The Lenovo Legion Go S is the first third-party SteamOS handheld
The Lenovo Legion Go is sort of the SUV of pocket gaming PCs. It’s big, powerful, comes with a lot of extras like removable controllers, and supports vertical mouse functionality that allows it to adapt to any situation. All this flexibility is great, but it makes the device quite bulky. But for CES 2025Lenovo is announcing a slightly more portable version, called the Legion Go S, with support for not one, but two different operating systems.
Before we get too deep into the details, it’s important to mention that I only had a chance to check out the Windows 11 model. However, for anyone who’s ever wanted a Steam Deck with better performance, Lenovo also makes a version that comes with pre SteamOS installed.
However, the specifications of both variants are almost identical. These include either an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip or Lenovo’s Z1 Extreme APU used in the previous model, with up to 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a 55.5Wh battery. You also get a microSD card slot for expandable storage, two USB 4 ports and a 3.5mm audio jack. The main difference is their color (and release date, but more on that later), as the Windows 11 Legion Go S comes in white, while the SteamOS model will come in black.
Compared to the original Legion Go, the S features a smaller but still large 8-inch 120 Hz OLED display (down from 8.8 inches) with 1920 x 1200 resolution and VRR instead of the 2560 x 1600 144Hz panel as on the original. It also doesn’t have removable controllers or a stand. The benefit of this is that the whole system looks a lot sturdier, which should make you feel better about throwing it in a bag before your next trip. It’s also significantly lighter at 1.6 pounds versus 1.9 pounds for its larger sibling.
It should be noted that you still get analog sticks with Hall-effect sensors, which you don’t get on competitors like the expensive ASUS ROG Ally X. Lenovo has also moved to a new twist-style D-pad, though I’m not sure that counts as a true upgrade, as I prefer the classic cross ones. Another nice bonus for tinkerers is that on the inside, the Go S comes with a shorter 2242 SSD module, although it can hold 2280 desktop-sized sticks.
I initially got a chance to check out the Windows 11 version, which performance seemed quite snappy thanks to the resolution dropping to 1920 x 1200, which seems like a better match for its components. Lenovo has also made some improvements to its Legion Space app so that it functions much better as a general game launcher and place to tweak performance and settings. I also appreciate little touches like how, despite being much smaller, the Legion Go S still has a touchpad on the front, which is such a big help when you need to exit Legion Space and navigate Windows. I’d even say that despite its size, the Go S’s pad is more responsive as it feels more like a trackball than a small touchpad. And there’s a little switch on the back to adjust how far you can pull the shoulder buttons.
As for the SteamOS-powered Legion Go S, I found it remarkable how similar it looks to the Steam Deck, despite not being made by Valve. The user interface is almost identical, the only differences being some tweaks Lenovo added to support things like the notebook’s RGB lighting and higher 30-watt TDP. In person, the body of the SteamOS models looks more like a dark purple than pure black, which is a nice subtle touch. My biggest takeaway, though, is that Valve’s OS felt a bit more responsive than it did on Steam Deck, which I attribute to Legion’s newer APU.
The small problem is that a higher-end version of the Legion Go S running Windows 11 is expected to go on sale later this month for $730 with an AMD Z2 Go processor, 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage for storage. Unfortunately, that means anyone wanting one of the more affordable models with 16GB of RAM or running SteamOS will have to wait a little longer, as those variants won’t be available until May. On the other hand, the SteamOS-powered Legion Go S will have a lower starting price of $499 compared to an equivalent Windows model that will start at $599.
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