Lenovo Legion Go S hands-on review: This could be the Steam Deck killer I’ve always wanted

The Lenovo Legion Go S has a real shot at being the first legitimate Steam Deck killer. That’s because Lenovo’s new device is the first non-Steam Deck handheld that runs on SteamOS.

Combine that with the power of the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme or AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip, and you have all the right pieces for what could be the best handheld gaming consoles yet.

I briefly went hands-on with both models of the Legion Go S and loved its smaller design — one that ditches detachable controllers in favor of a more streamlined and ergonomic machine.

The choice between different chipsets and operating systems is also awesome. The price is also lower than the Legion Go, though the Windows handheld costs $100 more than the SteamOS variant.

The Legion Go S has the potential to set a new standard for gaming handhelds. Here are my first impressions of the device.

Lenovo Legion Go S hands-on review: specs

Lenovo Legion Go S hands-on review: price and availability

There are two Legion Go S models but they’re not arriving at the same time.

The Legion Go S running on Windows 11 arrives sometime this January with a starting price of $799. In May, another Windows-powered Legion Go S arrives and will start for $599. The SteamOS Legion Go also lands in May, with a starting price of $499.

Presumably, these cheaper models will have an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip and less RAM and storage than the $799 model. But we’ll hopefully get more details soon.

Lenovo Legion Go S hands-on review: design and display

I’ll state the obvious: the Lenovo Legion Go looks a heck of a lot like the Asus ROG Ally X. That’s a compliment since that machine has one of the finest form factors to grace my hands.

Like Asus’ handheld, the Legion Go S feels good to hold thanks to its light and ergonomic design. I’ll need more hands-on time with it, but I suspect it won’t be difficult to hold for long periods despite being bigger than a ROG Ally and Steam Deck.

The 8-inch (1,920 x 1,200) screen, with its 16:10 aspect ratio and 120Hz refresh rate, should let games look and run great. We’ll need to get this machine into our testing lab to see how bright it gets and how well it reproduces colors, but to my eyes, everything appeared bright and colorful. The only bummer is that it’s not an OLED display.

Lenovo Legion Go S hands-on review: specs and performance

The Legion Go S comes with the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme as the Legion Go and ROG Ally. You can also configure it with the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip. The Ryzen Z2 Go processor is built on Zen3+ and RDNA 2 technology, rather than the Zen4 and RDNA2 of the Ryzen Z1 Extreme. As Lenovo told me, this chip sits between the AMD Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme in terms of performance.

I didn’t get to play any games during my time with the Legion Go S, but I’m very excited to see what the combination of the Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and SteamOS can bring. After all, we saw a 25% increase in performance and battery life when we turned the Asus ROG Ally X into a Steam Deck by removing Windows 11 and installing SteamOS (via Linux).

I have high hopes for the Legion Go S in terms of power and efficiency, but we’ll know what it can truly do once we get it into our testing lab.

Lenovo Legion Go S hands-on review: outlook

Even though we have to wait until May 2025 to check out the SteamOS Legion Go S, I’m still looking forward to testing its Windows 11-powered counterpart in January.

The smaller form factor should make it easier to use, and I’m eager to see how the updated D-Pad and new trigger locks hold up. But right now, the Legion Go S looks like one of 2025’s standout gaming handhelds. It shouldn’t be long until we get a unit to review, so stay tuned!