co-op on the go....switch 1 is pushing it here)
- Good ergonomics for adult sized hands (I have a 3DS I could mod but it falls short here for me)
- Under $500
- Easy to use out of the box. (I've modded a Wii, Xbox, PSP etc., but I want to spend my time gaming not tweaking things and reinstalling stuff etc., I'm pretty busy most weeks)

On one hand the Switch 2 has a great selection of games, including some really good ports of some of my favorites like Diablo 2. I already have a good selection of titles and I'm on a family plan so I only pay $9 a year to access the emulators.

On the other hand it's missing a lot of titles I enjoy, like magi-nation, diablo 1, MGS Ghost Babel, Shadow Tower etc. An Android or windows portable device would have a much more comprehensive selection of older titles.

What do you think?

Taleweaver · May 3, 2026

First thought: i don't see the case for a switch 2. It's expensive but barely or doesn't make a difference over what you have.

From your list, i would make an argument for a regular, original steam deck. Low disk should do. With a dock or a HDMI (female) -to-usb-c connector, and of course a Bluetooth controller.
Checks all boxes (my hands are too big for comfy 3DS holding, steam deck is ideal), except the ease of use.
That is: yes, you can link your gog account. But getting old windows/dos games to work requires always some setting up.

Citizen_404 · May 3, 2026

Your list of wants can be summarized as "I want it all, and I want it portable..."

And under $500, to boot!

I think @Taleweaver 's suggestion of a steam deck is spot on. Also, don't forget about hand-helds like the ROG Ally X, which retails at around that price point (look for sales, be careful of markups and I don't tihnk you need the most expensive version).

For the record, I use a Ayn Loki (sadly, no longer being made) with ChimeraOS...it boots into Steam Big Picture, and I can always exit that to play emulators under the Linux side. In particulary, this has been my "go-to" device for emulating the 3DS and Wii U, since when I hook it up to a TV, I get the big picture on my TV, and I can use the touch screen on the hand-held as the bottom screen or gamepad screen.

I'm not sure if ChimeraOS supports the ROG Ally X, so check around...Bazzite might be an option. Windows sucks on a handheld, but maybe it is better now? I doubt it...

Scarlet · May 3, 2026

Citizen_404 said:
Your list of wants can be summarized as "I want it all, and I want it portable..."

And under $500, to boot!

I think @Taleweaver 's suggestion of a steam deck is spot on. Also, don't forget about hand-helds like the ROG Ally X, which retails at around that price point (look for sales, be careful of markups and I don't tihnk you need the most expensive version).

For the record, I use a Ayn Loki (sadly, no longer being made) with ChimeraOS...it boots into Steam Big Picture, and I can always exit that to play emulators under the Linux side. In particulary, this has been my "go-to" device for emulating the 3DS and Wii U, since when I hook it up to a TV, I get the big picture on my TV, and I can use the touch screen on the hand-held as the bottom screen or gamepad screen.

I'm not sure if ChimeraOS supports the ROG Ally X, so check around...Bazzite might be an option. Windows sucks on a handheld, but maybe it is better now? I doubt it...

For what it's worth SteamOS is officially supported on the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X. The back buttons work properly and it runs well, I have it on my OG Ally.

Ghost-Babel · May 3, 2026

I made a steam account the month it came out but haven't been able to access it in some time. So all my PC games are old school CD's & DVD's (you can tell I haven't been a PC gamer for a minute). I'd need to rip the images or download them.

Some other folks were talking abiut modding a V1 switch. I looked online and they're very cheap these days, under $150. So tht's another route I'm considering.

I'd like to be able to emulate PS2 & GC & Wii with whatever I pick. Since my $200 phone can handle that I'm guessing a $500 device should be able to.

I'm not too concerned with playing modern PC games or Steam stuff. Most the stuff I want to play is either from 2005 or earlier, or is a lofi indie game like Tangledeep that wouldn't push the hardware at all.

The appeal of the switch 2 was being able to carry over my ~300 games library, have a bigger screen, easy to use dock system etc., but I think I'd get more value out of a modded switch 1. I'd play obscure NES / Atari / SNES / GBC games more than Elden Ring or Oblivion Remastered.

Debating which console to buy next....Switch 2, or?

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