Should you buy a Steam Deck instead of a PS5 Pro? How about instead of a new car you buy a boat?—these things are not the same

Vampire Survivors on the Steam Deck outside.

The PS5 Pro and Steam Deck couldn't be further apart. One is a home console requiring controllers, cables, and a TV. The other is a handheld Linux-powered PC. So why am I seeing more people than I'd expect compare these two since Sony's PS5 Pro announcement?

There's a certain shock factor to the PS5 Pro's price tag. That's a big part of it. The digital-only, mid-generation console is priced at $700. In other words, a console for the cost of a gaming PC. That's not high-end PC money—who are we kidding, it's half the price of an RTX 4090 alone—but genuine gaming PC cash nonetheless.