You might need seen some leaked photos of Lenovo’s Legion Go handheld PC a couple of weeks in the past. At a latest occasion, I really bought an opportunity to carry Lenovo’s curious handheld in my two arms. After spending a while with it, Lenovo is unquestionably going for one thing a bit extra bold than the Swap and even the Steam Deck.
The very first thing that jumps out when utilizing the Legion Go is its dimension. It has been listed at round 854 grams (1.88 lbs), making it heavier than the Steam Deck and almost double the burden of the Nintendo Swap (.88 lbs).
In a manner, I am grateful the gamepads detach as a result of I could not see myself holding this factor for a very long time with out getting drained. That is proper; the gamepads are utterly removable, just like the Nintendo Swap. The best gamepad encompasses a small trackpad beneath the fitting thumbstick and a mouse scroll close to the highest. Along with triggers and shoulder buttons, your entire Legion Go boasts six extra programmable buttons.
In a manner, I am grateful the gamepads detach as a result of I could not see myself holding this factor for a very long time with out getting drained. That is proper; the gamepads are utterly removable, just like the Nintendo Swap. The best gamepad encompasses a small trackpad beneath the fitting thumbstick and a mouse scroll close to the highest. Along with triggers and shoulder buttons, your entire Legion Go boasts six extra programmable buttons.
The largest shock concerning the gamepads is one thing referred to as FPS Mode. The Legion Go comes with a round stand for the fitting controller. This identical controller incorporates a swap on its underside that prompts FPS Mode. As soon as engaged, it takes on an look akin to a flight stick, however really, it features as a mouse that may be maneuvered throughout a floor.
The rear triggers function the left and proper mouse buttons, whereas the mouse scrolls close to the highest of the controller perform because the mouse wheel. I examined out a few first-person video games, akin to Doom Everlasting and Powerwash Simulator. Whereas it provided extra precision than its reasonably stiff thumbsticks, adapting to this mouse-like perform took time as a result of its unfamiliarity. Reaching the fitting sensitivity setting additionally proved to be a gradual course of.
A bizarre factor I seen in FPS mode is that the fitting thumbstick uncomfortably presses into the middle of your palm. The joystick is deactivated on this mode, but it surely appears unusual you can’t stow it away on this mode. On a optimistic be aware, the Legion Go features a substantial kickstand that successfully holds it upright on a desk, making it an ideal console to sit down on a tray desk on an airplane.
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The true potential of FPS Mode seems to lie not a lot in first-person shooters however reasonably in video games that historically profit from a mouse, akin to Baldur’s Gate 3 or Diablo 4 the place mouse motion is most popular. Ideally, with the left recreation controller, you’d map addition skills.
The Go has Bluetooth connectivity, permitting for pairing with a wi-fi controller. The optimum setup, I believe, would entail putting it on a tabletop utilizing its sizable kickstand and a wi-fi controller.
Probably the most spectacular attribute of the Legion Go is its display. Boasting an enormous 8.8-inch vibrant QHD+ (2560 x 1660) IPS contact show with a fast 144Hz refresh price; it is undoubtedly the standout function. Throughout a quick session taking part in Hello-Fi Rush, the vivid cel-shaded graphics actually popped on the display.
Underneath the hood, the Legion Go is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive APU, akin to the ROG Ally. In my restricted demonstration, recreation efficiency appeared passable. Doom Everlasting ran easily, but recreation compatibility posed a extra appreciable challenge. Trying to play Ori and the Will of the Wisps, pre-installed on my demo unit, revealed a failure to acknowledge the gamepad. Moreover, Doom Everlasting encountered compatibility hiccups in FPS mode, sometimes failing to acknowledge the gamepad as a mouse.
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I requested about extra equipment at launch, like docking stations or controller grips such as you’d discover on the Swap, however Lenovo mentioned it is bought nothing of the type at launch. Nonetheless, nothing is stopping a 3rd occasion from filling that void. The Legion Go can be appropriate with Lenovo’s Legion AR Glasses, which is about to drop in October for $330. I used the Legion Glasses paired with a Legion Go, which let me use it primarily as an exterior monitor instantly in entrance of my eyeballs. It is extremely jarring at first however fairly neat. In the event you put on glasses, you may get particular prescription lenses made so they don’t seem to be blurry once you use them.
Since it’s a Home windows 11 system, you possibly can play, set up, and play video games from numerous platforms and digital storefronts like Xbox, Epic Video games Retailer, and Steam. Lenovo did say Legion Go will include its personal recreation launcher along with your typical Home windows 11 desktop. Although it wasn’t prepared once I tried the system out. Contemplating how shut we’re to seeing this at retailers, it was regarding to not see its personal launcher since all your controller mappings can be dealt with by way of this absent launcher.
Except for the handful of Xbox Sport Move titles preloaded on the system, I couldn’t conduct benchmarking or set up every other video games. My gameplay periods included about quarter-hour with Hello-Fi Rush, Powerwash Simulator, and Doom Everlasting, the latter requiring a sufficiently clean body price for efficient play. Fortuitously, I encountered no noticeable slowdowns in these periods.
The battery lifetime of the Legion Go nonetheless stays a thriller, although, contemplating the specs, I would not be shocked if it is on par with the ROG Ally (slightly below an hour), contemplating the Legion has an even bigger, brighter display that is certain to empty some critical juice. One other factor I am inquisitive about is how scorching this factor runs after greater than 20 minutes of gameplay and if it’ll get as loud because the Steam Deck on extra hardware-intensive video games.
The Legion Go has some intelligent concepts. Nonetheless, till we get a greater sense of its battery life and launcher performance, it is powerful to gauge whether or not Lenovo has efficiently crafted a bona fide Home windows 11-based competitor to the Steam Deck. We’ve seen a couple of of these already, just like the AOKZOE A1 Professional and the ROG Ally, that are reasonably good. Nonetheless, the important thing for many we have examined has been the inclusion of a sturdy launcher and shortcut UI built-in to the OS.
The Lenovo Legion Go is about to be launched in October, beginning at $700.
