In last year’s survey, 66% of developers reported working on games for PC, while this year’s number is significantly higher at 80%. In comparison, 38% of developers said they were working to put their game on PlayStation while 34% said they were developing for Xbox.
Now, GDC clarifies that “Steam Deck” was not specifically listed as a platform option in the survey. However, when answering which platforms they were developing for, 44% of respondents who chose “Other” did mention “the Steam Deck as a platform they’re interested in,” which potentially shows a significant focus on Valve’s handheld.
I mean, I know what you’re saying. Nintendo is no slouch when it comes to drawing people in, but they’re no longer the only fish in the pond. Couple that with the general customer satisfaction with Deck-likes and the flat deluge of games to which you have access, and there’s a real chance of people at least thinking twice before jumping on a Switch 2.
Some people won’t care, but Nintendo is going to have to really work to pull others away from all those extras you get by design. Plus, that’s not even getting into how stupidly easy it is to set up emulation, which you have to pay a lot for via Nintendo.