Lenovo Legion Go S review: feels good, plays bad
The Lenovo Legion Go S was supposed to change things. It was poised to show Valve isnΓ’ΒΒt the only one that can build an affordable, portable, potent handheld gaming PC Γ’ΒΒ you just need the right design and the right OS.Β
I was intrigued when ValveΓ’ΒΒs own Steam Deck designers told me this Windows handheld would double as the first authorized third-party SteamOS handheld this May. When I heard Lenovo had procured an exclusive AMD chip that would help that SteamOS version hit $499, I got excited for a true Steam Deck competitor.Β
But IΓ’ΒΒm afraid that chip ainΓ’ΒΒt it.Β
IΓ’ΒΒve spent weeks living with a Legion Go S powered by AMDΓ’ΒΒs Z2 Go, the same chip slated to appear in that $499 handheld. IΓ’ΒΒve used it with both Windows and Bazzite, a SteamOS-like Linux distro that eliminates many of WindowsΓ’ΒΒ most annoying quirks. I tested both directly against a Steam Deck OLED and the original Legion Go, expecting to find it between the two in terms of performance and battery life. But thatΓ’ΒΒs not what I found.
Watt for watt, its Z2 Go chip simply canΓ’ΒΒt compete with the Steam Deck, and itΓ’ΒΒs far weaker than the Z1 Extreme in last yearΓ’ΒΒs handhelds. ThatΓ’ΒΒs inexcusable at the $730 …
