The original Nintendo Switch revitalized the idea of a gaming handheld for the modern world, leading to a ton of new devices hitting the market over the past couple of years. As we now approach the debut of Switch 2, one of the big questions is how Nintendo’s latest will compare to the PC-like gaming handhelds available today. After spending some time with the Lenovo Legion Go S as of late, I’m all the more on board with a new Switch.
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Lenovo Legion Go S with Windows
Features & specs at a glance
- 8-inch 1920×1200 LCD 120Hz display
- 730g/1.6lbs
- AMD Ryzen Z2 Go
- Windows 11 Home with Legion Space
- 32GB RAM
- 1TB storage (with microSD expansion)
- 55.5WHr battery with 65W charging
gadgetnewsonline Take
Lenovo is no stranger to gaming handhelds, but the new Legion Go S represents a more conservative approach compared to 2024’s Legion Go which featured detachable controllers that doubled as a mouse. This device is more like a Steam Deck on steroids, with a bigger form factor and more power under the hood.
That additional size is comfortable thanks to Lenovo’s excellent ergonomic design, and the bigger display makes for a better overall experience compared to the 1st-gen Steam Deck I used to play on. But it also makes for a handheld that decidedly less portable. I took the Legion on a transatlantic trip recently, and ended up completely unable to fit it in my backpack, instead ending up placing it inside of my duffel bag. That’s a struggle that most modern gaming handhelds have to put up with, though. Unless you’ve got a backpack up to the task or not full of other stuff (as mine very much was), the Legion Go S is not the most portable of devices.
What it lacks in portability, though, the Legion Go S made up for in performance.
The AMD Ryzen Z2 Go inside delivers a much faster and more capable experience while playing PC games on Steam compared to my Steam Deck. Another Crab’s Treasure was my main point of reference on this handheld, and it plays better than the Deck could dream of. Where I had to drop the settings down to their minimum just to keep the game at 45-60fps, medium settings on the Legion left the game maintaining 90-120fps with ease.
Battery life was also much better than my old Deck, with the Legion easily lasting through a few hours of play before needing to be plugged in. Powering up was a headache, though, as I found that a lot of my chargers wouldn’t give the device any power. I could only charge consistently with the included adapter from Lenovo. That’s a massive downside in my book, especially considering it’s just a 65W charger.
Circling back to the hardware, though, I’m was continually impressed with the package as a whole. The Hall Effect joysticks are very comfortable to use and very accurate, the buttons are tactile and well-placed, and the triggers are nothing short of a delight. I also love that Lenovo has a slider to dial in the experience on the triggers, with support for swapping between full press and “tap” modes, which are also great for travel. The cooling performance is also top-notch, with the fans not only keeping the machine from overheating as much as my Steam Deck constantly did, but also being far quieter. I was always worried to bring my Steam Deck on a flight due to the loud fans, but the Legion was perfectly pleasant in that use case.
But as the saying goes, one bad apple spoiled the bunch for me on the Legion Go S.
The other headache I ran into wasn’t the Legion’s fault. Windows on handhelds is just a bad experience. Everything is just a chore trying to play on this unoptimized interface. Unlocking the Legion Go S requires manually typing out a PIN on the clunky Windows lockscreen, and you’re then dumped into the desktop which isn’t controller-friendly at all. Lenovo’s tiny touchpad for mouse controls doesn’t help here at all, as it’s cumbersome to use due to being incredibly small. That’s why I think the SteamOS version of this handheld will be drastically better. While the Windows variant comes with easier access to Epic Games and Xbox Game Pass, SteamOS is just such a fantastic experience on the whole.
This whole experience just reminds me why the Nintendo Switch 2 is so appealing.
PC gaming has been trying to make handhelds work for about 3 years now. The Steam Deck proved the power is there and that the software experience (namely emulation) can work well. Windows-based handhelds from Asus and Lenovo then pushed the envelope on power. But everything has had one big dealbreaker, if not more. The Legion Go S, whether Windows or SteamOS, has to battle a few big downsides compared to Nintendo. Firstly, there’s the sheer size. The Switch 2 looks considerably smaller in ways that matter compared to the Legion. As mentioned, tehre’s the headache of the software. Nintendo has a proven model for making a clear-cut and simple software platform that’s directly focused on games. SteamOS rivals this in my mind, but Windows is just a mess by comparison to either. But Nintendo’s focus also extends to the games as well. Where even SteamOS experiences struggle to tell users which games actually perform well on their system, everything “just works” on a Switch. And with some big upgrades in store for the Switch 2’s horsepower, it makes every other gaming handheld feel out of place. That’s not even to mention that Nintendo’s games are made with these form factors in mind, whereas the PC gaming handheld category is trying to fit itself around the games.
For those who prefer the PC handheld life, though, Legion Go S is up there with the best. It’s available for $729.99 from Lenovo.com or Best Buy, and comes with 3 months of PC Game Pass for free. The SteamOS model launches “soon” starting at $549.99.
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