I spent the past week gaming on the Lenovo Legion Go S and it left me underwhelmed — and longing for a Steam Deck.
The Legion Go S is marketed as an entry-level alternative to the flagship Lenovo Legion Go (soon to find a sequel in the Legion Go 2). While it looks the part, the price throws a wrench in things and makes it hard to justify buying the Legion Go S over the original Legion Go, or even several other handhelds.
That's not to say I had a bad gaming experience on the Legion Go S. But it isn't the best bang for your buck. With the cheaper SteamOS model of the Legion Go S launching later this year, is it worth the wait? Or are there better handheld gaming devices you can get now?
Regardless, if you're in the market for a handheld gaming PC, there are a few reasons you should pass on the Windows version of the Legion Go S, but luckily I have some tips for finding a handheld that's a better deal.
The Legion Go S isn't a bad handheld... but it's not the best, either
I wanted to like the Lenovo Legion Go S. The Windows version costs $729 and comes in a clean matte-white chassis. I enjoyed gaming on it, but I felt its limitations in almost every game I played.
Of course, handheld gaming PCs will fall short on performance compared with the best gaming laptops since they rely on integrated graphics. However, the Legion Go S fell behind other handheld gaming PCs as well.
While I analyzed our benchmark test results for the Legion Go S, I kept coming back to the Asus ROG Ally X. It costs only $70 more, but far outperformed the Legion Go S across the board. It's enough of a performance gap, particularly in-game, to make that extra $70 well worth it.
The Legion Go S isn't even Lenovo's cheapest handheld gaming PC. The original Legion Go costs $100 less. It sports a slightly older processor, but it still outscored the Legion Go S in several key categories in our tests, including display quality, overall performance, and game performance. Considering it also costs less, why bother paying more for the subpar Legion Go S?
That said, the Legion Go S might be a good buy if you can find it on sale for around $500. Or, even better, you could wait for the upcoming SteamOS version of the Legion Go S.
Wait for the SteamOS Legion Go S (or go for one Asus handheld)
Lenovo's pricing for the Legion Go S becomes truly mind-boggling when you consider that the SteamOS version launching in May will cost only $499.
That's a price gap of $230.
For context, SteamOS is the Linux-based operating system that Valve's Steam Deck runs on. Valve hinted at launching the operating system on third-party devices for years and the Legion Go S gets to be the first. I'm pretty excited to see SteamOS expand beyond the Steam Deck since I love Linux, and SteamOS makes it more approachable for gamers and new users.
Even if you don't care which operating system your handheld runs on, the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S is a far better value for your money with its significantly lower price.
If you need to get your hands on a handheld gaming PC right now and don't want to wait until May for the SteamOS Legion Go S, there are better options available.
I'd recommend taking a look at the Asus ROG Ally or the slightly updated Asus ROG Ally X. The original ROG Ally can often be found on sale for $500 or less and received high praise in our review. The ROG Ally X from 2024 includes some improvements throughout and delivers stellar performance at a price only $70 higher than the Legion Go S.
Alternatively, you could go back to the original handheld gaming PC and get a Steam Deck. Even the top configuration costs less than the Legion Go S, at just $649. Plus, the Steam Deck has been around for several years now, so refurbished models are available if you're on a tight budget.
Regardless of the gaming handheld you choose, it probably shouldn't be the Legion Go S — unless it's the SteamOS version.
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