We have seen many Windows-based gaming devices hit the market recently.  Even more recently, Steam has released its own handheld devices, based on the same architecture as the Windows devices but running its own OS, SteamOS.

Enterprising companies such as Lenovo, through their Legion gaming brand, have decided to hit the market from both sides, offering a Windows device and a similarly specced SteamOS device – both called the Legion Go S.  

Interestingly, even though SteamOS is lighter in size and its weight on the hardware, the SteamOS version has twice the RAM and twice the hard drive capacity.  Now, Lenovo did not have any SteamOS devices on hand for us to review, so we were sent a Windows device that was running SteamOS.

They hacked their own device?  Well, sort of.  Is it hacking when they provide detailed instructions for converting your own Windows Lenovo Legion Go S device to SteamOS?  I think not.

So, in the end, we were testing out the Windows Legion Go S device but running SteamOS hardware – just what I was looking for.  

Different configurations

As mentioned above, you can buy either (or both) on the Lenovo website and at some retailers.  The Windows device on the website comes with an AMD Ryzen Z2 GO processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD in white, while the SteamOS device includes the same chipset, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD, and is available in a purple-ish “Nebula Nocturne” colour.

If you search hard enough, you will also be able to find a Z1 Extreme version of the Windows-based Legion Go S with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD but there don’t seem to be many more of these around.  Lenovo will also help you convert this one to SteamOS if you wish (I do).

Interestingly, Lenovo’s official documentation lists the standard M.2 2242 TLC drive as “user-upgradeable.”  I’m not sure if that will void any warranty, but if they say this, surely it wouldn’t?

Design and hardware

Those who have used or seen a Windows-based handheld gaming device before will be familiar with it and its controls.  It is not small, measuring 127.55mm x 298.5mm x 22.6mm and weighing in at a solid 730 grams.

Button-wise, on the front, there are two Hall Effect control sticks, a D-Pad, the usual XYAB buttons, and the adaptive triggers are where you’re used to them on standard controllers (top).

The front of the device also houses dual 2W front-facing speakers for decent audio, but a long way from mind-blowing.  I suggest using headphones to get the most out of your games, especially given the fan noise at times.

The top of the device also includes 2 USB-C ports, a headphone jack, volume buttons, and a power button.  There is a microSD slot at the bottom to expand storage if required.  The rear of the device houses the Y1 and Y2 buttons for games that use them – you can remap them in a supported game’s settings if you wish.

The rear of the device also houses a large perforated section when air is pulled in and it is then released through the vents at the top of the device, helping to cool it.  These fans and air movement can get loud at times, but they are also effective, so you can’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

The back of the device also has a switch on each side to let you switch the trigger from short to long to your preferred setting.  I used a short trigger for fast-paced FPS games and found the difference quite startling and handy.

The anti-slip textured control grips on the sides make it comfortable to hold the device for long gaming periods, although the battery life may prevent a long stint but more on that below.

Display

The Legion Go S features a decent 8-inch 1920 x 1200 IPS display.  Yes, it’s not an OLED like in the Steam Deck but it is still capable of 500 nits and displays 100% sRGB and has a refresh rate of 120Hz.

I used the gaming handheld first on a display brightness of around 75% and found it quite bright.  I could easily see into the dark colours of the game, and if you are playing in a bright room, you will need this.  In a darker room, 50% was enough to see everything I needed.

The display is bright, crisp and colourful and the refresh rate of 120Hz was pleasant on the eye, making for smooth gameplay.

SteamOS

Although I have yet to use a Legion Go S on Windows, it is widely accepted that SteamOS runs more cleanly, more efficiently, and just plain better on these handheld devices.  This shouldn’t be a surprise, as Windows 10 (and 11) were not designed to operate on form factors such as these.

SteamOS is not difficult to use and to be honest, it deserves a lot more attention than it receives.  It is easy to navigate – the buttons on the device are fully integrated, and it adjusts the game options, so you press the correct buttons when making a selection. The display is easy to use, whether via touch or buttons, and games play extremely well.

There are four dedicated handheld buttons – the Legion button, which brings up your main menu, a quick settings button and two other buttons which bring up menus within games.

Windows, on the other hand, is a bit more difficult, although it does offer some other Windows-based options.  Keep in mind that you can install pretty much whatever you want on SteamOS, including Xbox Cloud Gaming.  Simply switch to desktop mode on the handheld and install your heart away.  

You can even install various emulators if you wish to play your own “backed up” games from other platforms. 

 

Performance

Performance-wise, the Legion Go S had no issues running AAA titles such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil 7 Biohazard.  The gameplay was good, although the writing was small at times – you could always pay full attention to it and have the volume up so you don’t have to read the dialogue, but unfortunately, that was not how I rolled most of the time.

The gaming was fluid and was able to keep up with everything I threw at it – I used it on the recommended settings and from what I could see that could easily be bumped up to make it even faster should the need arise.

The only issue I had was when playing PGA Tour 2 K25, where the video animation of my player fist pumping or celebrating after a good hole or shot was a bit stuttery – but the gameplay itself was fine.  Strang, but it did not affect the performance at any time.  

I ran a benchmark in Cyberpunk 2077 using the recommended Steam Deck settings, Ray Tracing Overdive and the Ultra settings.  You can see the three results below:

Battery Life

The Legion Go S is a small handheld gaming device that runs desktop-style AAA titles, and runs them well.  As such, it should come as no surprise that the battery life is not great.  Gaming a game like Cyberpunk 2077, with the display around the 60-70%, the battery was close to running out at around the two-hour mark.

Fortunately, the device supports fast charging through the supplied 65W USB-C charger, so you can plug it in for 10 minutes and get another 30% of battery life. 

Final thoughts

The Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS) is an alternative to the Steam Deck, which is an alternative to Windows-based handheld gaming devices. SteamOS on the Legion Go S offers impressive performance and it can run anything you want on it — yes there is a desktop mode to install emulators and more.

The configuration I tested included the AMD Z2 Go, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, but if you were to purchase the dedicated SteamOS version from Lenovo, you would receive double the RAM at 32GB and a 1TB SSD, which undoubtedly should improve performance, not that I came across many issues.

There is a Windows version floating around that is powered by the more powerful Z1 Extreme chipset, 32GB of RAM and 1TB SSD but you would need to install SteamOS on it to get the full kick out of it. Luckily, Lenovo includes instructions for doing that yourself, and in even better news, I will include a how-to article on this on my own in the future.

The Legion Go S is comfortable to hold and use and although the battery life is a bit lacklustre, you can still game with it for a couple of hours before needing to charge.

Whenever we review devices, you can tell if we liked it by whether we spent our own money buying one — I did. My Z1 Extreme Legion Go S device is currently winging its way to me. I will install SteamOS on it not long after it arrives, but at this stage, I am extremely happy and have no buyer’s remorse.

If you are looking for a handheld gaming device that can run Windows/Steam games, then look no further than the Legion Go S (SteamOS) version — you can find them here, currently starting at $1,199.