The Lenovo "Legion Go" handheld-PC console could be a serious Steam Deck killer. The Chinese company seems to join the portable gaming market a second time and it seems they've learned from their contenders at Valve and Nintendo.
Since its release in February 2022, Valve's Steam Deck is the go-to PC handheld console. It allows PC gamers to play games from their steam library on a 7-inch display with the help of two analogue sticks, two trackpads and trigger buttons. But not only Valve saw the potential for a portable gaming-PC, only in June of this Year, ASUS released its Version of a handheld-PC in the ASUS ROG Ally.
If you're interested, you can buy an ASUS ROG Ally here!
Lenovo's "Legion Go" Could Be A Steam Deck Killer
On September 1, Lenovo officially announced their Legion Go handheld on their website, in a blog post and in a YouTube trailer:
The Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo is partnering up with Windows to create their own portable gaming-PC. Including Windows 11 as its operational system, the Lenovo Legion Go will have an 8-inch Display and AMD Phoenix processors for smooth running. With those specs, it is a serious contender for the likes of Valve and ASUS.
It looks like Lenovo is making a handheld gaming device that has the best of both worlds. The insane potential to replace your gaming PC with a handheld device, just like the Steam Deck, and cool features from the Nintendo Switch, as well as some nice additions similar to the ASUS ROG Ally.
From a first look, it seems the Legion Go will also be just as thick as the Steam Deck is, which lets us hope that Lenovo opted for a better battery life, rather than a slimmer model, like competitors have tried.
But that's not all, as we can tell from the images, the Legion Go will have two removable Controllers (similar to the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons), that have a similar button placement to the ASUS ROG Ally.
The right controller looks to have a touchpad, unlike the Steam Deck, which has a touchpad on both controllers, and the right controller seems to have a wheel at the back of it, according to Windows Report.
The controllers also have shoulder buttons, side triggers, as well as back triggers, which is new to this kind of device. Something that is also noticeable are the two USB-C ports (one at the bottom and one at the top), a power button, a headphone jack, volume button, and even a micro-SD slot!
Since the controllers are removable, just like they are on the Nintendo Switch, we can guess that the Legion Go will also have a touchscreen. And just like the Switch O-LED, it seems the Legion Go will have a stable kickstand in the back, so you can use it in table-top mode.
Lenovo Legion Go: The Key Details
Here are all relevant information on specs, details, price, and release date.
- Display Size: 8 Inch
- Display Resolution: QHD+, 144Hz
- Multi-finger Touchpad
- Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Series
- RAM: 16GB 7500Mhz LPDDR5X
- Storage: Up to 1TB on board, additionally a 2TB micro-SD slot
- Operating System: Windows 11
- USB-C Chargeable with Super Rapid Charge
- 3.5 mm Audio Jack
- Price: starting at €799
- Release: November
The Legion Go could definitely become a great contender against the Steam Deck, as the Chinese company Lenovo are no strangers when it comes to gaming. They are one of the front-runners when looking at laptop sales and having a history of building gaming-laptops.
Lenovo also has a (not so bright) history in building handheld consoles. In autumn of 2021, Lenovo leaked their "Legion Play", a gaming handheld, that should've been released in 2022 before it was abandoned. A 7-inch, 1080p display and a Snapdragon 888 processor were the foundation. It was supposed to run on Android 11.
Lenovo is seriously trying to release a handheld gaming-PC on the market and with that a big rival joins Valve and ASUS. Right now, the Steam Deck is the leader, but the Lenovo Legion Go looks like a serious contender that could shift the focus away from the Steam Deck. We will keep you posted about the Legion Go, if new information is released, you will find it right here!