It ’s hard call the Lenovo Legion Go S a “ raw ” handheld gaming personal computer . It ’s technically new , with a invigorated conception and updated internals , but it ’s less of a continuation to theoriginal Lenovo Legion Goand more of a familiar .
Lenovo has done a lot of work here , and from a twist linear perspective , this is thehandheld gaming PCI require to cull up when I go to meet games . I ’m just not sure the interlingual rendition Lenovo get off me — and the one rolling out first — is the one to invest your time in .
Lenovo Legion Go S specs
Specs are really important here . Lenovo will , eventually , have several different configurations of the Legion Go S available , but there ’s only one you ’ll be able to buy this month . That ’s the one Lenovo charge out to me for reassessment , and you’re able to see the configuration below .
The highlight is the exclusive Ryzen Z2 Go processor , which Lenovo is rolling out first alongside 32 GB of memory and 1 TB of memory board for $ 730 . Lenovo says it will have a Ryzen Z1 Extreme model eventually , along with “ additional configurations ” in May , start at $ 600 . I suspect those extra configurations include a Ryzen Z2 Go model with a undercut to memory and memory board to reach that $ 600 price power point .
But expect ; there ’s more . In summation to additional contour , Lenovo says it willalsolaunch a adaptation of the Legion Go S with Valve ’s SteamOS , and it ’ll be thefirst handheld ever certifiedby Valve to habituate the Linux - free-base operating system . Details are still lightsome about this version , but Lenovo say it ’ll also be available in May , and it ’ll start at $ 500 .
It ’s of import to get all of this out of the way because I have some criticism of this configuration that do n’t go for to the other configurations , even though they have n’t been secrete yet . solitaire is an asset here , as the additional configurations of the Legion Go S will shake up the performance and price dynamic importantly , as well as the doldrums of Windows on handheld devices .
Although there are multiple configuration , a few things are share across them . First , you get an 8 - inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 and a refresh rate of 120Hz . I fuck that Lenovo backtracked on the 1440p display available on the original Legion Go — this is a much more comfortable answer for a handheld .
You also get a micro SD card reader for easy expansible memory board , along with dual USB 4 ports . you’re able to habituate either for charging , and you ’ll have an additional one at the quick for a USB - one C hub or even an extraneous computer graphic card .
The right feel
The Lenovo Legion Go S is the most easy handheld I ’ve ever used . for certain , it clears the fantastically low-pitched bar for comfort set by the original Lenovo Legion Go , but it ’s also more comfortable than theROG Ally X. It ’s even well than the Steam Deck OLED . Valve is the only company that has been able to nail the bioengineering of this type of strain factor , and shocking as it may sound , the Lenovo Legion Go S pushes things further .
There are two reason the Legion Go S feel so well-fixed . First , the sizing . Unlike the lion ’s share of handheld gambling microcomputer , the Legion Go S hail with an 8 - column inch screen . Handhelds like theROG Ally and Steam Deckcome with a 7 - inch exhibit . It ’s larger than the ROG Ally andMSI Claw , and closer to the Steam Deck , afford you good deal of handheld to , well , hold in your hand . The chief deviation compared to the Steam Deck is that Lenovo dedicates more infinite on the front to the show ; it ’s like going from the Nintendo Switch to the Nintendo Switch OLED .
But the corners are why I fall in love with the Legion Go S. The bottom corners are rounded and cuddle perfectly into your palm tree while you ’re keep back the twist . It feels secure almost by nature , and all without any sharp boundary digging into your palm . If you’re able to retrieve the Legion Go S on presentation at a local Best Buy or Micro Center , I ’d highly urge holding the gimmick for yourself . For me , it just feltrightimmediately .
It certainly helps that the equipment itself feels constructed with care . The buttons are unwaveringly secured so they do n’t shift under your finger . The D - pad of paper responds to guiding inputs utterly without devolving into a mushy mess . And the Hall Effect joystick are not only smooth but also undestroyable . I toss the Legion Go S into my backpack unprotected without a 2d intellection , and I’veneverdone that with another handheld out of awe of damaging the stick .
The difference - Godhead for me came with the initiation , though . Lord almighty , I never want to employ any other triggers on a controller , handheld or not . Lenovo includes a yellow-bellied terrapin for each initiation that allows you to put either a full range of motion or a “ rapid gun trigger ” response . Basically , you get to choose if the trigger behaves like a induction or more like a button . The full induction is fine , but Lenovo is actually using a disjoined internal clitoris for the rapid initiation mode .
In this modality , there ’s a subtle haptic response when you press the initiation down , and sure enough , itfeelslike a button . I ’ve used these triggers since the release of the original Xbox Elite Controller . I ’ve yet to sense a trigger that reply as nicely as the I on the Legion Go S. I enjoy them so much that I ended up binding several actions to them inBlade Chimera . aboveboard , I struggled to go back to my stock Xbox Series X restrainer on PC after .
The Ryzen Z2 Go is solid, but not great
Outside of Lenovo angle into a traditional hand-held build factor , the Legion Go S is exciting for another reason — it marks the debut of AMD ’s Ryzen Z2 Go CPU , which is exclusive to Lenovo handhelds . The name surely implies this is a propagation newer than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme antecedently useable on devices like theROG Ally — I think , it has a bigger bit — but that ’s in reality not the eccentric . The Ryzen Z2 Go isweaker .
It comes with 12 RDNA 3 Compute Units ( CUs ) , just like the Ryzen Z1 Extreme . However , it only comes with four mainframe cores ( the Z1 Extreme has eight ) , and they ’re establish on the old Zen 3 architecture ; the Ryzen Z1 Extreme apply Zen 4 . This is offset by a larger power budget . you could feed up to 40 watt into the Ryzen Z2 Go .
This all adds up to create a scrap that ’s less expensive than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme while providing almost the same performance . Almost is authoritative here , though . Test after trial , the Ryzen Z2 Go in the Legion Go S came up just a hair short of the Ryzen Z1 Extreme available in other handhelds . The effective news is that it absolutely crushes thebase Ryzen Z1 availablein the original ROG Ally .
It ’s not one - for - one , though . It ’s significant to think that you only have four CPU core on the Ryzen Z2 Go , so you ’ll run into matter in game that prefer a higher core count — Horizon Zero DawnandReturnalshow that in action . You ’ll also ply into issues in games that justbarelyhit the mark on Ryzen Z1 Extreme handhelds . I ’m babble out about game like the recentFinal Fantasy VII Rebirth . The Ryzen Z2 Go does n’t provide the extra grunt to push these games into playable dominion like the Ryzen Z1 Extreme does .
The actual competition is theSteam Deck OLED , though . Given the humbled price of the Legion Go S , it ’s directly competing with Valve ’s handheld . appear at 720p performance , where the Steam Deck OLED is shut away , Valve make out out on top more often than not . That ’s another notch in Valve ’s bash , as you could find fault up the Steam Deck OLED for $ 50 less than the Legion Go S — and $ 200 less if you go for the older LCD exemplar .
Another upper side for the Steam Deck is battery life history . The Legion Go S does n’t help the shelling sprightliness situation we ’ve take care with most handhelds , not only due to its economic consumption of the power - hungry Windows 11 , but also due to locking the battery to 55WHr . The Ryzen Z2 Go also draw a bit more power . I had no job make through multiple hours - tenacious play sessions inBlade Chimeraover the course of a few days , butCyberpunk 2077cut the battery down in just two hours in the standard Performance mode , and it died out in a little over an time of day with the power maxed out .
Windows ruins everything
I empathise why you ’d want Windows on a handheld . you may take on your Xbox Game Pass games ; you may install non - gaming apps . You do n’t require to worry about anti - cheat software program , nor game compatibility , and all of your game from platforms like GOG and the Epic Games Store come along for the ride . But with a SteamOS version of the Legion Go S on the way , and third - political party fork like Bazzite increase in popularity , it ’s metre for Microsoft to put up or shut up with Windows on handhelds . And I ’m not seeing a secure argument for Windows here .
I ’ve already write at length about myissues with Windows on the Legion Go S. This is n’t a Lenovo problem . It ’s a Microsoft problem , so I do n’t want to rework the same ground here . But there ’s an of import decision you ’ll have to make when going to corrupt the Legion Go S , and it touch on Windows .
Lenovo will finally offer the Windows version of the Legion Go S starting at $ 600 . The SteamOS version , which is set to launch this summertime , come in in at $ 500 . I ’m having a difficult time justifying Windows at all on a handheld , and I certainly do n’t see an argument for spending $ 100 more for a speculative user experience .
There are some users who like Windows on a handheld , and if that ’s your game , more power to you . However , when appraise the Legion Go S as a merchandise , I can confidently say that buying the Windows adaptation is wasted money . I have n’t tested the SteamOS version yet , but I suspect you’re able to install Windows on it without issues — it ’s monovular computer hardware , after all — so unless youneedto be an other adopter ( or peculiarly like the whitened color option undivided to the Windows version ) , I ’d advocate wait until the summer .
Lenovo at least attempts to emulate a normal handheld experience with its Legion Space computer software . It sit on top of Windows and provide a sidebar with quick access to scene , along with a controller - friendly plot library . The software package is much better than when the original Legion Go launched , but it ’s still a clear pace behind what you ’ll find on the ROG Ally .
The software package itself works all right , and it ’s packed with useful setting . It ’s just not stable . My game library would go to dwell on restart . The app would freeze and become unresponsive to my input . And apps available through Legion Space like Steam would give way to install . This is a step in the correct instruction , but I find myself gravitate toward Steam Big Picture modal value to avoid the hassle .
Great design, bad software
I ’m disappoint I ca n’t recommend the Legion Go S as strongly as I want to . This is undoubtedly the bad version of one of the best handhelds I ’ve ever used . I ’m struggling to recommend the Windows version given the want of progression Microsoft has made for hand-held political program , and I ’m struggling to recommend the Ryzen Z2 Go poker chip when Ryzen Z1 Extreme variation of this handheld are on the way . I do n’t love the Legion Space software program , either , but that ’s a comparatively minor quibble .
I do n’t advocate the Legion Go S decently now , but that really has nothing to do with Lenovo . Right now , Lenovo is providing choice to emptor , and it just so happened to lead with what is , for me , the worst of the bunch . you’re able to bet when the SteamOS version launch , though , I ’ll be the first in crinkle to clean it up — I recommend you do the same .
