The Lenovo Legion Go S “Powered by SteamOS” is my personal highlight of CES 2025 – but the Legion Go 2 also looks promising.
Update 08.01.2025: The Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS will start at $500 in the US.
Lenovo unveiled three new gaming handhelds at CES today, and one stands out in particular – not because of its hardware, but rather because of its software.
The Lenovo Legion Go S is the world’s first gaming handheld from a third-party manufacturer with official SteamOS. The operating system that is also installed on the Steam Deck.
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Lenovo Legion Go S with Windows or SteamOS
The Lenovo Legion Go is now joined by a smaller variant with the suffix “S”. The new Legion Go S is equipped with an 8-inch screen and, at 730 grams, is also lighter than the currently available handheld. The controllers are not detachable on this model.
Although leaks and rumors have suggested that it is less powerful than the Legion Go, this has not been the case. In fact, performance is likely to be slightly better thanks to twice the RAM.
Technical data of the Lenovo Legion Go S
- Dimensions: 299 x 127.55 x 22.6 mm
- Weight: 740 grams
- Display: 8-inch, WQXGA (1920 x 1200), LCD, 16:10, 120 Hz, 500 nits, 10-point touch, 100% sRGB, VRR
- Processor: AMD Ryzen Z2 Go or Z1 Extreme
- Graphics: AMD Radeon 780M
- Memory:Up to 32 GB LPDDR5X @ 6400 MT/s
- Memory:Up to 1 TByte PCIe SSD Gen4 (2242, 2280-compatible)
- Operating system:Windows 11 or SteamOS
- Battery: 55.5 Wh with 65 watt charging power
- Ports: 1x microSD, 2x USB 4, 1x audio combo jack
- Audio: 2x 2W speaker
- Connectivity: Wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Controls: Hall effect joysticks
- Colors: “Glacier White” and “Nebula Violet”
Officially licensed SteamOS: The “Nebula Violet” version of the Lenovo Legion Go S comes preinstalled with SteamOS. Although so many different PC handhelds have been released in the last year, a direct Steam Deck competitor has been missing.
With the Legion Go S, that’s changing now – and this handheld is just the beginning. GPD has also announced a new version of the “Win 4” with SteamOS. I can well imagine that Asus will also jump on the bandwagon, especially since there have been hints of this in the past. More manufacturers will hopefully follow.
SteamOS in a nutshell:
- SteamOS is optimized for use with a controller.
- SteamOS looks like the Steam Big Picture mode on your desktop PC.
- It’s operated similarly to a console.
- SteamOS is a Linux derivative, but thanks to the Steam Deck, game compatibility has increased significantly in recent years.
Price and availability:The Legion Go S with Windows will be available later this month for a starting price of 630 euros. The SteamOS variant will be available from April 2025. The price in the US starts at $500. A euro price is not yet known.
Thus, the new handheld would also be a good alternative to the Steam Deck in terms of price.
Lenovo Legion Go 2 prototype
Although the SteamOS handheld is my highlight of CES 2025 so far, the successor to the Legion Go has also impressed me. Lenovo has only presented a prototype so far, but the technical data known so far is extremely promising. Unfortunately, there will probably not be a version with SteamOS.
Technical data of the Lenovo Legion Go 2
- Dimensions: Tablet with controller: 295.6 x 136.7 x 42.25 mm; Tablet without controller: 206 x 136.7 x 22.95 mm
- Weight: 890 grams tablet only, 1079 grams with controller
- Display: 8.8-inch, WUXGA (1920 x 1200), OLED, 16:10, 144 Hz, 500 nits, 10-point touch, 97% DCI-P3, VRR
- Processor: AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme or Z2
- Graphics: AMD Radeon 890M or Radeon 780M
- Memory: Up to 32 GB LPDDR5X @ 7,500 MT/s
- Memory: Up to 2 TByte PCIe SSD Gen4 (2242, 2280-compatible)
- Operating system: Windows 11
- Battery: 74 Wh with 65 Watt charging power
- Ports: not yet known
- Audio: not yet known
- Connectivity: Wifi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
- Colors:“Eclipse Black”
The best screen just got better: I already consider the Lenovo Legion Go’s screen to be one of the best among PC handhelds. The second model now gets an OLED screen with VRR support. The resolution drops from 2560 x 1600 to 1920 x 1200 pixels, but that’s not a problem. Most current titles couldn’t be played natively in this resolution anyway.
The new Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip and 32 GB RAM still promise better gaming performance. The Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip in the predecessor is now reaching its limits with new games. The beta of Monster Hunter Wilds was barely playable on the Lenovo Legion Go.
I still have one concern: The handheld will weigh a whopping 1,079 grams with the controllers attached. I find the Legion Go quite heavy at 854 grams, but still bearable. At over a kilogram in weight, it could be quite different. I’m curious to see how the device will feel in practice.
Price and Availability: The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is planned for this year, but so far there is no specific date or price.
What do you think of Lenovo’s new gaming handhelds? Is SteamOS an important selling point for you? Or do you prefer Windows?
What do you think of the technical specs of the new handhelds and what prices would you consider fair? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
