DF: Switch 2 vs Steam Deck: Cyberpunk 2077 Benchmarked - Docked & Handheld Tested

Zuzu

Zuzu

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Switch 2 vs PC Settings Comparison:

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Switch 2 Docked vs Steam Deck


Switch 2 vs Steam Deck Set-up:

- Steam Deck needs to use FSR3 or XeSS to upscale to 1080p and settings are matched as closely as possible to Switch 2 settings.

Using the "Official" Cyberpunk benchmark:

- Compared to Switch 2 Docked 30fps mode (720p - 1080p DLSS), Steam Deck deliver 95% of performance using FSR3 and 89% using XeSS.

- Compared to Switch 2 Docked 40fps mode (540p - 1080p DLSS), Steam Deck deliver 91% of performance using FSR3 and 84% using XeSS.

Kabuki Streaming Run

- On the early part of the run, the Switch 2 (in 30fps docked mode) displays a missing shadow cascade but is much more consistent in hitting 30fps. Switch 2 has a lot of headroom and is pushing a higher resolution which improves image quality. It renders from 720p - 1008p in this sequence while on Steam Deck the DRS window is just 720p - 765p.

- Steam Deck averages 27.4fps for FSR3 and 26.7fps for Xess.

- Switch 2 in 40fps docked mode finds its limits in any area with a decent amount of geometry. Lowest framerates are marginally worse than quality mode. Early area may be CPU bound with Switch 2 hovering around lower 30fps. The middle section of the run Switch 2 reaches 40fps more consistently while Steam Deck remains at lower 30fps. Steam Deck has pixel counts at 540p - 756p whereas corresponding shots on Switch 2 give us 630p - 900p.

The Beast in Me sequence

- Switch 2 in Docked 30fps mode is closer overall to 30fps but drops considerably when more enemy cars are in play

- Switch 2 in Docked 40fps mode continues to have an advantage in lighter areas, but long stretches in more detailed area see all Switch 2 and Steam Deck FSR3 & XeSS all play out with similar frame rates. This may suggest a CPU limitation for both consoles. Switch 2 does run at a higher resolution in these areas though.

- Switch 2 is likely using 16-17w and Steam Deck is running at 24w-25w power.

Switch 2 Portable vs Steam Deck

Settings Info

- Comparison is made to Switch 2 Portable Quality (30fps) mode.

- Settings can't be matched between the two consoles only approximated.

- Steam Deck can't be set to output an 810p resolution as the Switch 2 is doing in quality mode. The best that can be done is to use FSR3 and a 900p output resolution with a 50%-90% DRS to give the same 450p - 810p DRS window.

Kabuki Streaming Run

- Most of this run shows that the two consoles run fairly closely but the Switch 2 shows a bit of instability from the 30fps target. Towards the end of the run the Deck momentarily loses its 30fps lock suggesting a CPU advantage for the Steam Deck.

- Steam Deck is using 24.5w but Switch 2 is using 8.9w.

The Beast in Me sequence

- Switch 2 shows a lot more drops from 30fps with a low of 23fps. The Deck is smoother with fewer fps drops and only dipping into the late 20s.

- When Deck is set to run at a similar power draw (9.1w) the Deck's performance drops to 9.2fps. On the Kabuki test the average fps is 13 while Switch 2 runs this sequence at mostly locked 30fps with a big resolution advantage.
 
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I was going to give that a bit of an earnest playthrough in docked mode later today (and fine tune my HDR while I'm at it).
 
  • Benchmark scenes from Cyberpunk 2077's PC version are modded to run on Switch 2 and Steam Deck, allowing direct performance comparisons across platforms.
  • Key differences: Switch 2 uses a native port with DLSS, has a 1080p screen, and custom graphics settings. Steam Deck runs the PC version via Proton at 800p (or 720p) using FSR/XESS, and benefits from superior HDR and a much larger battery (50 Wh vs ~20 Wh).
  • Detailed settings analysis against PC medium/high: Switch 2's docked/handheld modes match medium PC presets for crowd, fog, clouds, but vary for ambient occlusion, reflections, shadow quality and level of detail—many are custom-tuned.
  • Benchmarks show Switch 2's DLSS enables it to hit 30 fps at 1080p and 40 fps in performance mode, with higher dynamic resolution (up to 1080p). Steam Deck lags behind: FSR3 hits ~95% of Switch 2's docked performance at 30 fps, but frame drops and lower resolution (max ~765p) cause significant visual and smoothness gaps.
  • In CPU‑limited areas, performance converges. But generally, Switch 2 maintains higher average frame rates and resolution. Steam Deck sometimes matches frame rates briefly, but struggles with GPU limits and upscaling.
  • Power draw from the wall: Switch 2 uses ~18–19 W (~16–17 W internally); Steam Deck uses ~29–31 W (24–25 W internally). Switch 2 delivers better performance-per-watt, using roughly two-thirds the power.
  • In handheld mode with adjusted settings (Switch 2 at 1080p DLSS, Deck at 900p FSR3), both hover around 30–40 fps. Steam Deck surprisingly matches performance in CPU-bound scenarios and its HDR OLED screen is a standout—but Switch 2 still uses ~1/3 the power, giving it a major efficiency lead. Ultimately, both deliver similar battery life given Switch 2's smaller pack.
 
Wolzard said:
  • Benchmark scenes from Cyberpunk 2077's PC version are modded to run on Switch 2 and Steam Deck, allowing direct performance comparisons across platforms.
  • Key differences: Switch 2 uses a native port with DLSS, has a 1080p screen, and custom graphics settings. Steam Deck runs the PC version via Proton at 800p (or 720p) using FSR/XESS, and benefits from superior HDR and a much larger battery (50 Wh vs ~20 Wh).
  • Detailed settings analysis against PC medium/high: Switch 2's docked/handheld modes match medium PC presets for crowd, fog, clouds, but vary for ambient occlusion, reflections, shadow quality and level of detail—many are custom-tuned.
  • Benchmarks show Switch 2's DLSS enables it to hit 30 fps at 1080p and 40 fps in performance mode, with higher dynamic resolution (up to 1080p). Steam Deck lags behind: FSR3 hits ~95% of Switch 2's docked performance at 30 fps, but frame drops and lower resolution (max ~765p) cause significant visual and smoothness gaps.
  • In CPU‑limited areas, performance converges. But generally, Switch 2 maintains higher average frame rates and resolution. Steam Deck sometimes matches frame rates briefly, but struggles with GPU limits and upscaling.
  • Power draw from the wall: Switch 2 uses ~18–19 W (~16–17 W internally); Steam Deck uses ~29–31 W (24–25 W internally). Switch 2 delivers better performance-per-watt, using roughly two-thirds the power.
  • In handheld mode with adjusted settings (Switch 2 at 1080p DLSS, Deck at 900p FSR3), both hover around 30–40 fps. Steam Deck surprisingly matches performance in CPU-bound scenarios and its HDR OLED screen is a standout—but Switch 2 still uses ~1/3 the power, giving it a major efficiency lead. Ultimately, both deliver similar battery life given Switch 2's smaller pack.
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A hard fact you can take away from this is that the efficiency of the Switch 2 is in a world of its own, way way ahead of the Steam Deck, which itself is highly efficient compared to a great many Windows handhelds.
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captain america lumber GIF
 
Baemono said:
I found it interesting to put the Steam Deck at 9 watt as the Switch, to see the framerate crashing completely
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I'm curious to see Lunar Lake performance at 9w, from my understanding, LL is actually extremely good at sub-10w power consumption and AMD doesn't really have anything that is capable of extremely low power gaming.
 
Wolzard said:
  • Benchmark scenes from Cyberpunk 2077's PC version are modded to run on Switch 2 and Steam Deck, allowing direct performance comparisons across platforms.
  • Key differences: Switch 2 uses a native port with DLSS, has a 1080p screen, and custom graphics settings. Steam Deck runs the PC version via Proton at 800p (or 720p) using FSR/XESS, and benefits from superior HDR and a much larger battery (50 Wh vs ~20 Wh).
  • Detailed settings analysis against PC medium/high: Switch 2's docked/handheld modes match medium PC presets for crowd, fog, clouds, but vary for ambient occlusion, reflections, shadow quality and level of detail—many are custom-tuned.
  • Benchmarks show Switch 2's DLSS enables it to hit 30 fps at 1080p and 40 fps in performance mode, with higher dynamic resolution (up to 1080p). Steam Deck lags behind: FSR3 hits ~95% of Switch 2's docked performance at 30 fps, but frame drops and lower resolution (max ~765p) cause significant visual and smoothness gaps.
  • In CPU‑limited areas, performance converges. But generally, Switch 2 maintains higher average frame rates and resolution. Steam Deck sometimes matches frame rates briefly, but struggles with GPU limits and upscaling.
  • Power draw from the wall: Switch 2 uses ~18–19 W (~16–17 W internally); Steam Deck uses ~29–31 W (24–25 W internally). Switch 2 delivers better performance-per-watt, using roughly two-thirds the power.
  • In handheld mode with adjusted settings (Switch 2 at 1080p DLSS, Deck at 900p FSR3), both hover around 30–40 fps. Steam Deck surprisingly matches performance in CPU-bound scenarios and its HDR OLED screen is a standout—but Switch 2 still uses ~1/3 the power, giving it a major efficiency lead. Ultimately, both deliver similar battery life given Switch 2's smaller pack.
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what, people told me the Steam Deck was just as powerful as the Switch 2.
 
As expected in performance, Switch 2 docked > Steam Deck > Switch 2 portable. Switch 2 portable and Steam Deck are surprisingly close.

Efficiently is another matter, Switch 2 is miles ahead of the Steam Deck but since the latter has a far larger battery, the overall battery life is the same.
 
This is fucking crazy, for this particular test I'd focus less on the device we have in hand and more the sheer potential of Nvidia's achievements. It's using 8.6 watts in handheld to do what Steam Deck does in 24.6 watts, on an 8nm samsung node... All this did is convince me that a Switch 2 Pro would kick serious ass.
 
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I've just finished and posted the summary for Switch 2 docked performance comparison. I'm now working on the Portable comparison.
 
Zathalus said:
Efficiently is another matter, Switch 2 is miles ahead of the Steam Deck but since the latter has a far larger battery, the overall battery life is the same.
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Definitly.

So that answers the question to "are people really impressed a 2025 hardware is doing better than a 2022 hardware ?" at 9w vs 24w, running Cyberpunk at 40fps sure is impressive, yes.
 
Zathalus said:
As expected in performance, Switch 2 docked > Steam Deck > Switch 2 portable. Switch 2 portable and Steam Deck are surprisingly close.
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If you have to jack up the wattage to match performance, then no, the performance is not the same or better, especially in a handheld device.
 
diffusionx said:
If you have to jack up the wattage to match performance, then no, the performance is not the same or better, especially in a handheld device.
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What? Of course it's better. Whatever the underlying power consumption is doesn't matter. That is efficiency. The Steam Deck has a far larger battery to compensate for the lowered efficiency and thus the battery life for both devices end up roughly the same.

What's next, the 9070 XT is actually slower compared to a 5070 because it uses more power?
 
What also surprises me here is how little of a bottleneck there is on the CPU side compared to Steam Deck despite only having six 1 ghz cores available in this time. If they hurried up freeing that seventh core, I think we'd have actually better results. Steam Deck has four Zen 2 cores but does have full access to its SMT threads, so... very interesting display from ARM.
 
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Zathalus said:
What? Of course it's better. Whatever the underlying power consumption is doesn't matter. That is efficiency. The Steam Deck has a far larger battery to compensate for the lowered efficiency and thus the battery life for both devices end up roughly the same.

What's next, the 9070 XT is actually slower compared to a 5070 because it uses more power?
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It's really not as relevant for a device you plug into the wall.
 
I mean any 2025 handheld outta be running this at decent settings 30fps and DLSS at this point. lol
 
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RodriGames40 said:
What also surprises me here is how little of a bottleneck there is on the CPU side compared to Steam Deck despite only having six 1 ghz cores available in this time. If they hurried up freeing that seventh core, I think we'd have actually better results. Steam Deck has four Zen 2 cores but does have full access to its SMT threads, so... very interesting display from ARM.
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Wasn't SW2's CPU heavily downclocked ?
 
Zathalus said:
It's also not really relevant if the device with the higher power draw has a battery 2.6 times as large.
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Sure it is, it leads to a heavier, more cumbersome device.

Nintendo could have made a Switch 2 as ugly and heavy and enormous as the Steam Deck and ran it at 25W and blown away the performance.
 
My summary for Switch 2 Portable mode vs Deck is finished. Let me know if you'd like anything changed for corrected.
 
diffusionx said:
Sure it is, it leads to a heavier, more cumbersome device.

Nintendo could have made a Switch 2 as ugly and heavy and enormous as the Steam Deck and ran it at 25W and blown away the performance.
Click to expand...
The weight difference is a mere 80g. And Nintendo could have done a lot of things, but they didn't. Stating that could have done X has zero relevancy to the discussion.

None of this is actually relevant to the fact that the Steam Deck performs better than the Switch 2 in portable mode in this game. Yes the Switch 2 is lighter and uses less power, but ultimately the performance is a bit worse while battery life is quite similar.
 
Zathalus said:
The weight difference is a mere 80g. And Nintendo could have done a lot of things, but they didn't. Stating that could have done X has zero relevancy to the discussion.

None of this is actually relevant to the fact that the Steam Deck performs better than the Switch 2 in portable mode in this game. Yes the Switch 2 is lighter and uses less power, but ultimately the performance is a bit worse while battery life is quite similar.
Click to expand...
You are forgetting that this is also the Steam OLED, which got a memory bandwidth upclock to 102.8 gb/s (the original was 88.8 gb/s). Switch 2 is 66 GB/s in handheld mode, efficiency wise it's not even damn close.
 
RodriGames40 said:
This is fucking crazy, for this particular test I'd focus less on the device we have in hand and more the sheer potential of Nvidia's achievements. It's using 8.6 watts in handheld to do what Steam Deck does in 24.6 watts, on an 8nm samsung node...
Click to expand...

I said multiple times in the past that architectures that are wide, low clocks and low density (not taking up all the node Tr/mm^2) are much less impacted by node shrinks than a narrow and fast one (Steam deck high clocks).

Nvidia also revisited the ampere SMs, 22% smaller than Orin AGX because it probably trimmed useless shit that a dedicated gaming unit with their API wouldn't need to support like one on PC has to with legacy APIs.

Nvidia engineers know how to engineer, more news at 11.
 
Zathalus said:
The weight difference is a mere 80g. And Nintendo could have done a lot of things, but they didn't. Stating that could have done X has zero relevancy to the discussion.

None of this is actually relevant to the fact that the Steam Deck performs better than the Switch 2 in portable mode in this game. Yes the Switch 2 is lighter and uses less power, but ultimately the performance is a bit worse while battery life is quite similar.
Click to expand...
That's why the Switch 2 in many ways is completely disappointing. In portable mode, it's performs worse than the steam deck. Yes the Switch 2's docked performance is better but if I want to sit down and play the game properly, I'd play it on a ps5 pro or pc. The docked experience from the switch is hardly compelling at all other than to play Nintendo games.

What I don't understand is how you can release a console in 2025 that is worse in portable mode than consoles from 2022 and 2023. The battery life is not better, the ergonomics aren't better, the performance is not better. How is that possible. Moreover, the switch 2 weighs 80g less than the steam deck while having a battery that's like 1/3rd the capacity? What kind of bad electronics packaging is that?
 
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RodriGames40 said:
You are forgetting that this is also the Steam OLED, which got a memory bandwidth upclock to 102.8 gb/s (the original was 88.8 gb/s). Switch 2 is 66 GB/s in handheld mode, efficiency wise it's not even damn close.
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The whole point of efficiency is to deliver a materially different experience to the user. The switch 2 does not do that at all so what's the point? The battery life is not better due to Nintendo being miserly on the battery size. The performance in portable mode is not better.

How does being more efficient benefit the user in any way? In the case of the switch 2, it doesn't.
 
FalconPunch said:
The whole point of efficiency is to deliver a materially different experience to the user. The switch 2 does not do that at all so what's the point? The battery life is not better due to Nintendo being miserly on the battery size. The performance in portable mode is not better.

How does being more efficient benefit the user in any way? In the case of the switch 2, it doesn't.
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It benefits the user from the get go because the device is cheaper to manufacture across the board and the architecture is more easily scalable, meaning that we can actually get a Switch 2 OLED with the chip running on all cylinders later at a decent price. I do think going with TSMC 6nm or lower would have been better, but this speaks wonders of Nvidia's cook.
 
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So the Steam Deck is the better portable device because it has a bigger battery and draws more wattage. Plus it has OLED. Plus is has better ergonomics. Plus it has Steam OS/Steam sales. Plus you don't pay for online or cloud saves. Cyberpunk Ultimate is $38 bucks right now on Steam and It's $70 on Nintendo's eshop. Steam Deck came out like 3.5 years ago and it's neck and neck with a Nintendo console that came out last month?! Come on, Gaf Bros …

I get it. Nintendo games have that secret sauce but they are bending their fan base over hard.

Are You Crazy GIF by The Roku Channel
 
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diffusionx said:
Sure it is, it leads to a heavier, more cumbersome device.

Nintendo could have made a Switch 2 as ugly and heavy and enormous as the Steam Deck and ran it at 25W and blown away the performance.
Click to expand...

Steam Deck is not that heavy and is way more comfortable to hold. Switch 2 is too thin in the back and cramps my pinkies after a little while. I need to get some grips for the joy cons.
 
Zathalus said:
None of this is actually relevant to the fact that the Steam Deck performs better than the Switch 2 in portable mode in this game.
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Eh, this is not really what I saw, it's pretty neck and neck. It's like PS5 to Series X comparisons where there are like 1-2 fps difference.
 
Zathalus said:
The weight difference is a mere 80g. And Nintendo could have done a lot of things, but they didn't. Stating that could have done X has zero relevancy to the discussion.

None of this is actually relevant to the fact that the Steam Deck performs better than the Switch 2 in portable mode in this game. Yes the Switch 2 is lighter and uses less power, but ultimately the performance is a bit worse while battery life is quite similar.
Click to expand...
Steam Deck is a beast. And cheaper. Imagine an universe where a PC with ~ the same power is cheaper than a console. 🤷‍♂️
 
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Baemono said:
Definitly.

So that answers the question to "are people really impressed a 2025 hardware is doing better than a 2022 hardware ?" at 9w vs 24w, running Cyberpunk at 40fps sure is impressive, yes.
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Well, it depends because there are two types of arguments to maneuver:
1. Nintendo is selling old tech from 2021 (the year printed in the SoC for when they finished design)
2. Of course a 2025 device is more powerful than a 2022 one

IDK, they are versatile lol.

It's curious to see some features being higher on Switch 2 than on PS5 performance mode BTW, maybe they don't scale well for higher frame rate.
 
so switch 2 is similar perf with better resolution. Cool but im guessing steam deck 2 gona massacre the switch 2... Still ninty games dont need that much juice to shine so lets see
 
Maybe when Rog Ally has "Xbox" in its name then DF will use newer PC hardware in their comparisons. I have no problem with these results, but knowing there is more powerful hardware available and ignored doesn't make sense
 
KellyNole said:
Steam Deck is not that heavy and is way more comfortable to hold. Switch 2 is too thin in the back and cramps my pinkies after a little while. I need to get some grips for the joy cons.
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Disagree on the Steam Deck, sold mine because it was such a cumbersome, lugubrious beast to use.

I haven't used a Switch 2 yet.
 
Topher said:
Maybe when Rog Ally has "Xbox" in its name then DF will use newer PC hardware in their comparisons. I have no problem with these results, but knowing there is more powerful hardware available and ignored doesn't make sense
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Same pricepoint and most popular handheld
 
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