The latest version of the Lenovo Legion Go doesn't just stand out because of its stunning paint job. It's the first gaming handheld officially available with either Windows or SteamOS. The latter is quite exciting and had us waiting eagerly to get our hands on the Legion Go S (SteamOS).
Right now, you can grab a Legion Go S (SteamOS) for $50 off. That discount is available regardless of whether you choose the model with a Ryzen Z1 Extreme ($779.99) or the more affordable version with a Ryzen Z2 Go ($549.99). We recommend the former, but it's always nice to have options.
Legion Go S (SteamOS): Review highlights
The Legion Go S is a comfortable gaming handheld that runs on the popular Ryzen Z1 Extreme handheld processor. It features a large touchscreen with 120Hz and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate).
Our Rebecca Spear praised the design of the device in our Legion Go S (SteamOS) review:
"I own and have used several gaming handhelds, and one of the best things the Legion Go S has going for it is its ergonomic shape and the design of its subtle, dark-purple casing (which often looks black or grey depending on lighting)."
Performance of the Legion Go S (SteamOS) also received praise. "I can run some games on the Legion Go S that won't run on Valve's handheld [Steam Deck]," said Spear.
She concluded her review by saying that she "enjoyed using the Z1 Extreme Legion Go S (SteamOS) and recommend it to anyone who's looking for a Steam-Deck-like device that has some more oomph."
Windows vs SteamOS
The hardware of the Legion Go S is nothing new, at least to those familiar with the gaming handheld scene. The main difference is the operating system on the device.
In many ways, SteamOS saves the Legion Go S. The gaming handheld performs well when running on SteamOS, and if your favorite games are in your Steam library, I'd argue the choice between operating systems is obvious.
The Lenovo Legion Go S is one of the best gaming handhelds. It also provided us with a unique opportunity to compare SteamOS and Windows.
SteamOS is so popular on gaming handhelds that it has people asking for a desktop version of the operating system. The Legion Go S (SteamOS) outperformed the Legion Go S (Windows) when running on the same hardware.
SteamOS is also better optimized for the gaming handheld form factor than Windows.
Of course, there are also advantages to running Windows over SteamOS. If one OS were unequivocally better than the other for the Legion Go S, Lenovo would only sell one version of the device.
Windows will be more familiar to those used to a gaming PC powered by the same operating system. Windows also provides easy access to all of the most popular game launchers and stores.
But our Legion Go S review of the Windows version of the device included "SteamOS could save us from disappointment" in its title. For a lot of people, the Legion Go S with SteamOS is the obvious choice over its Windows-powered sibling.
Legion Go S (SteamOS): Before you buy
The Legion Go S running SteamOS is an excellent device. It earned a 4.5/5 in our recent review for its design, ergonomics, performance, triggers, joysticks, and display.
There are, however, a few things you need to consider before purchasing a Legion Go S running SteamOS.
The natural competition to the Legion Go S (SteamOS) is the Steam Deck. After all, Valve's gaming handheld showed how well SteamOS fits the form factor.
RELATED: Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) vs Steam Deck
The Legion Go S (SteamOS) is more expensive than the Steam Deck, but for that extra cost you get a device with newer and more powerful internals as well as a better display.
The trackpad of the Legion Go S is rather small. Some games rely on mouse input more than others, so the miniscule trackpad may or not be a factor depending on the games you play.
The final issue highlighted by Spear is the volume of the fans within the Legion Go S. The fans of Lenovo's gaming handheld are significantly louder than those of the Steam Deck.
Depending on your budget, the games you play, and your sensitivity to noise, the drawbacks of the Legion Go S could be anything from deal breakers to negligible. But I would be remiss if I did not mention them when highlighting the deal on the gaming handheld.
Legion Go S (SteamOS): Z1 Extreme vs Z2 Go
Two versions of the Legion Go S (SteamOS) are available, and both are discounted at Best Buy. We recommend the Z1 Extreme version of the gaming handheld, since that processor is more powerful.
The Legion Go S (SteamOS) with the Z1 Extreme can play more games and perform better while doing so than the same device with the Z2 Go processor.
The 8 cores and 16 threads of the Z1 Extreme are quite the jump from the 4 cores and 8 threads of the Z2 Go.
Chip | CPU Cores & Threads | Graphics | TDP |
Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme | 8 cores, 16 threads w/ XDNA2 NPU (Zen 5) | 16 GPU Cores (RDNA3.5) | 15-35W |
Ryzen Z2 Extreme | 8 cores, 16 threads (Zen 5) | 16 GPU Cores (RDNA3.5) | 15-35W |
Ryzen Z2 | 8 cores, 16 threads (Zen 4) | 12 GPU Cores (RDNA3) | 15-30W |
Ryzen Z1 Extreme | 8 cores, 16 threads (Zen 4) | 12 GPU Cores (RDNA3) | 15-30W |
Ryzen Z2 Go | 4 cores, 8 threads (Zen 3+) | 12 GPU Cores (RDNA2) | 15-30W |
Ryzen Z2 A | 4 cores, 8 threads (Zen 2) | 8 GPU Cores (RDNA2) | 6-20W |
Ryzen Z1 | 6 cores, 12 threads (Zen 4) | 4 GPU Cores (RDNA3) | 6-15W |
The chart above is from our piece comparing all the Ryzen Z2 Series chips. That article also breaks down how the processors stack up to AMD's Z1 Series chips.
The Legion Go S (SteamOS) with a Z1 Extreme processor will deliver the best gaming experience.
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