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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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Websites can alter their focus to appeal to more potential readers. I was as surprised as anyone to see the Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review pop up here, but it's a welcome surprise. Keep up the good work, guys.
This comment made my day. Thank you so much <3
You're welcome. 🙂
Why is everyone being so salty about this?
I can understand why. People come here for Steam Deck news and reviews, and this looks like we could be moving away to be more of a general gaming outlet. It's out of care to make sure we aren't sacrificing our main line of work to make this happen. That's something I will make sure doesn't happen, but I can understand people who are worried about it.
I get the second part, I really do. I don't understand how any standard publications are going to thrive moving forward without being ridden with ads so I don't envy your position as a website in general at this moment in time. I don't think this is a cash grab, as a couple commenters mentioned, at all and understand that it's likely necessary for you to continue growing and pay the people writing other portions of the site etc. My question is, did it need to grow? I liked YOUR content and already felt being drawn to less and less of the articles from a percentage standpoint, though I'd wager I clicked on the same amount as before overall, just avoided more than before also. If the site wasn't salient in that iteration then yeah, you gotta do what you gotta do and I hope it works out and am rooting for the site regardless. I'm just personally less enthused (and seem to not be alone) the more it gets less about being dedicated to my favorite platform. You were the only one really going, and it was pretty cool.
For your first point though, I want to make sure that I'M clear as well in saying that that's the point. The fact that it is just Switch exclusives is the major downside imo. It then is entirely irrelevant to the Deck. If it were the opposite, just games that ran on both and a comparison of how they ran (ESPECIALLY since Switch 2 will bring droves of people wondering which handles the latest releases best) I think I (and perhaps others) would actually be pretty stoked to see that sort of content added. It's the fact that it has NOTHING to do with Steam Deck on "SteamDeckHQ" that's the entire issue here, for me.
As far as I am aware, we still are the only ones really going, and the focus remains the same. Just today, we posted 5 articles all revolving around the Steam Deck and games for it. There are no plans to post anything Nintendo related. Most days will be like this, with articles on the Deck and none for Nintendo. There is always room for growth, and in our case, yes there is. One of the points I want to make is the fact that we wouldn't be able to do 60% of what we do if we hadn't grown in ways that don't directly benefit the Deck.
For example, we added traditional reviews on top of our Steam Deck performance reviews. If we didn't do that, we wouldn't have been able to review a lot of the massive games that released last year and this year. I have been in situations where I was initially denied because of the Steam Deck focus, but was then given approval once I mentioned we do traditional reviews too. Traditional reviews are all about the game's content and have no relation to how we started. Yet, because of it, we have been able to test more games, go to more events, and connect with more devs to ask about Steam Deck compatibility.
As for my first point, this decision for multiple reasons. If we review a game, and it is also coming out on PC, we will default to the PC version and optimize for the Steam Deck. So, if we are going to review anything on the Switch, it would have to be exclusive. We want to do formal reviews for the Switch to not only build ourselves as a reputable press outlet, which is a goal we have in mind, but also expand our reach to more people who may be interested. We will definitely do Deck vs. Switch/2 comparisons for applicable games, that's on the table already, but it's hard to justify asking about keys for comparing if we don't establish ourselves as making Nintendo content.
I also wanted to keep it to exclusives because we would never review a game that releases on PC and Switch on the latter. That, in my eyes, would be even worse since we are directly disregarding the PC/Steam Deck version. Of course, you could say we don't need to review any game on the Switch at that point, but again, if we want to expand and try doing comparisons for games that release on both, I can't really ask about it if we have no base to point them towards. There is also a huge benefit as a business being able to work with Nintendo, and that can open up a lot of doors for future events/interviews with big players where we can ask about Steam Deck compatibility.
When we make the decisions we do, we aren't only thinking of how it directly affects our site in the short term. There is a long term investment with covering Switch games like this, which could open up more opportunities to do what we do best. In my eyes, there is more to this than just reviewing Switch games. I understand how it looks, but as I mentioned, this won't overwhelm or replace what we do. We are already working on new Steam Deck content with a weekly article that starts next week. There's more I am working on as well. I say let us cook, and you will see what the volume is like and whether it feels like our work is suffering. However, with the emphasis we are placing on Nintendo vs Steam Deck, I think the change will not be impactful to our daily operations.
I hear and see all the complaints about this, as well as the large amount of comments on social media excited about the change. There are people on both sides of the argument, but in the end, all I can say is that we are doing this in a way to minimize Nintendo articles/reviews while still featuring them in a way that doesn't change our core focus on the Steam Deck and quantity of work we do for it.
Can't say I personally am interested in this but you do you.
But please provide categorized RSS feeds when you do this. Otherwise? I don't see a particular difference between this and an IGN feed back in the day: There might be some useful articles but it is not worth binning almost all of them and I just remove the feed from my freshrss.
I will be working with our web dev to offer an RSS feed that has no Nintendo articles or reviews. Our game reviews RSS feed shouldn't include Nintendo Switch reviews already.
Hi Noah & Team.
Subjectively, and from a personal viewpoint, this updated 'rules of engagement' regarding the incorporation of Switch title reviews is actually very beneficial for me.... as I own both a SteamDeck (256 LCD) and Switch (OLED).
Owning both allows me to play most of the titles that interest me, with the obvious exclusion being more recent (and demanding) AAA titles. That aside, I think Switch/Deck are a reasonably good pairing in allowing for access to Nintendo exclusives + majority of PC/Console titles up to early 2020s via deck (and of course emulation).
However.... 'objectively' I must say that this move into Nintendo content is perhaps not the best move for your site's direction, nor is it likely of value for the majority of your readership. What I love about SDHQ is the dedication solely to the deck, and all content being crafted as such to accommodate/benefit deck users. For Nintendo news I would normally hit Nintendolife, which is a dedicated location for such.
I feel that I get more value by having the 2 distinct sites that cater very clearly to their core audiences. I would generally steer clear of sites that attempt to accomodate multiple platforms... in that often they suffer from "trying to please everyone ultimately leads to pleasing no-one"
I'm definitely not anti-change, and as I said earlier - this updated site would actually benefit me personally. But if I only owned a Deck exclusively, I'd be somewhat disappointed.
This site is the best in the business when it comes to SD news/content/reviews. I'd urge you to reconsider, and stay focused on a clear brand identity.
Just some feedback, please take it with the spirit intended - your site is brilliant 'as is', and Nintendo focus (no matter how slight) will dilute the purpose and quality of your brand IMO.
Thank you for your feedback and kind words!
There are multiple reasons why we have decided to expand in this way, and while I can understand why this would make some people upset, the pros tend to outweigh the cons in this case.
The obvious one is appealing to others who end up having both, seeing as how the Switch is also seen as a companion handheld. We can provide our insights and thoughts into how we feel about them and performance of these games, which we will be going more in-depth with as time goes on and we solidify our processes.
One of the bigger reasons we made this decision is actually because we are a niche, independent website. We focus solely on one thing, and we are good at what we do, but we don't have much application outside of that. A lot of niche, independent websites have had trouble operating due to them both being a niche site and other factors like Google algorithms and AI upscaling. A good example of this is RetroDodo. They cover retro handhelds and have done so for awhile, but last year, they started running into trouble with reduced readership and Google analytics, essentially laying off most of their team. I have seen this over and over, with a few closing down completely. I want to avoid this, and part of the reasoning for that is branching out. I feel that this way of branching out reaches a new crowd, and we are doing it as minimally as possible as to not detract from our priority of covering the Steam Deck.
I have seen a lot of people discuss how big websites are going down or scrambling, but I think a lot of people miss how hard smaller, independent sites like us have it. With big sites usually seeing changes due to fluctuating revenue streams, like from ads, smaller sites deal with that, algorithm changes, and coverage. We have been very lucky doing as well as we are, but we are not immune to these issues. To this day, I still can't find SteamDeckHQ articles in the news section of Google. Branching out with something new, while still being within our realm of expertise (handhelds), gives us a chance to find new readers who may be interested in what we are offering and use new key words that can help us pop up in searches.
Another reason is opportunity. Part of why we are able to cover the games we do cover is because we don't only talk about the Steam Deck. Over the last two years, we were denied some of the biggest games because we only covered Steam Deck performance. A big reason why we cover these games now is because we also incorporate content/traditional reviews as well as Steam Deck performance evaluations. This change has led us to even more opportunities that have opened us up to events, interviews, and being included on sites like OpenCritic. It helps legitimize our standing as a press outlet to publishers and the industry as a whole. The incorporation of Nintendo reviews is another step towards that. We want to be able to work on the biggest games our readers want to know about, but if we only cover Steam Deck, it won't happen.
As an alternative, we could have put it on a separate site, like HandheldHQ, but this isn't viable due to the extra work managing two sites and the heavily reduced traffic that could split some of our readers or impact the access we would have if we prioritize that site. I would rather focus all in on SteamDeckHQ and expand it.
In the end, I understand what people are saying and the worries they have. However, the amount of coverage for the Switch and Nintendo as a whole is going to be nowhere near what we already do, and we are working on expanding our Steam Deck offerings. We have a new weekly article starting next week, and are taking into account some types of content people want to see us work on. The expansion with Nintendo reviews and some news will help us enter a new area of gaming while sticking to our roots, and will not replace or slow down our Steam Deck work. I hope people stick around to see exactly how much this will impact our regular work, but I do understand why it isn't the news people wanted to see/hear.
I'm not going to write a whole paragraph being negative. But I do agree with what others are saying. I come here for Steam Deck content, nothing else. As long as it doesn't pollute the feed, I'm fine with it.
I mean yea. I get it. Nintendo Switch has some awesome games that should be reviewed. Besides, gaming is gaming, who cares what platform your on.
Absolutely zero interest in this. Why clutter up my primary SteamDeck news & review website with something that has nothing to do with the SteamDeck? This will be one step towards making you like all the other gaming websites that are doing universal news and reviews, and there'll be nothing to make you stand out from the ocean of other professional websites. You lose your identity and will make me annoyed every time I need to swipe by some Switch review to get to the information I come to this website for. Will I be annoyed enough that I stop coming? I guess only time will tell.
Definitely not a fan. I have a Steam Deck, not a Switch. I don't ever plan on buying a Switch or anything Nintendo.
I've been visiting daily for things relevant to my Deck and Steam. I might just stick to the Reddit if I now have to sift through Pokemon and Nintendo, things which I dislike due to Nintendo's actions, which only make me want to close the tab.
I can understand why you have your reservations. However, our focus will remain the Steam Deck and we have plans to expand our content there as well. We have a lot of exciting ideas, and we can't wait to implement them, including a new weekly column that is going to cover games most people haven't.
"I don't ever plan on buying a Switch or anything Nintendo."
That's weird as hell
Yeah I don't care if your "main focus" will be SD and that you only plan on reviewing Switch exclusives. No one asked for this. I can't help but think you got greedy and couldn't resist chasing the Switch 2 hype. We are SteamdeckHQ readers, not HandheldHQ (which you also own and it makes this whole thing look even dumber).
The reason we are sticking with SteamDeckHQ over HandheldHQ is for a couple of reasons. A big one is that managing multiple websites isn't easy. It's something I learned when trying to start HandheldHQ, it was just too much for me to handle right now since I invest so much more of my time into SDHQ. With how frequently we will be covering Nintendo content and reviews, it's very possible you will forget it exists. We understand who we are and want to expand to include those who have both systems, since I am also someone who has both and feels it pairs well with my Deck, but that won't compromise what our focus is. I can understand why its disappointing, but the volume of our Steam Deck content will not slow down, and we have plans to expand it as well.
why ???? out of point really
As someone who's been using this site for the year that I've enjoyed owning my Steam Deck, I have to agree with the sentiments of the other comments, but I'll wait to see how this works out. If the site is going to remain the way it is right now, where to see Nintendo stuff I have to click on the tab that says "Nintendo Reviews," then I am more than fine with this change.
The main feed when I come to the site has everything I need: Steam Deck news, settings, tips and guides. It's amazing. If I have to sift through Nintendo stuff there, that I already get elsewhere, it'll be a negative change for me. I still feel like there are OTHER things I would rather be focused on in the realm of Steam Deck info instead of Switch stuff (like even revisits to settings that have been voted by the community for a revisit), but if the promise is held that the quality won't drop with what we have and the Nintendo stuff can stay in a pocket of the site that I have to access rather than being front and center of my steam deck news, I'll be supportive of the change if it makes them happy
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!
Thanks for the thoughtful response, Noah. I really appreciate it. I do see what you're saying but want to point out that if you're only covering Nintendo exclusives, the likelihood of crossover articles for performance on Deck is basically 0, yeah? I understood the additional content you've been featuring the last few months that wasn't necessarily Deck related (games that don't run at all getting full reviews, etc.) and that all still makes total sense, in the exact ways you pointed out. I even think adding comparisons to Ally, Legion Go etc. makes perfect sense. I just don't see Switch content the same way. At all. ESPECIALLY if it's only going to be Switch exclusive games, as Nintendo has released an impressive 0 titles on Steam in the history of mankind... Entirely possible I'm in the minority here but as someone who found your site because of, and enjoyed the hell out of it because of, its sole focus being on the titular piece of hardware, this announcement and subsequent DK review were the first articles I saw on the site that actually bummed me out. The internet doesn't need any more broad stroke gaming sites, the massive ones who've been doing it for decades are scrambling to stay relevant already.
For some clarification, any Switch reviews will ONLY be for games with exclusives. We may do some comparisons/crossovers with the Deck for games that release on both, but in those cases, our full review of the game will be the PC version on the Deck. As for becoming a broad stroke site, I would still say we are within our ideals since we are still only focusing on handhelds. That will never change. So you will never see us cover PlayStation or Xbox directly, nor will we go into mobile space.
The other thing I would like to mention is these gaming sites having troubles. There are a multitude of reasons they are scrambling, but independent outlets are in the same boat. While we are doing okay, even niche sites like ours are struggling. In some ways, we are as well. With Google's changes and AI scraping, as well as the rise of popularity of content creators, websites like this are not as popular as they used to be.
ProtonDB is what you're looking for