Size. Not everyone has ginormous hands. The steam deck feels big and unwieldy despite being fairly light. I also don't like the ergonomics of the steam deck, and I would miss the colours and so on. But also not everyone wants to emulate Nintendo games. Half the fun of animal crossing was sharing experiences with other players online. Same with smash bros. Emulation isn't at a point where I would consider it to be for the masses and certainly not for a lot of kids these days.

The steam deck is a great device and there should be competition in this space of portables. But not everything about it is perfect for everyone.

First party software. I buy Nintendo consoles for their ip, not their power. My desktop is where I do most of my gaming, but I have an attachment to Zelda games that I don’t think will ever go away. I still have my official prima guide for links awakening dx. I have a map on the wall of twilight princess’s over world.

I don’t even like the switch for portability because it feels bulky and uncomfortable. But connected to the dock, I can forget that it’s supposed to be portable and enjoy my Zelda games. My wife also likes animal crossing, and I got her to play her first Zelda and Pokémon games in the last year, and those were games that shaped my childhood.

So I guess my answer is shared experiences and nostalgia.