It might not be the handheld I recommend to most people, but my personal favorite PC gaming handheld is currently down over $200 from its typical asking price.
The Lenovo Legion Go is currently a whopping 32% OFF at Amazon right now, taking the RRP from $699 all the way down to $472.99 for Black Friday through to Cyber Monday (while stocks last).
Why is this my personal favorite over its ASUS ROG Ally competitor? It comes down to versatility above all. This can effectively be a laptop replacement, thanks to its bigger screen, kickstand, trackpad, and other cool features. It also comes with 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to sweeten the deal, too, full of hundreds of Xbox Play Anywhere titles that work across PC and Xbox Series X|S consoles on a single purchase with cloud saves too. It really is like a portable Xbox.
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- 🎮ASUS ROG Ally (Ryzen Z1) | $349.99 at Best Buy (Save $150!)
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- 💽AMD Ryzen 5 7600X + free SSD (1TB) | $194.99 at Newegg (Save $74!)
- 📺HP Curved Ultrawide (34-inches) | $299.99 at Best Buy (Save $180!)
- 💾WD_Black Xbox Series X|S Card (1TB) | $99.99 at Best Buy (Save $50!)
Is the Lenovo Legion Go worth it at $499?
The Lenovo Legion go is actually not the PC gaming handheld I generally recommend to most people, despite the fact it's my favorite. Being fully transparent here, I've used every major PC gaming handheld except the Intel-based MSI Claw (although by all accounts, you should definitely avoid that one). I've regularly used the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and Lenovo Legion Go, and the Lenovo Legion Go came out on top for me as a jack-of-all-trades, owing to its monstrous versatility.
Based on the Z1 Extreme platform, the Lenovo Legion Go has similar performance to the ASUS ROG Ally. However, the fact it doesn't support VRR (variable refresh rates) means that games can sometimes appear a little less smooth on the display than the ROG Ally. However, I end up preferring it anyway because it has a fairly significantly larger screen. Coming in at 8.8" to the ASUS ROG Ally's 7" makes a big difference for me, as someone who doesn't have the best eyesight in the universe, but also as someone who plays a lot of games that are effectively designed for monitors and TVs. When game devs make their games, the UI is scaled around the expectation that you're going to be on a larger screen. Some games present very poorly on these smaller screens as a result, with text and UI elements that can be hard to read. With the boosted screen real estate and resolution options on the Legion Go, I've found that it's a more pleasant experience on the eyes even if the frame rate presentation can suffer occasionally.
RELATED: Lenovo Legion Go vs. ASUS ROG Ally
I also love the fact that it has Nintendo Switch-like detachable joysticks and an embedded kickstand. This means I can actually use this device a little bit like a laptop for travel, using the kickstand and a Bluetooth keyboard to turn it into a mini Surface tablet. It's also useful for mounting, and it also has a small trackpad for scenarios where you absolutely can't use the touch screen for navigation. Windows isn't always the best at supporting touch inputs, after all.
However, it is also significantly heavier, and thicker than the ASUS ROG Ally. The ASUS ROG Ally really personifies the "portable" aspect of this platform, with its light weight and thin chassis. The Lenovo Legion Go is a lot beefier, to accommodate its extra tech and versatility. Indeed, for those with smaller hands, you may even find it incredibly uncomfortable over long sessions. I don't have particularly large hands, but I can still see how others would find it problematic over the competition.
Both the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go are on sale right now, so you can ultimately choose what's best for you here.
- ASUS ROG Ally X: Z1 Extreme, 1 TB storage, 1.5-3 hours battery life, 24GB RAM ($699 at Best Buy).
- ASUS ROG Ally: Z1 Extreme, 512 GB storage, 1-2 hours battery life, 16 GB RAM. ($499 at Best Buy).
- Lenovo Legion Go: Z1 Extreme, 512 GB storage, 1-2 hours battery life, 16 GB RAM. ($499 at Best Buy / $472.99 at Amazon)
If you want boosted battery life and don't mind a smaller screen, the ASUS ROG Ally X might be best for you, but it is significantly more expensive. ASUS released the ROG Ally X over the summer to address battery life concerns. Indeed, the Z1 Extreme handhelds typically boast around 1-2 hours of battery life depending on how hard you push them. The Ally X can get an extra 45-ish minutes in exchange for some added weight. The price also adds some extra RAM and 1 TB storage as standard.
The ASUS ROG Ally has price matched the Lenovo Legion Go at $499 for Black Friday. Both have the same battery life and general gameplay performance, although the screen experience and weight are the main usability differences. If you want a larger display for bigger UI elements, the Lenovo Legion Go will be easier on your eyes generally. If you want something lighter and more ergonomic, the ASUS ROG Ally will be gentler on your hands and arms over longer periods most likely. However, both devices are fantastic in their own ways, you just have to ensure you're buying the right device for you. For me, the Lenovo Legion Go wins out for its versatility, extra USB-C port, larger screen, added trackpad, kickstand, and detachable sticks.
I think the Lenovo Legion Go really does exemplify the "This is an Xbox" experience a bit better than the ASUS ROG Ally owing to its versatility. The ASUS ROG Ally is the "best" handheld arguably, but it's only a handheld. The fact I can use the Lenovo Legion Go as a laptop replacement in essence makes it a much better option for me.
🍁More great Black Friday deals🦃
- Best Buy: Big savings on video games, accessories, and more
- Walmart: Huge savings on practically everything
- Target: Live deals on a huge range of products
- Dell: Top deals on laptops, gaming PCs, accessories, and more
- HP: Save big on laptops, desktops, accessories, and more
- Lenovo: Doorbuster deals on all Lenovo PCs, monitors, accessories, and more
- Newegg: Save on PC gaming accessories, components, and more
- Razer: Take advantage of free shipping for a limited time
- Samsung: Holiday deals on laptops, TVs, phones, and more are live
- Amazon: Constantly rotating sales on everything you can imagine
