I’ve made my frustrations with Lenovo quite clear recently[1], with the Lenovo[2] Legion Go 2’s starting price at $1,049 / £1,000 / AU$1,609 for the AMD[3] Ryzen Z2 model. To quickly summarize, the performance improvements from previous-generation processors aren’t enough to warrant a significant price increase, and frankly, I don’t think handhelds should cost as much as more powerful gaming laptops.
The same applies to the Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme ($829 / £699 / AU$1,599), particularly regarding its US pricing: $829. However, there’s one significant difference. Fortunately for UK customers like myself, pricing is at £699, which is far more reasonable considering what this handheld has to offer.
Powered by the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme (found in the original Lenovo Legion Go[4] and the Asus ROG Ally[5]), the Lenovo Legion Go S delivers with an incredible immersive 8-inch display, which I’ve been agonizingly waiting for, 32GB of RAM, SteamOS, and perhaps most importantly, the best chassis (which I’ll get into) I’ve seen on a handheld
While I have no doubts that many will shun this device due to its 55.5Wh battery, as I’ve mentioned before, 99 percent of the time I use my handheld while plugged in and not on battery, so battery life isn’t too much of a dealbreaker to me. In that case, the Asus ROG Ally X[6] is the better fit with its 80Wh battery. However, if you’re like me, you wouldn’t mind decent battery life on a handheld, and your eyes should be locked on on the Legion Go S.
The Lenovo Legion Go S has the best chassis and ergonomics I’ve used so far
Without a doubt, the Lenovo Legion Go S is the most comfortable handheld I’ve used so far, fitting perfectly into my palms without any strain during long hours of gaming.
It’s quite obvious that Lenovo learned a huge lesson from its last rendition with the original Lenovo Legion Go; many fans (myself included) deemed it far too heavy and uncomfortable to hold, especially after hours of use, but that’s been solved here.
It likely comes down to the choice of an 8-inch display over an 8.8-inch (which is still being used for the Lenovo Legion Go 2) and the fact that there are no detachable controllers, but it’s so easy to hold this time around. The best way I can describe it is as if the handles hug your palms, while allowing your pinky fingers to rest easily on the handheld’s rear.
As much as I’m already disinterested in the Legion Go 2 due to its price, I think it would’ve been better if Lenovo had stuck with the S design for its new device, even if it meant sacrificing the bigger screen size. The curve on its edges is very reminiscent of Valve’s Steam Deck, but having used both, this comes out as the victor between the two.
Not to forget the adjustable triggers, a feature that’s present in my favorite game controller, the 8BitDo Ultimate 2[7], and it’s an absolute blessing to have for first-person or competitive games that require quick reactions.
Perhaps this device’s design benefits and positive consumer reception will prompt Lenovo to produce an OLED[8] Z2 Extreme with the Legion Go S design, but once again, I’m certain high pricing would be an issue.
The combination of AMD’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme and 32GB of RAM is incredible
Coming from the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme with 16GB of RAM, I didn’t realize how beneficial the upgrade to 32GB of RAM[9] would be for game performance – and I have to say I’m surprised.
Frame rates that would normally look messy and spike consistently in games that are either poorly optimized or demanding, are a lot more stable, reducing frustrating stutters almost entirely when using my Lenovo Legion Go S. It’s worth noting that with 32GB of RAM, there’s room to allocate more memory to your gaming activities; I’ve set mine to 8GB, and it’s been brilliant ever since.
When Discord decides to operate fine with streaming in SteamOS game mode (which I really want fixed), I don’t notice a dip in performance like I did with the Asus ROG Ally, and moving around menus is snappy and fast. Now bear in mind, my Asus ROG Ally has Bazzite installed on it, which is a little slower in terms of navigation than Valve’s official SteamOS, but loading times and overall responsiveness are improved.
The Decky Loader Lossless Scaling plugin[10] is also a complete game-changer, and allows me to run games like Resident Evil 4[11] remake on high graphics settings with frame rates above 80fps.
I know I’ve mentioned that Nvidia’s GeForce Now RTX 5080 membership[12] has me afraid that I’ll favor it over the handheld’s native gameplay experience, and yes, I still believe it’s that great – but for games that are capable of producing high frame rates without a huge sacrifice on image quality, like Resident Evil 4, I’ll be sure to take full advantage of the powerful processor at my disposal.
One thing’s clear; if not for the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, I doubt I’d have given this model any attention, and I don’t think the Z2 Go version is worthwhile. So, if you do manage to spot the Legion Go S SteamOS Ryzen Z1 Extreme version, don’t hesitate to get your hands on it.
I have zero qualms about skipping the MSI[13] Claw 8 AI+, MSI Claw A8, and the Lenovo Legion Go 2, and I’m confident this new device will serve me well for years to come without the need for an upgrade.
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References
- ^ frustrations with Lenovo quite clear recently (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Lenovo (www.techradar.com)
- ^ AMD (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Lenovo Legion Go (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Asus ROG Ally (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Asus ROG Ally X (www.techradar.com)
- ^ 8BitDo Ultimate 2 (www.techradar.com)
- ^ OLED (www.techradar.com)
- ^ beneficial the upgrade to 32GB of RAM (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Decky Loader Lossless Scaling plugin (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Resident Evil 4 (www.techradar.com)
- ^ Nvidia’s GeForce Now RTX 5080 membership (www.techradar.com)
- ^ MSI (www.techradar.com)