If you're excited by the arrival of the next Battlefield installment, then you were probably battling for "C" right alongside me on the past beta weekend. I was there, mainly on my desktop, but also, briefly, on the device I believe to be the best purchase I've made since the pandemic: my Lenovo Legion Go S. While sitting in bed and playing Call of Duty multiplayer on the Legion Go S is one of my new favorite things to do, I thought (wrongly) that it would be great for Battlefield, too. Here's what happened.
Read more: Best Handheld Gaming for 2025
Which handheld should I choose?
The Steam Deck OLED (right) looks compact next to the Legion Go S. Scott Stein/CNET
When I was looking for a handheld, I had only tried a handful of them before. I have used the ROG device and both Switches (and I own the original), but have still not played the OG: the Steam Deck. I have also envied friends' Decks, but they've always seemed kinda janky, and you can't play the latest Call of Duty or Battlefield games on SteamOS due to their respective antipiracy restrictions.
I was a little tempted by the prospect of the $450 Nintendo Switch 2, but having to build up a brand-new library -- and pay an eye-popping $80 a game -- put me off. With the Legion S, I had the ability to enjoy every PC game I've ever played, and just for an extra $50 over the Switch.
Yes, I have read Scott Stein's review of this Lenovo handheld, but I come at this device from 30 years of playing FPS games on PC. I know a lot about Windows' shortcomings, and its... longcomings? Strengths? Strengths! Even so, I think this PC/gaming hybrid is exactly what I have dreamed about since playing Doom on my first 486.
A PC, but for your hands
My dog was less impressed than me about the Legion Go S. Ty Pendlebury/CNET
The Legion Go S I bought has an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip with 32GB of RAM and a roomy 1TB of drive space. It cost $500, and that price is still available. You can buy the Legion Go S with Steam OS for $100 more right now, but it has lower specs.
... continue reading