The Nintendo Switch 2 almost makes PC gaming look cheap

Between a much higher price, $80 games, plus many more options for cash-strapped PC gamers, the Switch 2 looks pretty spendy right now.

- BY MICHAEL CRIDER

Comparing the Nintendo Switch 2 to the Steam Deck is dumb. I said that already (fave.co/4j4KNul), and I stand by it. But as people all over the world watch price tags climb, especially in Trump's America (fave.co/4ieSHQe), I can't help but do a double-take at Nintendo's $450 price tag for the Switch 2 (fave.co/3XVcSLL). Nintendo used to be the cheapest option for console gaming, and now it's right in the middle of the pack, with even more expensive games.

Nintendo now makes PC gaming look cheap by comparison—not at first glance, perhaps. But if you're savvy, you can play a lot more PC games for the same price or even less. And I'm not talking about an endless flood of indie games on Steam, although that certainly helps. I mean brand-new, AAA games, playable on cheap hardware or your TV. Amid a flurry of bad news for anyone hoping to play games on a budget, you have a lot of options to consider.

NO POWER, NO PROBLEM

Let me get my first qualifier out of the way: PC gaming hardware is still stupidly expensive (fave.co/3XVdbGp). A new graphics card will cost you as much or more than a game console, if you can even find one (fave.co/3G4zOSA), and it doesn't include the rest of the PC, a monitor, keyboard, and so on. If you want to build a new gaming desktop or buy a new gaming laptop, you'll pay more than ever before, and the price is only going up.

But you also have a lot more options than you ever did before. Integrated graphics are now good enough to play most games, even brand new, AAA 3D games, to at least some capacity. You won't be getting 4K ray-tracing with all the fixings, but you can play