After I sent the loaned Windows 11 Lenovo Legion Go S model back after a couple of weeks, something happened that would’ve drastically changed my experience. Valve released a software update to make its SteamOS platform officially compatible with the Legion Go S.
Having tested multiple handheld gaming PCs, including the Steam Deck, the ROG Ally, and the ROG Ally X, it’s astounding how much of a difference the operating system makes. Devices such as Lenovo’s and ROG’s rely on Windows 11, which is not a user-friendly gaming platform in a portable device.
Another development in recent weeks came from Xbox. It partnered with ROG to make an Xbox-branded handheld gaming PC. On the surface, it looks like any other device in the category, except with Xbox controller grips. Easily the biggest news to come from the announcement was a commitment to improving Windows 11’s handheld gaming experience.
Several talking heads in a polished hype trailer emphasised how much better it would be. Xbox and ROG’s collaborative console would boot directly into a version of the Xbox app, designed to minimise the background processes and friction of Windows. Such a software upgrade is reportedly coming to other devices in the future, too.
There’s also the matter of where the Legion Go S fits in a post-Steam Deck world. It’s pricier and provides various points of difference, although its chipset doesn’t produce much of a power boost. A great form factor aside, it’s Windows 11 that ultimately causes the most headaches.
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Windows 11 can’t be that bad for gaming, can it?
To give you an example of how pervasive Windows’ influence is on handheld gaming PCs, let’s look at the startup process. It’s not optimised for the form factor in the slightest, launching you straight into the same setup sequence you’d see from a regular PC.
I’ve set up plenty of Windows PCs before, so this shouldn’t be a problem, right? Sure, as long as you don’t mind relying on tiny touchscreen controls and virtual keyboards. You can’t even use the Legion Go S’ gamepad to navigate these initial menus – it’s all touch-based.
Even better, the portable size means the virtual keyboard can’t fit every key on the screen. Typing in my Wi-Fi password was excruciating; finding a symbol meant tapping on a hard-to-find section on the virtual keyboard to access another set of keys easily accessible on a full-sized keyboard.
After all of that, Windows had the audacity to ask what I was using the device for! It’s emblematic of how loose the Windows integration is with handheld gaming PCs that it doesn’t even automatically identify the purpose of such a gadget.
Similar levels of friction apply throughout the entire user experience, particularly when navigating between games. To alleviate the problem that is Windows 11, companies have come up with various software wrappers that grant quicker access to gaming-centric settings, like storefronts, power options, visual resolution and so on.
Lenovo uses software called Legion Space, and while I don’t think it’s as seamlessly implemented as ROG’s Armoury Crate SE platform, it’s much better than vanilla Windows 11 in its current form. A simple press of a button brings up different settings and your game library without delay.
Compare this experience with that of my Steam Deck, where it just works in a tightly controlled environment optimised for gaming. Windows prides itself on the flexibility of access to different storefronts – Steam, Epic Games, and Xbox Game Pass for starters – while SteamOS limits you to Steam. Unless you don’t mind a bit of tinkering, that is.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the updates coming to handheld Windows 11 devices later this year. At this moment in time, there’s a lot of work to do.
Lenovo Legion Go S specifications and price
| Processor | AMD Ryzen Z2 Go |
| Memory | 16GB LPDDR5X |
| Display | 8-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS display 120Hz VRR |
| Storage | 512GB M.2 SSD |
| Battery | 55.5Wh 65W USB-C AC adapter |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.3 Two USB4 Type-C ports One 3.5mm headphone jack One MicroSD card reader |
| Size | 298.5 x 127.55 x 22.6-43.4 mm 740 grams |
| Price (RRP) | $1,299 (Windows 11) $1,229 (SteamOS) |
| Warranty | One year |
| Official website | Lenovo Australia |
Design
At long last, let’s look at the Lenovo Legion Go S. It is the most comfortable handheld gaming PC I’ve ever used. It seems that Lenovo’s engineers discovered that not everyone has the giant hands to comfortably wield the original Legion Go.
I love the textured controller grips and subtle contours – the Legion Go S is lovely to hold. Even so, it’s deceptively weighty. Seeing 740 grams on the spec sheet took me by surprise, considering the ROG Ally X weighs roughly 680 grams. Regardless, the comfort of the grips and weight distribution made the Legion Go S more comfortable to hold over time.
Unlike the Steam Deck, which has generously sized trackpad inputs, the Legion Go S only has a tiny trackpad just under the right joystick. Before a firmware update, it vibrated to hell and back, but it proved to be a reasonable pointer input afterwards, despite its petite size.
In terms of other input methods, the Legion Go S feels adequately responsive and tactile. It uses the standard Xbox controller layout, replete with asymmetrical joysticks. They use Hall Effect technology, which is regarded as being less prone to drifting over time.
I didn’t like the directional pad, which felt muddy to press, regardless of direction. There also wasn’t quite enough space between some of the buttons. Lenovo’s positioning of the Legion Space and quick settings buttons directly above the start and select buttons (as they were known back in the day) made it easy to accidentally press one instead of the other.
Lenovo Legion Go S fights against the Steam Deck
Other than Windows 11, power is the Lenovo Legion Go’s most contentious issue. It uses an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chipset, which actually works out to be weaker than the previous-gen Z1 Extreme found in the standard Legion Go and ROG Ally devices.
Getting Cyberpunk 2077 to run at a relatively stable 30fps required using the Steam Deck graphical preset and dialling the resolution down to 800p. That’s the same resolution as the cheaper (and older) Steam Deck, which ran Cyberpunk at almost identical performance levels.
| Game benchmark | Lenovo Legion Go S | Steam Deck (OLED) |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Steam Deck preset at 800p) | 30fps | 30fps |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider (High, 800p) | 41fps | 28fps |
| Forza Horizon 5 (Low, 800p) | 47fps | N/A |
Lenovo’s device fared a bit better when running the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, indicating that performance varies on a per-game basis. As a general rule, though, I noticed negligible differences between the Legion Go S and the Steam Deck.
| Device | Time Spy score |
| Asus ROG Ally X | 3,497 |
| Asus ROG Ally | 3,198 |
| Lenovo Legion Go S | 1,865 |
I think Lenovo knows it missed the mark with the Legion Go S’ original RRP of $1,299. At the time of writing, it’s on sale for $899, the same price I paid for my OLED Steam Deck. Even though it uses newer technology, the Legion Go S doesn’t produce noticeably more power than a roughly two-year-old device.
Its screen is bigger and sharper at 1920 x 1200, albeit without OLED, and has a higher 120Hz refresh rate. However, not every game will take advantage of that sharpness and smoothness. As mentioned before, big games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5 fluctuate between 30-40fps after turning down the resolution. Less demanding games, like Hades 2 and Monster Train 2, look brilliant, running without a hitch.
Depending on the game, you can expect to get between 2-3 hours of battery life, which is par for the course. Some games work the battery harder, draining it in under two hours, which is a trade-off common for handheld gaming PCs. Plugging in the Legion Go S to a power supply unlocks higher performance levels, which I recommend doing for more graphically intensive games.
Who is the Lenovo Legion Go S for?
Wrestling with Windows 11 on a handheld gaming PC is something I’d only recommend for the most patient of gamers. If you can, choose the SteamOS version instead, or install SteamOS on the Windows 11 model for a significantly smoother experience. Alternatively, wait and see how Microsoft plans on improving the Windows gaming experience with its Xbox-themed device later in the year.
Because of how close the Legion Go S is to the Steam Deck in terms of performance, wait until a sale brings it below $1,000. Otherwise, its comfortable form factor and big screen are decent enough drawcards when paired with games that make the most of handheld play.
The post Lenovo Legion Go S review: Would you like Steam with that? appeared first on GadgetGuy.
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