Nintendo really doesn't want you to use Switch emulators on Steam Deck

Nintendo may be trying to discourage you from emulating Switch games on Steam Deck.

Steam Deck, Valve's recently launched portable console, lets you not only play PC games on the go but, as it's an open platform, allows you to run emulated ones too. That is, seemingly, unless Nintendo has anything to say about it.

Nintendo Life has reported that a recent video demonstrating how-to run Yuzu, a Nintendo Switch emulator on Steam Deck, uploaded to YouTube by The Phawx has unceremoniously been removed from the site. Similarly, the user's video on GameCube and Wii emulation is also now unavailable.

The reason for the content being pulled isn't clear, but Nintendo is notorious for being extremely protective of its IPs, leading many to speculate that the Japanese giant is behind the removal. Currently, the channel's how-to videos for running emulated games on both Xbox and PlayStation are still available, adding further credence to the theory that it's Nintendo specifically which isn't keen on having its games running on Steam Deck.

It's unsurprising that Nintendo would want to keep its portable experiences solely on Switch, especially if the recent Nvidia leak suggesting Nintendo Switch Pro's existence turns out to be true. While Nintendo's newer catalogue is easily assessable on Switch, sadly, the same can't be said for its library of older games.

The Steam Deck emulation videos aren't the only recent Nintendo-related content to be taken down. In January, Nintendo shut down a fan-made Pokemon FPS as, presumably, it didn't like the idea of players gunning down Pikachu.