A scaled comparison between the Switch 2 and the Steam Deck OLED shows Nintendo’s system has a larger screen despite being narrower.
Credit:
Nintendo / Valve / Ars Technica
This measurement method requires some judgment calls to decide where the edges of certain Switch 2 elements begin and end in the relevant frames. Issues of distortion associated with the camera lens (or video editing on Nintendo’s part) might also affect the precision of the measurements. Still, the results of this calculation should be close enough for a first-order estimate.
Overall, the Switch’s expanded screen size would give it something of a leg up over portable PC competition like the Steam Deck (or Steam Deck OLED) and ROG Ally X. To get a significantly bigger screen on a gaming handheld, you have to look to the Lenovo Legion Go or monsters like the upcoming Acer Nitro Blaze 11. Yet despite the larger screen, the Switch 2 still comes in significantly narrower than competition like the Steam Deck (10.48-inch width with Joy-Cons for the Switch 2 versus 11.7 inches for the Steam Deck).
Nintendo / Ars Technica
The larger Joy-Con buttons and joysticks on the Switch 2 should be more comfortable for adult hands.
Nintendo / Ars Technica
Nintendo / Ars Technica
The extended magnetic “rail” on the inner edge of the Joy-Cons should mean fewer cramped hands.
Nintendo / Ars Technica
The larger Joy-Con buttons and joysticks on the Switch 2 should be more comfortable for adult hands.
Nintendo / Ars Technica
The extended magnetic “rail” on the inner edge of the Joy-Cons should mean fewer cramped hands.
Nintendo / Ars Technica
As for the new Joy-Cons, a lengthening of roughly 13 to 18 percent along either axis should make holding them a little less cramp-inducing for adult hands. And the additional surface area on the joysticks (~43 percent larger) and buttons (~60 percent larger) should make them significantly more comfortable under the thumbs.
We won’t really know how the comparative hardware battle will shake out, though, until we get crucial details from Nintendo about things like the Switch 2’s thickness, weight, screen resolution, and hardware power (not to mention the price, of course). For now, though, at least we can look at these images and measurements and imagine how the next Nintendo console will feel in our hands.
Switch 2 estimated dimensions
(As calculated by Ars Technica, based on freeze frames from the teaser trailer)
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| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switch 2 (approx.) | Switch | Switch OLED | |||||||
| mm | in | mm | in | S2 % + | mm | in | S2 % + | ||
| Tablet width | 196.1 | 7.72 | 173 | 6.81 | 13.35% | 176 | 6.93 | 11.42% | |
| w/ Joy-Cons | 266.3 | 10.48 | 239 | 9.41 | 11.42% | 242 | 9.53 | 10.04% | |
| Tablet height | 115.7 | 4.56 | 102 | 4.02 | 13.43% | 102 | 4.02 | 13.43% | |
| Tablet footprint area | 22,689 | 35.17 | 17,054 | 26.43 | 33.04% | 17,952 | 27.82 | 26.39% | |
| w/ Joy-Cons | 30,811 | 47.75 | 24,378 | 37.78 | 26.39% | 24,684 | 38.26 | 24.82% | |
| Screen width | 175 | 6.89 | 137 | 5.39 | 27.74% | 155 | 6.10 | 12.90% | |
| Screen height | 98.5 | 3.88 | 77 | 3.03 | 27.92% | 87 | 3.43 | 13.22% | |
| Screen diagonal | 201 | 7.91 | 157.5 | 6.20 | 27.62% | 177.8 | 7.00 | 13.05% | |
| Screen area (^2) | 17,237 | 26.72 | 10,549 | 16.35 | 63.40% | 13,485 | 20.90 | 27.82% | |
| Joy-Con height | 116 | 4.57 | 102 | 4.02 | 13.73% | ||||
| Joy-Con width | 42.4 | 1.67 | 35.9 | 1.41 | 18.11% | ||||
| Joy-Con footprint area (^2) | 4918 | 7.62 | 3,662 | 5.68 | 34.32% | ||||
| Joystick diameter | 17.94 | 0.71 | 15 | 0.59 | 19.60% | ||||
| Joystick surface area (^2) | 253 | 0.39 | 177 | 0.27 | 43.04% | ||||
| Face button diameter | 9.15 | 0.36 | 7.24 | 0.29 | 26.38% | ||||
|
Face button surface area (^2) |
66 | 0.10 | 41 | 0.06 | 59.73% | ||||