Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS review: The Steam machine to beat

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Two-minute assessment

Lighter, cheaper, and extra transportable than the OG Lenovo Legion Go, the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) has loads going for it.

First is its beginning $649.99 / £699 / $1,329 price ticket, which makes it less expensive than many of the greatest finances gaming laptops available on the market. And weighing just below two kilos, the Legion Go S is considerably lighter, too.

The result’s a compact magnificence that may play many of the video games in your Steam library, though you might need to regulate just a few settings.

The not-so-secret sauce within the Go S is the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go, or AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive for those who’re prepared to pay a bit extra for higher efficiency. In my case, the Z2 Go brings strong efficiency to a remarkably compact system.

Are you able to play among the extra demanding video games on the market, like Cyberpunk 2077? Probably not, until you are prepared to make some severe compromises on graphics high quality and backbone, however there are many AAA titles that can run fantastically on a tool that matches properly within the palms of your arms.

There are some caveats to think about. The Go S suffers from a brief battery life, similar to the perfect gaming laptops, and it has a barely smaller show with a decrease decision than the unique Lenovo Legion Go. And in contrast to its chunkier brethren, the joysticks on the Legion Go S aren’t removable.

However the largest concession on the SteamOS model of the hand-held is the platform. Whereas there’s a model of the Legion Go S with Home windows 11 put in, nearly everybody utilizing the SteamOS model goes to make use of Valve’s Steam storefront completely.

Positive, you would discover a solution to dual-boot one other OS or jury rig a solution to get GOG or the Epic Video games Retailer put in on SteamOS, however it is going to be a little bit of a problem, particularly for extra informal customers. For the hard-core Steam followers like me, although, it isn’t only a non-issue; it is a part of the Lenovo Legion Go S’s attraction.

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Value and availability

• How a lot does it price? Beginning at $649.99 / £699 / $1,329
• When is it obtainable? It’s obtainable now
• The place are you able to get it? It’s obtainable within the US, UK, and Australia

The bottom mannequin of the Legion Go S is on the market now within the US, UK, and Australia, beginning at $649.99 / £699 / $1,329. It comes with the brand new AMD Ryzen Z2 Go SoC, 16GB RAM, a 512TB SSD, and an 8-inch, 120Hz IPS touchscreen.

There may be additionally the extra highly effective Z1 Excessive configuration that sells for $829.99 / £699 / AU$1,599. It has extra RAM and storage, and it sports activities the extra highly effective AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive SoC that powered the unique Legion Go.

This can be a good bit dearer than the bottom Steam Deck, however the barely extra highly effective Z2 Go processor within the Legion Go S will get you 50% extra RDNA 2 compute items to assist with efficiency.

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Specs

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Design

• Wonderful hand really feel with ergonomic grips; sturdy construct
• Corridor-effect sticks, responsive triggers, useful high/backside port format
• Louder followers than I’d like throughout lengthy, heavy periods

Personally, I’m an enormous fan of the unique Legion Go, cumbersome as it’s. However the Legion Go S (SteamOS) has its personal distinctive attraction, beginning with the colour.

The midnight blue chassis is a pleasant change from the black and white we’ve been getting recently from PC gaming handhelds.

The onerous plastic casing matches comfortably in my arms with textured hand grips as a bonus. It’s not fingerprint proof, however it’s resistant, holding off most smudging till I get my arms in a batch of freshly popped popcorn with truffle oil. Then all bets had been off.

Much like the Home windows 11 model of the Legion Go S, the controllers don’t detach, and there is no kickstand like on the Legion Go. It’s a disgrace, however the Go S is noticeably lighter than the Legion Go, weighing in at only one.63 kilos in comparison with the latter’s 1.88 kilos, with controllers, so it isn’t that a lot of a difficulty.

The asymmetrical analog anti-drift joysticks are sturdy and supply correct enter, and I particularly admire that they don’t detach as simply because the Go’s joysticks.

The D-Pad is okay, but it surely’s a little bit too stiff to ship the precision wanted to enter quarter or half-circle inputs for preventing video games. Nonetheless, the buttons, shoulder, and rear bumpers ship agency suggestions with a pleasant, mild click on. A tiny sq. underneath the fitting joystick acts as one of many tiniest touchpads I’ve ever seen.

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Regardless of not being OLED, the 8-inch 2560 x 1600p WUXGA show on the Legion Go S is totally gorgeous.

The close to technicolor vibrance of Hades II was a feast for the eyes as I threw out barrages of assaults in opposition to seemingly countless waves of enemies.

Cuphead and its Nineteen Thirties-style animations additionally appeared beautiful after I wasn’t cursing the display out after yet one more defeat. In each instances, the show’s 120Hz refresh charge ensured easy rendering with none noticeable latency, which in video games like these could make all of the distinction.

Along with the Steam button that summons a sidebar together with your ordinary tabs (Residence, Library, Retailer, and many others), you even have a Fast Entry button, which provides you a sidebar the place you possibly can toggle efficiency profiles and settings resembling brightness, audio, and Wi-fi. It’s a seamless solution to shortly work together with key options with out having to fully exit your sport.

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Efficiency

• The Z2 Go is greater than sufficient for informal or less-demanding AAA video games, however visually strong titles wrestle
• Surprisingly good audio high quality
• Controls are responsive and comfy for lengthy periods

It’s one factor to play Cuphead or Hades II on a PC handheld, but it surely’s fairly one other to play the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, God of Battle, or Baldur’s Gate III.

And but, there I used to be, dying for the umpteenth time as I labored my manner by way of Black Delusion: Wukong. Due to the hand-held’s Z2 Go processor, the sport performed easily on decrease settings, constantly reaching body charges approaching 40 fps at 720p.

I additionally tried taking part in the sport on Cinematic, and that did not work practically as effectively. On the highest efficiency setting at 720p, the sport actually chugged alongside at an unplayable 17 fps.

Video games resembling Baldur’s Gate 3, Hades II, and Hole Knight, nevertheless, ran easily with maxed-out settings, letting me shortly immerse myself within the gameplay.

Whereas not as fascinating as the unique Go’s QHD panel, the show’s colours are vibrant, and particulars are crisp. That is very true on Hades II, a technicolor fantastic thing about mythic proportions.

One factor the Legion Go S has in widespread with its greater brother is the audio. After weeks of taking part in this factor, I’m nonetheless shocked at how loud the Go S really will get.

And whereas it may possibly’t compete with the perfect gaming headsets, most of the time, I discovered myself vibing to the soundtrack of no matter sport I used to be taking part in. In-game dialogue is crisp, whereas sound results like explosions have some weight behind them. And on instrumentals, notably string devices like violins, there wasn’t any distortion.

I don’t know if it’s simply because the Legion Go S is lighter, however the controls felt a lot better than on the unique Legion Go, with my thumbs nestled comfortably into the concave seat of the analog sticks.

The bumpers and triggers depressed with a agency click on, as did the buttons, and utilizing the D-Pad throughout Black Delusion: Wukong to modify stances was a snug, fluid expertise.

So as to hold the Go S from overheating, Lenovo outfitted the gadget with a number of preset Thermal Modes. These set an applicable fan pace for a corresponding efficiency degree, and whereas fan noise is negligible on the Quiet or Balanced settings, Efficiency is a complete different story. There’s additionally a separate choice to optimize fan speeds to make issues less complicated.

As for thermals, after I wasn’t pushing the Legion Go S too onerous, the high-contact contact factors just like the D-Pad, X, Y, A, B buttons, underside, show, and many others., by no means acquired particularly scorching, although issues acquired noticeably hotter throughout extra intense periods. It by no means felt uncomfortable, although, even throughout prolonged play.

Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS): Battery life

Because the Legion Go S is principally a handheld gaming laptop computer, don’t anticipate it to final so long as a Nintendo Swap 2.

Throughout my gameplay testing, the Legion would sometimes final about 2 hours and half-hour on Balanced settings earlier than it shut down, although for those who do make the most of the Legion Go S’s SteamOS desktop for non-gaming duties, I used to be capable of stretch this out to about 8 hours and half-hour, however nobody goes to make use of the Legion Go S for that form of factor often sufficient to matter.

Total, then, the Legion Go S is greater than ok for a piece commute, however for those who’ve acquired a protracted flight or practice journey, you’ll positively need to hold a charger close by.

Do you have to purchase the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS)?

Purchase the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) if…

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How I examined the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS)

• Examined the gadget for a number of weeks
• Performed a number of graphically taxing video games on the highest settings
• Utilized in-game benchmark instruments the place potential

I performed a number of in style and GPU-taxing video games on the Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) over the course of six weeks, together with Black Delusion Wukong, Baldur’s Gate 3, Forza Horizon 5, Hades II, Hole Knight, and Hitman 3.

Along with anecdotal play time, I additionally ran a number of in-game benchmarks at totally different settings and resolutions with graphical upscaling enabled and disabled.

I have been a life-long gamer on each PCs and consoles, and have lined tech and PC gaming units for a number of publications, so I do know what to search for in a PC gaming gadget of any variety and the way to precisely and quantitatively measure their efficiency in opposition to its rivals.

• First reviewed October 2025