Excited by the fervor of new gaming handhelds hitting the market but don’t want to shell out the big bucks? The Legion Go S with SteamOS installed offers an easy entry into the space, is great for occasional travelers and couch gamers, and is marked down by $120 at Best Buy.
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Lenovo
Legion Go S (SteamOS)
Having spent time with both the SteamOS and Windows models, I prefer the one running Valve’s custom handheld software. While Lenovo does a good job bridging the gap with extra buttons and control options, trying to use a desktop operating system with just a controller and touchscreen can often be a frustrating experience. With SteamOS, you turn on the device, scan a QR code with your phone, and within minutes you’re downloading your games and save files from the cloud.
This Legion Go S is fairly bulky, which I actually found more comfortable than slimmer options. It has built-in controller grips, and a spacious button layout, plus triggers and bumpers that are luxurious and well-placed. The screen is nice and bright, and features a 120-Hz refresh rate, although it’s an IPS panel instead of the OLEDs we’re starting to see elsewhere. This model comes with 1 TB of storage and 32 GB of memory, plus a MicroSD card slot if you want to really load up on games.
Like with most of the non-Nintendo gaming handhelds, you’ll probably need to tweak settings or even resolution to get the latest games running smoothly. I did find it more powerful than my aging Steam Deck, and in games like Vampire Survivors and Trackmania 2020, the kinds of games I often play on the go, it had no problem and required very little tweaking. A lot of that is thanks to the SteamOS support, which helps games automatically understand the device’s capabilities better than Windows often does with custom hardware.
I’ve got the new Legion 2 in hand and am working on a full review, but know that it’s a larger and more expensive device and also runs Windows out of the box. If you’re looking for a more compact device and plan on using SteamOS for your gaming, this is a solid deal on a capable handheld.