On one hand, you want to be a part of the PC master race. On the other hand, you want to play Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Pokémon, etc. You’re at a crossroads in your life, and you’re not sure which way to turn.

The good news is, both consoles are absolutely amazing, and you’ll probably be perfectly happy no matter which one you choose. So, to help you choose, I’m going to walk you through the pros and cons of each console, and help you decide which ones would be better for you and your gaming needs.

PC vs Nintendo Switch: Which One Should You Get?

PCs are better than Nintendo Switches when it comes to graphics, game variety, functionality, and quality of life features, so you should get a PC if you’re trying to choose between the two. Nintendo does have amazing exclusives, though, so if you really love Nintendo games, you’ll want the Switch.

It’s really hard to compare a PC to a Nintendo Switch because they target completely different audiences. I, personally, have a PC and a Switch and love it. I find that this set up satisfies all of my gaming needs.

I can play competitive and AAA games on my PC when I’m in a super gamer mood. When I’m in a more casual mood, or want to play something with a story while I sit on my couch, I can play my Nintendo Switch.

Of course, not everyone can afford both, especially not a high end PC. If you can afford a mid range PC and a Switch, you’ll be able to play anything you want. If not, then the choice comes down to your own preferences and what kinds of games you like.

Pros Of Nintendo Switch

Exclusives

The Nintendo Switch has Pokémon, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, Animal Crossing, etc. These are games you just can’t play anywhere else (sans mobile), which makes the Nintendo Switch worth it to many people.

Portable

The Switch’s main selling point (other than exclusives) is its portability. You can play it on your couch, on your bed, at work, during class, or anywhere else you feel like. No other console on the market offers this convenience.

Cons Of Nintendo Switch

Low Graphics Quality / Low-end Hardware

The Nintendo Switch hardware is pretty limited compared to PCs and other consoles. Nintendo sacrificed the hardware performance for portability. This means that many games just can’t have a Switch version, and if they do their graphics will be extremely toned down.

Sometimes, the overly simplistic hardware forces games to look very ugly (Pokémon trees) . Some games even get ported over with countless bugs and glitches because of this.

The Nintendo Tax (No Discounts)

Nintendo games rarely go on sale, especially if they’re extremely popular like Mario Kart and Smash Bros. This is what people lovingly refer to as the Nintendo Tax.

With PCs, there are plenty of places to find cheap and free games, even recently released AAA games. This just isn’t an option on the Switch. You have to get very lucky to find a game on sale, especially digitally.

Pros Of A PC

Infinite Games

Almost every modern game that is released is released for PC in some way, shape, or form. This means when a new game comes out, you don’t need to worry about whether it will release for your console or not. Beyond this, there are thousands of quality, free PC games to discover and try out.

Upgradability

What’s great about having a PC is that when you want to upgrade, you don’t need to replace the entire thing. This means you can start with a pretty low range build, and slowly upgrade it over time. You’ll be able to play the games you want the entire time, they’ll just get much prettier as you upgrade.

Cons Of A PC

Expensive

It’s no secret that PCs aren’t cheap. During global chip shortages or supply chain issues, graphics cards and CPUs can skyrocket in price. There’s a pretty high barrier to entry for getting a powerful PC up and running, especially if you like playing brand new AAA games.

Requires Know-how

With consoles, you can just boot them up and your intuition will guide you through everything. With a PC, you need to have a little bit of knowledge (or the help of a friend) to get things up and running. This is especially true if you need to build your own PC or replace a part.

PCs also have the risk of viruses, which can trick even the most diligent gamers. That being said, learning how to navigate a PC is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding skills you can learn.

Should You Get A Switch If You Have A PC?

You should get a Switch if you have a PC because the Nintendo Switch will fill the few gaming gaps that PCs leave. The Nintendo Switch has one of the best catalogs of exclusive games that cannot be played on anything but the Switch. This means if you have a PC and a Switch you can play almost everything.

The only consoles I have are PC and Switch, and I couldn’t be happier with this setup. I can play pretty much any Xbox game straight from my PC nowadays, even Halo. There are a couple Playstation exclusives, but these are rare.

So the only gap I had in my gaming life was Nintendo exclusives like Pokémon, Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, and Smash Bros. The exclusive library may be one of the only huge pros to a Switch, but it is a gigantic pro that made my Switch worth every penny.

To add onto this, sometimes I just want to chill out in my recliner and turn my brain off with a game. I can’t really do this with my PC, since it’s very heavy and wouldn’t fit in my lap.

Can You Play Switch Games On A PC?

You cannot play Switch games on a PC, atleast not easily / legally. The only way to play Switch games on your PC is through an emulator, which is in a legal grey area. Most emulators are legal, but the issue comes from downloading the Switch games (ROMs). Switch emulation is also very unstable currently.

There’s no easy way to play Switch games on a PC. The only way is with emulation. If you don’t know what an emulator is, it is a software for your PC that behaves like a virtual replica of an actual console. There are emulators for just about every older console (and some new ones).

Emulators are actually completely legal, since they’re coded from scratch and do not steal the source codes of the consoles they emulate. However, it is not legal to download the games (ROMS) that emulators use to play. Whether you’ll get caught or not is up in the air, but you should know the legality either way.