Lenovo Legion Go S review: great handheld, bad configuration

It’s hard calling the Lenovo Legion Go S a “new” handheld gaming PC. It’s technically new, with a fresh design and updated internals, but it’s less of a sequel to the original Lenovo Legion Go and more of a companion.

Lenovo has done a lot of work here, and from a device perspective, this is the handheld gaming PC I want to pick up when I go to play games. I’m just not sure the version Lenovo sent me — and the one rolling out first — is the one to invest your time in.

Lenovo Legion Go S specs

Specs are really important here. Lenovo will, eventually, have several different configurations of the Legion Go S available, but there’s only one you’ll be able to buy this month. That’s the one Lenovo sent out to me for review, and you can see the configuration below.

The highlight is the exclusive Ryzen Z2 Go processor, which Lenovo is rolling out first alongside 32GB of memory and 1TB of storage for $730. Lenovo says it will have a Ryzen Z1 Extreme model eventually, along with “additional configurations” in May, starting at $600. I suspect those additional configurations include a Ryzen Z2 Go model with a cut to memory and storage to reach that $600 price point.

But wait; there’s more. In addition to additional configurations, Lenovo says it will also launch a version of the Legion Go S with Valve’s SteamOS, and it’ll be the first handheld ever certified by Valve to use the Linux-based operating system. Details are still light about this version, but Lenovo says it’ll also be available in May, and it’ll start at $500.

It’s important to get all of this out of the way because I have some criticisms of this configuration that don’t apply to the other configurations, even though they haven’t been released yet. Patience is an asset here, as the additional configurations of the Legion Go S will shake up the performance and price dynamic significantly, as well as the stagnation of Windows on handheld devices.

Although there are multiple configurations, a few things are shared across them. First, you get an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 and a refresh rate of 120Hz. I love that Lenovo backtracked on the 1440p display available on the original Legion Go — this is a much more comfortable resolution for a handheld.

You also get a micro SD card reader for easy expandable storage, along with dual USB 4 ports. You can use either for charging, and you’ll have an additional one at the ready for a USB-C hub or even an external graphics card.

The right feel

The Lenovo Legion Go S is the most comfortable handheld I’ve ever used. Sure, it clears the incredibly low bar for comfort set by the original Lenovo Legion Go, but it’s also more comfortable than the ROG Ally X. It’s even better than the Steam Deck OLED. Valve is the only company that has been able to nail the ergonomics of this type of form factor, and shocking as it may sound, the Lenovo Legion Go S pushes things further.

There are two reasons the Legion Go S feels so comfortable. First, the size. Unlike the lion’s share of handheld gaming PCs, the Legion Go S comes with an 8-inch screen. Handhelds like the ROG Ally and Steam Deck come with a 7-inch display. It’s larger than the ROG Ally and MSI Claw, and closer to the Steam Deck, giving you plenty of handheld to, well, hold in your hands. The main difference compared to the Steam Deck is that Lenovo dedicates more space on the front to the display; it’s like going from the Nintendo Switch to the Nintendo Switch OLED.

But the corners are why I fell in love with the Legion Go S. The bottom corners are rounded and nestle perfectly into your palm while you’re holding the device. It feels secure almost by nature, and all without any sharp edges digging into your palm. If you can find the Legion Go S on display at a local Best Buy or Micro Center, I’d highly recommend holding the device for yourself. For me, it just felt right immediately.

It certainly helps that the device itself feels constructed with care. The buttons are firmly secured so they don’t wobble under your finger. The D-pad responds to directional inputs perfectly without devolving into a mushy mess. And the Hall Effect joysticks are not only smooth but also durable. I tossed the Legion Go S into my backpack unprotected without a second thought, and I’ve never done that with another handheld out of fear of damaging the sticks.

The difference-maker for me came with the triggers, though. Lord almighty, I never want to use any other triggers on a controller, handheld or not. Lenovo includes a slider for each trigger that allows you to set either a full range of motion or a “rapid trigger” response. Basically, you get to choose if the trigger behaves like a trigger or more like a button. The full trigger is fine, but Lenovo is actually using a separate internal button for the rapid trigger mode.

In this mode, there’s a subtle tactile response when you press the trigger down, and sure enough, it feels like a button. I’ve used these triggers since the release of the original Xbox Elite Controller. I’ve yet to feel a trigger that responds as nicely as the ones on the Legion Go S. I enjoy them so much that I ended up binding several actions to them in Blade Chimera. Honestly, I struggled to go back to my standard Xbox Series X controller on PC after.

The Ryzen Z2 Go is solid, but not great

Outside of Lenovo leaning into a traditional handheld form factor, the Legion Go S is exciting for another reason — it marks the debut of AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Go processor, which is exclusive to Lenovo handhelds. The name certainly implies this is a generation newer than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme previously available on devices like the ROG Ally — I mean, it has a bigger number — but that’s actually not the case. The Ryzen Z2 Go is weaker. 

It comes with 12 RDNA 3 Compute Units (CUs), just like the Ryzen Z1 Extreme. However, it only comes with four CPU cores (the Z1 Extreme has eight), and they’re based on the older Zen 3 architecture; the Ryzen Z1 Extreme uses Zen 4. This is offset by a larger power budget. You can feed up to 40 watts into the Ryzen Z2 Go.

This all adds up to create a chip that’s less expensive than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme while providing almost the same performance. Almost is important here, though. Test after test, the Ryzen Z2 Go in the Legion Go S came up just a hair short of the Ryzen Z1 Extreme available in other handhelds. The good news is that it absolutely crushes the base Ryzen Z1 available in the original ROG Ally.

It’s not one-for-one, though. It’s important to remember that you only have four CPU cores on the Ryzen Z2 Go, so you’ll run into issues in games that favor a higher core count — Horizon Zero Dawn and Returnal show that in action. You’ll also run into issues in games that just barely hit the mark on Ryzen Z1 Extreme handhelds. I’m talking about games like the recent Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. The Ryzen Z2 Go doesn’t provide the extra grunt to push these games into playable territory like the Ryzen Z1 Extreme does.

The real competition is the Steam Deck OLED, though. Given the lower price of the Legion Go S, it’s directly competing with Valve’s handheld. Looking at 720p performance, where the Steam Deck OLED is locked, Valve comes out on top more often than not. That’s another notch in Valve’s belt, as you can pick up the Steam Deck OLED for $50 less than the Legion Go S — and $200 less if you go for the older LCD model.

Another upside for the Steam Deck is battery life. The Legion Go S doesn’t help the battery life situation we’ve seen with most handhelds, not only due to its use of the power-hungry Windows 11, but also due to locking the battery to 55WHr. The Ryzen Z2 Go also draws a bit more power. I had no problem getting through multiple hours-long play sessions in Blade Chimera over the course of a few days, but Cyberpunk 2077 cut the battery down in just two hours in the standard Performance mode, and it died out in a little over an hour with the power maxed out.

Windows ruins everything

I understand why you’d want Windows on a handheld. You can play your Xbox Game Pass games; you can install non-gaming apps. You don’t need to worry about anti-cheat software, nor game compatibility, and all of your games from platforms like GOG and the Epic Games Store come along for the ride. But with a SteamOS version of the Legion Go S on the way, and third-party forks like Bazzite increasing in popularity, it’s time for Microsoft to put up or shut up with Windows on handhelds. And I’m not seeing a strong argument for Windows here.

I’ve already written at length about my issues with Windows on the Legion Go S. This isn’t a Lenovo problem. It’s a Microsoft problem, so I don’t want to retread the same ground here. But there’s an important decision you’ll have to make when going to buy the Legion Go S, and it concerns Windows.

Lenovo will eventually offer the Windows version of the Legion Go S starting at $600. The SteamOS version, which is set to launch this summer, comes in at $500. I’m having a difficult time justifying Windows at all on a handheld, and I certainly don’t see an argument for spending $100 more for a worse user experience.

There are some users who like Windows on a handheld, and if that’s your game, more power to you. However, when assessing the Legion Go S as a product, I can confidently say that buying the Windows version is wasted money. I haven’t tested the SteamOS version yet, but I suspect you can install Windows on it without issues — it’s identical hardware, after all — so unless you need to be an early adopter (or particularly like the white color option exclusive to the Windows version), I’d recommend waiting until the summer.

Lenovo at least attempts to emulate a normal handheld experience with its Legion Space software. It sits on top of Windows and provides a sidebar with quick access to settings, along with a controller-friendly game library. The software is much better than when the original Legion Go launched, but it’s still a clear step behind what you’ll find on the ROG Ally.

The software itself works fine, and it’s packed with useful settings. It’s just not stable. My game library would fail to populate on restart. The app would freeze and become unresponsive to my inputs. And apps available through Legion Space like Steam would fail to install. This is a step in the right direction, but I found myself gravitating toward Steam Big Picture mode to avoid the hassle.

Great design, bad software

I’m disappointed I can’t recommend the Legion Go S as strongly as I want to. This is undoubtedly the worst version of one of the best handhelds I’ve ever used. I’m struggling to recommend the Windows version given the lack of progress Microsoft has made for handheld platforms, and I’m struggling to recommend the Ryzen Z2 Go chip when Ryzen Z1 Extreme versions of this handheld are on the way. I don’t love the Legion Space software, either, but that’s a relatively minor quibble.

I don’t recommend the Legion Go S right now, but that really has nothing to do with Lenovo. Right now, Lenovo is providing options to buyers, and it just so happened to lead with what is, for me, the worst of the bunch. You can bet when the SteamOS version launches, though, I’ll be the first in line to pick it up — I recommend you do the same.