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That's right, you are reading the title of this article correctly! Starting today, SteamDeckHQ is expanding its offerings and starting to review Nintendo Switch games, starting with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD. As a Steam Deck-focused outlet, this may sound a bit weird, and on paper, it is, but there is a reason we are covering these games and how they play into SteamDeckHQ growth.
Before I explain why the decision was made, I want to nip a couple of possible misconceptions in the bud. We are not moving away from our general reviews and Steam Deck performance optimization. Our priority is and always will be Steam Deck and PC gaming. While there will be reviews for Nintendo Switch games on our website, and we may cover some Nintendo Switch news here and there, we also want to reassure you that business will be going about as usual.
When SteamDeckHQ began, I wanted to create a website that optimized games for the Steam Deck. To do this in the best way possible to provide accurate information to our readers, we play through the entire game, finding the spots that could cause performance issues and optimizing so that everyone can have the smoothest experience possible. This was the core concept behind SteamDeckHQ, but this evolved pretty quickly.
As we grew and more companies started working with us to review their games, I wanted to push further. Since we are already playing through games for our reviews, it seemed like a natural step for us to also review the content of the games we play. Reviewing the content of the games also helped us get onto other incredible review aggregators like OpenCritic and CriticDB, solidifying our standing as a real independent video game press outlet. This opened up more opportunities to go to events and find out how some unreleased games would play on the Steam Deck, as well as ask how these games are being optimized.
SteamDeckHQ continued to grow, and I realized I wanted to expand what we do. So, I thought about how we could naturally progress and evolve to offer more to our readers, and there are two ways I can think of. First, we would lean more into handhelds in general. With the Steam Deck opening the Handheld PC market, we could cover alternatives to the Deck with devices like the ROG Ally, Legion Go, AYANEO, and GPD WIN. We could effectively compare handhelds against each other to see the value of each one and whether they are worth the investment.
The second way I wanted to expand was games. SteamDeckHQ focuses more on games over hardware since I found many outlets usually focus on hardware over games when it comes to checking out how games perform. This has helped us grow into one of the most popular websites to check out for anything Steam Deck-related. So, with us already covering PC games, I wanted to find a way to cover other games without compromising our handheld focus. That's where the Nintendo Switch comes in.
Not only does it keep in line with our handheld focus, but we also get a chance to review exclusive games that aren't available on PC. It's a way for us to check out new games that we wouldn't have been able to before while still keeping with our expertise in both focusing on games and evaluating performance in both handheld and docked formats. It also allows us to appeal to others as well, who may care more about the Switch and the games being released there.
Another reason I chose the Switch is due to it not really being a replacement for the Steam Deck. While some could argue that the Switch and Steam Deck could be competitors due to them being handhelds, I disagree. With Nintendo only releasing their games on the Switch, it has become my companion device to whatever my main gaming platform is. So, in this case, there would be little overlap with what we already cover, and it could be a great way to expand.
To make sure we don't overwhelm ourselves with a ton of work, the focus for Nintendo Switch reviews will be exclusive games to the platform. This means first-party releases, like Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, or console-exclusive games that are also released on Switch, like Unicorn Overlord. If a game has also been released on PC, our review will focus on the PC release. We may end up doing some comparisons between a PC/Steam Deck and Switch version of games that are released on both, but our full review will prioritize the PC release with Steam Deck optimizations.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out, comment below, or ask us directly on Discord. We understand this is a new and unexpected change, but we are super excited to expand what we do and push into a new leg of the market. I also want to give a huge thank you to Nintendo for sending over our first review key for the Switch, even though we haven't covered Nintendo in the past like this.
Thank you all for reading our work and supporting us, and we look forward to bringing more content where we can.
If you enjoyed this article, check out the rest of the content on SteamDeckHQ! We have a wide variety of game reviews and news that will help your gaming experience. Whether you're looking for news, tips and tutorials, game settings and reviews, or just want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, we've got you covered!
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I’ve been a longtime reader of Steam Deck HQ because it’s one of the few dedicated sites that focuses entirely on the Steam Deck—its performance, tweaks, game reviews, and guides. What set SDHQ apart was that it was a single-source destination where I didn’t have to sift through unrelated content to find what I was looking for.
Now, with the announcement that SDHQ will start reviewing Nintendo Switch games, I can’t help but feel disappointed. There are already plenty of established sites covering Switch content, and for those of us who don’t own a Switch—or don’t plan on playing Switch games on our Deck—this change feels like unnecessary noise.
One of the best things about SDHQ was its focus. It was a place where Deck enthusiasts could deep-dive into a platform-specific experience without distraction. Adding Switch reviews dilutes that identity and makes it feel like just another general gaming site. If I wanted Switch coverage, I’d go to sites that specialize in it.
I respect SDHQ’s decision to expand its content, but I hope they consider keeping Steam Deck coverage as the core focus. If Switch reviews start overshadowing the reason many of us came here in the first place, it may push loyal readers to look elsewhere for Steam Deck-exclusive content.
As we have said in the article, our core focus on the Steam Deck is not changing. All Switch reviews are for exclusives that can't be played anywhere else. If a game releases on both Switch and PC, our review will be based on the PC version with the Steam Deck in mind. For every Switch review, there will be 30+ PC/Steam Deck reviews. Our news will also prioritize Steam Deck content.
I do have some ideas to further separate the two for those who only want the Steam Deck content, but it's something I will have to work with our web dev to make sure it happens. I can understand the skepticism with this change. The way I see it, Switch is a handheld as is the Steam Deck, and with our focus on games and the Switch 2 coming soon, it felt like the perfect step for us. I would not have done this if it was going to take away time and resources from our Steam Deck work. In the end, our core focus won't change, this is just something extra we now provide for those interested.
the name of the website is steam deck hq... i would understand if you were reviewing switch games in a way that covers how well they can be emulated on the SD but it just kinda seems like you just want to play switch games and if thats the case you can just do that without making content out of it... there are many more places covering switch titles that have been doing it for waay longer and will inevitably do it waay better. The main reason i come here (and im sure im not alone) is that you guys are an amazing source for JUST steam deck news. I dont have to wade through the random pics of dads playing their steam decks in their living rooms or people constantly asking if they should get one like i do on Reddit. I also dont have to skip through half the click bait videos that turn a 3 minute story into 10 minutes to please the algorithm. I appreciate your work and check the site daily for all the news, really hope this doesnt bog it down.
Thank you for your kind words! Let me be clear that our priority will ALWAYS be the Steam Deck (it is in our name). We see Switch reviews as a way to expand and reach more people without overwhelming ourselves. Switch reviews will only be for exclusive titles, and if a game releases on PC, that's our default. For every Switch review, there will be 30 or so PC/Steam Deck reviews. News will also stay focused on the Deck/PC with some Nintendo news sprinkled in.
We are not changing anything about our current processes and will still be prioritizing the Steam Deck over everything else. I promise that including the Switch will not replace what we already do.
I agree. The reason I come to this site is because it's just Steam Deck stuff and I don't have to sift through a ton of irrelevant content to get to the Steam Deck stuff... If it were called "HandheldHQ" that would make sense but you created this site because there was a vacuum of Steam Deck content that needed filled and you were successful because you filled that niche. Watering that down in any way is going to be a tough sell imo. Even if not a single bit of SD content is scrapped for something else, to us common users seeing articles about anything that has nothing to do with the Steam Deck feels like opportunity cost. Every time someone comes to this site looking for Steam Deck info that isn't there, the thought process is going to be "I bet they'd have specs for _____ if they didn't waste time reviewing that Switch game that came out last month to tepid reviews". Obviously you're going to do what you want here but know that legacy games media is rapidly dying in favor of niche products like what your site started off as. My humble suggestion would be to instead focus on Steam's MASSIVE library of older titles that you don't have spec information on. Where's the website with the database for old PC games and how they run on the Deck? Site that lists which games can fully lock to 60/90fps at max settings to showcase how impressive Deck can make old games feel? There isn't (a good) one, but there are many, many, many sites reviewing Switch games. Just my $0.02
While I understand what you are saying, I still only see this as a good opportunity to branch out and offer our two cents. Not only do we stay within the realm of handhelds, but this also opens up unique comparisons we can make between playing a game on Deck vs Switch if a game releases on both.
As for a backlog of older games, it’s definitely interesting and I see potential there. We are already working on a weekly article that may fit into what you are looking for, and I can see how we may be able to integrate older titles in the way you are talking about.
However, even with the added work of looking at older titles, we would still be able to achieve Switch reviews without sacrificing anything. Part of it is because we aren’t reviewing everything on Switch and only focusing on exclusives. This allows us to still keep our main focus without changing it up.
One thing I will say is part of the reason we have a lot of the opportunities we do is because we branch out a bit. For example, we wouldn’t be able to cover a lot of the huge games that we do now if we didn’t incorporate content reviews. There are some big games we were close to not being able to review and test because we only test on Steam Deck. But by expanding and doing more, we have the opportunity to review those games.
I see this expansion similarly. Solidifying our position as a trusted outlet will give us the chance to provide more to our readers, and part of that means expanding to cover more as well.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment like this. I understand the concerns, and we will do our best to make sure our core Steam Deck readers will not be disappointed. I will also look into ways to cover older games in ways that aren’t as time consuming as a traditional review would be. We are cooking up some interesting articles, so watch out for them!