Lenovo introduces the Legion Go Handheld Gaming PC

The Lenovo Legion Go might be the upcoming top portable gaming system. Since its preview, the machine’s enormous 8.8-inch display, removable controllers, and distinctive features have become the talk of the town. The fact that Lenovo, which also produces some of the best gaming laptops and gaming PCs, makes Legion Go even more alluring.

The Legion Go: A Serious Challenger to the Steam Deck

The Legion Go may prove to be a serious challenger to the Steam Deck. It is more compatible with Windows 11 games and has a bigger screen and stronger processor. Before Lenovo’s computer to surpass the Asus ROG Ally and topple the Steam Deck, there is one thing it must perfect. As seen in the Steam Deck vs. Asus ROG Ally vs. AyaNeo 2S comparison, the Asus ROG Ally and AyaNeo 2S have higher specifications than the Steam Deck. One key factor sets Valve’s portable apart from its more potent competitors: a dedicated game launcher.

The Legion Go will have the Legion Space game launcher, despite the fact that it wasn’t available when I gave the system a preview. According to Lenovo, the launcher was created especially for the portable and enables easy access to all of your game platforms and stores, as well as the ability to browse installed games and make purchases from the Legion Game Store. You can access all supported game launchers at once in Legion Space and start playing right now.

Legion Space should offer a pick-up and play experience similar to a console if it is comparable to SteamOS on Steam Deck. The Asus ROG Ally and AyaNeo 2S have their own game launchers, but since they’re fundamentally Windows 11 computers, the launchers occasionally break and need you to exit them in order to start a game. Since Steam Deck runs on SteamOS, a system created exclusively for mobile devices, you never have to worry about it. Legion Space’s performance is difficult to predict, but if the launcher can at least match SteamOS’ effectiveness and user-friendliness, Lenovo’s handheld will already be superior to its Windows 11-based rivals.

How’s the Game Optimization?

The main feature people want to see with the Legion Go is a Gaming PC launcher that can compete with SteamOS. Games that are designed for the portable, though, are another factor that would all but seal the case.

One of the most frustrating aspects about the Asus ROG Ally is that, while having an APU that is twice as powerful as the Steam Deck’s, it didn’t absolutely smash it in terms of performance. Given that the ROG Ally is powered by the same Ryzen 1 Extreme CPU as the Legion Go, this is not good for the Legion Go.

Games that have been validated for the Steam Deck often operate smoothly on the platform since they have been tuned for SteamOS and the Deck’s hardware. Although the Ally can undoubtedly run Windows-compatible games, no equivalent optimisation effort has yet been implemented. The ROG Ally occasionally struggled to produce steady, playable framerates at its original 1080p resolution in our lab tests and in my personal qualitative testing; games ran considerably better at 720p.