It could have been one of many worst stored secrets and techniques in gaming {hardware}, however Lenovo’s new Legion Go S remains to be actual thrilling. That is not solely as a result of this plucky handheld gaming PC packs one in every of AMD’s new Z2 Collection processors but additionally as a result of it is out there with SteamOS put in.
The Legion Go S and Legion Go S – Powered by SteamOS (that is the identify) are two variations of the identical 8-inch handheld gaming PC. Each have been introduced over at Lenovo’s occasion at CES 2025.
Each will include one in every of AMD’s Z2 Collection processors, which had been introduced yesterday, with the best choice being the Z2 Excessive. That is an 8-core/16-thread APU with 16 CUs of RDNA 3(.5) GPU connected.
SteamOS is Valve’s personal Linux-based working system for handheld gaming PCs, which has thus far solely formally resided on the Steam Deck. It has been port-able to different units, however nobody has formally taken on the OS for their very own machine. Till now, anyhow.
I acquired an opportunity to have a fast play with the Lenovo Legion Go S on the occasion, and yep, that is a handheld alright. It is barely harking back to the unique Asus ROG Ally (albeit a bit extra curved and refined) however one factor that jumped out was the efficiency. I had a fast run by means of the opening levels of Forza Horizon 5, a recreation I bear in mind being just a little stutter-prone and frame-y on numerous different handheld gaming PCs I’ve tried it on.
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Not so right here. In fact, many updates have handed since I final performed it, so maybe the odd stutter and body drop has been patched out, but it surely was a remarkably easy expertise—and speaks effectively of the efficiency of the Z2 APU.
Total it is a solid-feeling machine, though pesky journos earlier than me had damaged a set off of one of many demo items. I would not take that to imply a lot although, as we tech journalists are recognized for being heavy-handed—and we’re doubtless being proven prototypes that are not fairly as much as the total launch spec.
I made positive to check out the triggers on a few different fashions, and so they felt simply peachy to me. The chassis is probably just a little plastic-y, however all of the vital buttons and controls felt properly responsive beneath my hammering thumbs.
The show’s ‘un, too, being an eight inch WQXGA 1200p LCD with a 120 Hz refresh fee. It seemed properly vibrant, even when surrounded with the glowing neon lights of the show space, so hopefully that interprets to beautiful color replica beneath regular lighting.
So then, a correctly attention-grabbing addition to the hand held market from Lenovo. I will be curious to see if my perceived efficiency impressions match as much as the benchmarks, however that is undoubtedly a handheld to control when it launches for $500 in Might of this yr.
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