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Earlier this year, Lenovo released a more streamlined and potentially affordable take on its flagship gaming handheld in the Legion Go S. Unfortunately, the Windows 11 version came first, which wasn’t the one we were most excited about. Now, the Legion Go S powered by SteamOS has arrived, and oh my, what a difference an operating system can make. Not only does this model feature a UI that's much better suited for a portable gaming machine, it has faster performance as well. But the best part is that the SteamOS variant is less expensive than its Windows sibling. All of this makes for a handheld that's a welcome alternative to the Steam Deck, especially for anyone who's not a fan of Valve's hardware.
Design and display: Keeping it simple
Like its sibling, the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S features a very straightforward design. A big difference between the two is that this model features a dark purple body instead of the white shell on the Windows variant. Thanks to its large 8-inch 1200p display and sizable grips, it's a bit chunkier than rivals like the Steam Deck or the ROG Ally X. At 500 nits, brightness is above average compared to typical handheld PCs. However, because Lenovo uses an LCD panel, colors aren't quite as vibrant and you don't get those pure inky blacks like you do on a system with an OLED screen such as the original Legion Go.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
I like that Lenovo included Hall effect sensors for its joysticks, along with a toggle that lets you adjust the pull depth of the triggers. Plus, the addition of a second USB-C port allows you to charge the device while keeping other accessories plugged in. There's also a pair of programmable paddles on the back and a handy microSD card slot for expandable storage.
The biggest departures from the flagship Legion Go are that this model's joysticks and buttons cannot be detached and its built-in touchpad is significantly smaller. This means the latter is better suited to moving the cursor around SteamOS in desktop mode or to navigating menus than it is as a true alternate control scheme while playing games. You also don't get a fingerprint reader, which I think should be a standard inclusion on handheld gaming PCs at this point.
Performance and software: Better with SteamOS
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
The Legion Go S powered by SteamOS is available in multiple configurations. Our $830 review unit features an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Unfortunately, this means I wasn't able to run true apples-to-apples performance tests with the Ryzen Z2 Go-equipped version of the Windows Legion Go S I reviewed earlier this year. But given the lackluster results from that model, I generally wouldn't recommend any handheld powered by that chip, even though that version is significantly more affordable. If budget is a concern, Valve's Steam Deck remains the better option.
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