Akin to portability, the Steam Deck’s sheer weight is a factor even when it doesn’t leave the house. The SD will sometimes give me strain in my hands or wrists while the switch feels like a feather in comparison. If a game is on both steam and the nintendo eshop, I usually will get it for the switch.
I love my SD a lot, but battery life and weight are influential in a handheld for me.
That’s not so long ago for me, or in gaming history my friend lol.
I’d argue 20 years ago is a while ago in gaming, no matter how old either of us is. The appeal to authority due to age aside, I only mentioned 20 years ago to draw the comparison between the game being discussed in this thread and its predecessors.
there are games today that still do this
Exactly. Hell, I’m willing to bet there’s more “plug’n’play” games being made today just because of how wide the gaming industry is now versus the NES/Atari age, and that’s even ignoring the entire catalogue of these games over decades still existing for the playing.
Is a game like Starfield “missable” though? Games like this’ll realistically be accessible for years (decades?) to come (not even counting Bethesda’s love of rereleasing their latest hit a la Skyrim lol). They might miss out on the cultural discussion if the game’s a hit though, that’s definitely a trade-off of late adoption, like what I’m experiencing with BG3 lol.
I know games get compared to puzzles often, but Outer Wilds for me was experienced like completing an actual jigsaw puzzle. At first the pieces were a scattered mess on the table. Before I could make any appreciable progress, I had to pause and flip over each piece right side up and take in the whole picture. This is initially when I bounced off it too.
But when I came back with fresh eyes, I picked a corner to focus on and the pieces started to fit together. Once you get some footing, like a real jigsaw, it starts to snowball as the bigger picture takes shape.
Interesting, I adore my switch. I love my deck for its capabilities (e.g., modding) but I’ll usually buy a game on the switch if I have the option. For me, it’s much more comfortable to use for extended time whereas the deck is heavy enough that it’ll give me wrist pain for long sessions. The battery difference is underrated here too. It’s nice traveling or hell even on the couch to not have to worry much about battery on the switch.