Meanwhile, Nintendo has been smarter on Switch, shipping first-party emulators for NES and SNES (but without the games people actually want in the catalog), and has convinced Square to re-release Seiken Densetsu 3 with an official English translation on the Switch w/ the full Mana Trilogy, which I bought and paid for, even though I could emulate all three games because they had improved graphics and an official translation.
I think the concern you have here is wildly overblown, and for the most part there are a tiny tiny tiny amount of people who are pirating Switch games by running them in emulators. Most Switch piracy is happening /on the Switch/ by people running games off the SD Card instead of buying carts/downloading officially, using patched OS / loaders. Nintendo basically killed this for Switches made after the first run in the first generation, and it's even a non-issue.
And you seriously can't see the problem? The Steam Deck is direct competitor to the Switch, that also just happens to be the best Nintendo console ever made. Valve profits from it, but can deny any wrong doing. I think you just don't want to admit that intellectual property is a thing - something we hold in high regard in western economies.
> intellectual property is a thing - something we hold in high regard in western economies
Citation needed. Both me and lots of us here on HN certainly don't hold intellectual property in high regard, because as framework it's done a lot to damage progress.
Intellectual Property law in the US is a complete mess and any rational analysis would acknowledge that.
That said, I don't play Switch games on my Steam Deck, I don't even have any Switch roms. I own a Switch, why would I play those games on a Steam Deck when I can just play them on the Switch?
Yes, the Steam Deck is the best Nintendo console ever made, for emulating Chrono Trigger (my favorite game, and arguably the greatest RPG of all time, released in 1995 for the SNES), that for some reason Nintendo has never re-released on the Switch or provided in their first-party emulators on Switch, despite it being the most requested game for the platform.
So... I reiterate my original statements. You are blowing up a non-issue out of proportion.
That said, Chrono Trigger originally released in 1995, when Nintendo entered into pretty serious agreements with publishers. No, they cannot unilaterally republish it, but they have significant power here and have worked with Square on re-releasing other games. Chrono Trigger is one that they've never republished (possibly due to agreements with Sony since it was republished on PSX).
It's not the primary purpose of the device. I've yet to even bother loading up an emulator and have just been playing PC games.
It's basically as ludicrous as suggesting Microsoft is also supporting Switch piracy because Yuzu also runs on Windows.
What is Valve getting away with / what would Nintendo sue for? Valve is just selling a general-purpose computer that is intended for - and I suspect (but don't have numbers) mostly used for - running games from Steam. That it's a general-purpose computer and thus ends up running some emulators doesn't make it illegal any more than, say, a Macbook, which can run emulators just as well. Valve would have to somehow be going out of their way to intentionally push/support running Switch games on the Steamdeck for Nintendo to have any standing to go after them.