Lenovo Legion Go S: Better Steam Deck?

The Lenovo Legion Go S is the first official SteamOS handheld that doesn’t come from Valve. We tested the device at CES. With more powerful hardware (Ryzen Z1 Extreme), 120Hz display, and adjustable triggers, it offers interesting innovations compared to the Steam Deck. Is there a catch?

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Video transcript

(Note: This transcript is for those who cannot or do not wish to watch the video above. The text does not reflect all of the information on the image track.)

See here, the first SteamOS handheld I have that isn’t from Valve. So, it’s not a Steam Deck, it’s a Lenovo Legion Go S. This is a handheld that actually has SteamOS pre-installed. This means the whole thing looks a lot like Steam Deck, but according to early findings it has better hardware and is faster. That said, this is a very interesting product.

I have been practicing this thing for a while and in this video I will tell you what I noticed about it. So let’s take a closer look and see what’s really going on with SteamOS. What is the future of SteamOS? What about SteamOS on other computers? And will SteamOS blow up Windows now? It’s all in this video. Stay tuned.

And, and, and, just remember, we’re here at CES and we’re not just making your standard “long” videos, we’re making a lot of shorter videos too. Click on the Shorts tab on YouTube and see what’s going on there. There are some interesting things there too.

Dear hackers, dear internet surfers, welcome here…

And now to briefly explain what it’s all about: Steam operator Valve has been making a stir with the Linux distribution SteamOS for a long time, because with it many Windows games often work as smoothly or even more smoothly than with Windows. , although games only run on a compatibility layer called Proton. Yes, that’s obvious, because Windows games generally don’t run on Linux. Valve’s gaming handheld Steam Deck shows particularly clearly that a PC for Windows games can be as easy to use as a handheld console. However, when the Steam Deck came out in early 2022 its hardware was slow, and we have already made several videos about the Steam Deck. But it was great to use. If you wanted to get the SteamOS feel on a handheld, there was no alternative to the Steam Deck. The OLED version released in late 2023 was also no faster than the original Steam Deck.

So, now fast forward to 2025: there is now a Lenovo Legion Go S, the first official handheld with SteamOS that doesn’t come from Valve and is also equipped with better hardware. So this is really a big deal. The hardware of the Legion Go S is significantly more powerful than the Steam Deck – at least on paper: eight cores instead of four, RDNA 3 graphics architecture instead of RDNA 2, more RAM, 1920 x 1200 pixels instead of 1280 x 800, 120 Hertz-display, 8 inch display instead of 7 inch – so everything is better. But the processor is limited by electrical energy consumption. This means that manufacturers limit the power, for example, to 15 watts, otherwise the battery will drain after a few minutes or the housing will get too hot. This means that the distance between the Legion Go S and the Steam Deck can quickly narrow in practice depending on the game and configuration, especially because the Legion has to count even more pixels due to the higher resolution display.

Yes, and the Z1 Extreme chip in there is already over a year old. Some handhelds also came with it, e.g. B from Asus, MSI and Ayano. But enough nonsense, what you probably want to know now: What does this thing sound like now?

*Trade Fair Status*

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So, this is the Lenovo Legion Go S. I picked it up and immediately thought: Ah, a Steam deck. It feels very “Steam-y” indeed. This actually seems a bit sketchy to me – you just have to measure it. It is certainly comparable in size. The whole thing feels very, very sturdy. Maybe even a little stronger than Steam Deck. So, very torsion-resistant. It definitely feels good in the hand. What’s interesting: What is not in the Steam Deck is here – two sliders with which I can adjust the counter pressure of the trigger button. Then I was told that e.g. B. Relevant to racing games. I never tried how it is with other triggers, but it’s definitely nice that you can adjust it. Otherwise, it’s worth noting that the two touchpads present in the Steam Deck are not available here. Instead, there’s just a small stick on the right side that reminds me of this Lenovo ThinkPad Nubsi. You can operate the mouse with this small touchpad. Unfortunately, I couldn’t try it because SteamOS for Lenovo’s demo, for example, was so compromised that I couldn’t go into desktop mode. I can’t install any software other than what’s already there. And, for example, I can’t set overlays, I can’t display FPS here.

The biggest problem is that only these four games are preinstalled: Dave the Diver, Party Animals, Portal 2, and TMNT: Splintered Fate. These are all games that do not require particularly powerful hardware. Portal 2 is over 10 years old. Dave walks on the diver’s potatoes. This is a bit silly. I asked if there was anything else I could see. I was told: Hmmm. But you can confirm to me that Alden Ring is doing really well there too. We are journalists, of course we don’t believe this at first. But I would say the indicators are good that things are going smoothly. It doesn’t get particularly hot. And what I definitely noticed: When you play Portal 2, you can definitely see that it has a 120Hz display. This means it looks smoother than a 60Hz display. I’m pretty sure I can see it with the naked eye. But as I said, the display is good. I think it’s a bit of a shame it’s LCD and not OLED. This means that black is a little brown. But otherwise I think the first impression is good. I still have the normal LCD steam deck. If that thing had more power than my Steam Deck and the battery lasted just as long and someone gave it to me, I could imagine replacing my Steam Deck with it. Because I also think the whole SteamOS story works well here and is well implemented.

*Trade fair status ends*

And to clarify again: Dark Legion GO S is the version with SteamOS. For whatever reason, the color is officially called Nebula Violet. And the white version is the one with Windows. The hardware is otherwise completely identical, but with Windows it is probably more expensive. Lenovo has already published the official German price of 629 euros. The SteamOS version, I am going on a range, will probably cost between 530 and 580 euros. Both variants are called Legion Go S. The one with SteamOS is officially called SteamOS. So this is clear. And Lenovo says this second version is more of an experiment, but to me it’s pretty clear: they want a version with SteamOS. Not just because it might be cheaper. The overall feel is much more console and smoother with SteamOS than Windows, where some windows always pop up that you can’t use properly on smaller displays. So here you can see again how I’m struggling with the Windows version. Windows on handhelds is junk, but it’s clear that Windows is built for large monitors and a mouse and keyboard, not handhelds.

Oh, by the way, Lenovo also had a prototype with the existing AMD Ryzen Z2 at CES, but as I said, just a prototype without price or release date. Most of all, it is still unclear whether it will also come in a SteamOS version or not. It was running Windows at the trade show.

My conclusion: Yes, you probably noticed, I really like the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS. It’s improved over the “OG” Steam Deck in a few key areas: slightly larger display at 120Hz, higher resolution, faster processor plus GPU, two USB-C sockets instead of one, more RAM. However, the shame is that with the Lenovo you only get an LC display, which doesn’t display beautiful blacks or rich colors like the OLED Steam Deck, and from what I’ve got so far, the Lenovo Legion Go S doesn’t even have HDR. Not there. Well, it’s a small step backwards, but many other things are definitely progress.

In the end the big question will be: does the Legion Go S achieve more FPS than the Steam Deck in practice, and how long does the battery last? Only a test will be able to clarify this, which you will get here from us – of course if enough people are interested in this video. And what’s really interesting: what’s going to happen to SteamOS now? So, at least from my perspective, you should only want handhelds with SteamOS if you want to play with them. You definitely don’t want vanilla Windows handhelds because they’re silly to use. If Windows eventually releases a handheld version, there will be a competitive situation. Okay, then I will reconsider. But right now I want a handheld with SteamOS. Well, I have already spent hundreds of hours with my Steam Deck and I can say this with 100% certainty: it works great, it’s amazing. This is how you want it.

I have two small additions: Even though SteamOS works great, there are some games that don’t work. Most of all, it often has to do with anti-cheat on SteamOS. So, you actually have to use Windows. For example, these are Valorant, PUBG and Apex Legends. These are some of the famous titles that do not work with SteamOS. But most other things, more than 90 percent, work very smoothly and sometimes even better. Secondly, Valve has said that they want to support other handhelds with SteamOS in the future. This means that it could very well be that you will also be able to install SteamOS on your Asus ROG Ele or something. It will be interesting again and we will keep watching.

This would also be interesting: What exactly happens with SteamOS on desktop? It will be exciting again. Will Windows games run better on Linux than Windows? So, it will be very interesting again. I’m also very interested in how things will be with SteamOS. There is definitely a lot of potential in this. We will stick to this. And yes, how do you see it? Is SteamOS relevant to you, or do you say: no, just Windows for me? I don’t think that’s what you’re saying. But feel free to write it in the comments and feel free to subscribe and say goodbye.

Heise Median is the Official Media Partner of CES 2025.

3003 no This is not a YouTube channel. The videos on C’T 3003 are independent content and are independent of the C’T magazine articles. Editors Jan-Keno Janssen and Lucas Rumpler as well as video producers Sahin Erengil and Pascal Cheve publish a video every week.

(JKJ)