Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS evaluate

The SteamOS model of the Lenovo Legion Go S with an AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive processor is, I am completely happy to say, precisely what I have been ready for from a handheld gaming PC. Effectively, virtually precisely. It is about as perfect as I may hope for at this time limit with out succumbing to wishful and perfectionist considering.

Lenovo gave me a teaser a few months in the past with the Home windows model of this handheld sporting a Ryzen Z2 Go processor. Once I reviewed that handheld, I concluded that it had an important design however its lacklustre {hardware} mixed with its excessive worth level made it really feel like a placeholder for a hopefully better-value SteamOS model that was within the works.

Then, a model of SteamOS with official help for the Legion Go S launched, which meant I may change Home windows with SteamOS on that Z2 Go model, so I in contrast the 2. My conclusion on the time was that switching over to SteamOS is price it in just about each means, from uncooked efficiency to ease of use and every part in between.

The Legion Go S that I’ve in my arms ships with this SteamOS expertise out of the field, and it has improved {hardware} in addition—improved, that’s, in comparison with the Z2 Go model, however it’s the identical AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive chip you will discover within the authentic Legion Go, authentic Asus ROG Ally, and Asus ROG Ally X.

Given this, it ought to be no shock what my normal emotions are. This one throws a bit of gaming horsepower and native SteamOS into the combination, and the consequence is sufficient to make me throw an out-of-character bodily chef’s kiss emote. It is even fairly alluring on the worth entrance in a means the Z2 Go model was not.

Saying that, it is not excellent. It may be nearer than we have ever bought to a really perfect handheld gaming PC, however there’s nonetheless a method to go. SteamOS does not appear to love every part in regards to the system, reminiscent of its little trackpad, and the working system does not provide you with fairly as many choices as Home windows does, plus battery life is barely fairly middling. However these items apart, it is a severely spectacular handheld gaming PC.

Along with the extra highly effective {hardware}, a lot of what makes the SteamOS model of the Legion Go S nice is identical as what was nice in regards to the Z2 Go Home windows model. That is primarily its design: comfortable, textured grips, satisfying buttons, back-paddles, front-facing audio system (although with admittedly middling sound high quality), and a pleasant broad IPS display screen. It’s kind of heavier than another handhelds at 735 g / 1.62 lbs, however it’s formed so properly that it does not really feel unbalanced in use in any respect. Removed from it, the Legion Go S is extremely comfy to recreation on.

You are not getting a display screen fairly as large as within the authentic Legion Go, however it’s lots sufficiently big for the {hardware} accessible, and I’ve come to like its 16:10 facet ratio, too. It maxes out at a 1920 x 1200 decision, which is good for its 8-inch display screen, and might churn out pixels at as much as 120 Hz. It even has VRR help.

Briefly, it is a handheld that feels nice within the arms and appears simply pretty much as good, too; it is fairly merely a delight to make use of. For as a lot as I cherished the unique Legion Go, I could not say the identical about it. Since launching the unique, Lenovo has actually realized the way to make a handheld that you just really wish to decide up relatively than place on a desk and detach the controllers from (a function the brand new one lacks).

All of that is topped with a pleasant thick layer of icing referred to as Nebula Nocturne. That is the color this SteamOS model ships in, and it is a shade of magnificence, trying eye-catching in that ‘not as a result of I am vibrant however as a result of I am clearly very premium’ sort of means. Hopefully my footage right here do it some justice.

None of this may be price a rattling if it could not additionally carry out, although, however I am completely happy to say there aren’t any considerations on this entrance—removed from it. Because of how light-weight SteamOS is, it performs higher than the opposite Ryzen Z1 Excessive handhelds we have examined, reminiscent of the unique Legion Go and the Asus ROG Ally X. Actually, it even trades blows with the OneXPlayer OneXFly F1 Professional and MSI Claw 8 AI+, each of which use newer chips and each of which (although particularly the previous) price considerably greater than this Legion Go S with Z1 Excessive.

The upshot is that the Legion Go S SteamOS with Ryzen Z1 Excessive is way and away the very best worth providing for a high-end handheld gaming PC proper now. And that is simply contemplating its worth and efficiency, not to mention after we throw its ergnomic form and premium seems to be into the combination.

The Claw 8 AI+ is the closest contender and that handheld price $70 extra at launch, and it is sitting a good quantity above this MSRP proper now. The opposite choice can be the unique Legion Go, as a result of that is been promoting for as little as about $500 within the gross sales these days. That is nonetheless a sensible choice in the event you’re on a price range, however regardless of sharing the identical chip, the Legion Go S SteamOS performs considerably higher because of SteamOS, and it has all of the design enhancements in addition. Or, in fact, there’s the Steam Deck or Steam Deck OLED, however you are not getting wherever close to the efficiency on supply right here.

You are additionally getting some respectable battery life, although with only a 55.5 Wh battery there are actually higher choices on this entrance—the aforementioned Claw 8 AI+, for example, which has an 80 Wh battery. Nonetheless, thanks partially to the low SteamOS overhead, video games keep up and working lengthy sufficient for many avid gamers’ wants.

In my very own customized battery life check—seeing how lengthy every system lasts whereas standing in the identical spot in Elden Ring, going through an open vista—this Legion Go S with SteamOS had higher than double the unique Legion Go’s battery life. That is smart, although, as a result of the unique Legion Go’s battery life is fairly poor.

Usually, you may count on a few hours of gameplay in most 30-60 fps titles with the Balanced profile or a barely greater TDP chosen. In case you drop right down to low-power mode for some lighter indie gaming, it’s best to get double this or higher.

Is there a catch, then? Sadly, sure. Actually, there are a few catches. The primary of those is that this handheld can get noisy when in Efficiency mode. I am positive its followers should be doing a stellar job permitting the Z1 Excessive to realize its peak efficiency, however there is a particular audible price to this. Now, I often play with earphones and even after I do not, the noise does not trouble me, however it’s positively loud and I do know this may trouble some folks. Fortunately the followers do not appear to fireside up at full pace when the TDP is lowered, which is likely one of the causes I are likely to not play in Efficiency or a excessive TDP mode.

I’ve additionally discovered that the tiny trackpad mainly does not work, not less than not with the present model of SteamOS. It nearly works in desktop mode, however it feels sluggish and has an virtually comically inconsistent quantity of acceleration and smoothing. And in gaming mode, I can not seem to get it to register in any respect. The SteamOS enter tester reveals the touchpad there within the diagram of the hand-held, however it’s the one half that does not present any enter registering upon contact or press.

The most important catch to the SteamOS model of the Lenovo Legion Go S, although, can be one among its major advantages: it runs SteamOS. Over the previous few weeks utilizing SteamOS, I’ve come to see that it is from excellent. When it really works, it really works about as easily as you can need, identical to a console (hiss, boo, I do know). However when it does not… effectively, welcome to the fantastic world of Linux workarounds.

Admittedly it is not as irritating as it may be to make use of a daily desktop Linux distro, however sometimes I’ve discovered the occasional have to placed on the considering cap. It is that or simply abandon the hopes of taking part in some video games or having some performance.

As one instance, it took me some time to get the Battle.internet launcher and Diablo IV up and working. At first I attempted Lutris, however that would not set up the Launcher, irrespective of which Proton model I used. I managed to get it arrange manually as a non-Steam recreation, however I could not get Diablo IV working as a standalone recreation within the Steam shopper (I needed to boot up the Battle.internet launcher every time).

So, I attempted out NonSteamLaunchers, and that bought the launchers put in however would not arrange the video games individually because it stated it could. Nonetheless, the launchers and video games work, even when I’ve to get to them not directly, simply as I’d on Home windows.

Do not count on to have the ability to get each non-Linux-native recreation working, although. I attempted to run F1 24 for benchmark comparability, for example, and the sport threw up an error that very explicitly stated it doesn’t work on Linux, even with Wine or Proton emulation. You are very a lot on the mercy of the state of play for Linux gaming with SteamOS.

Then once more, Home windows on handhelds is not precisely excellent, both. A minimum of with SteamOS you are getting an expertise that simply works with suitable video games, and the listing of these video games is ever-growing. Even video games that require slightly additional brainpower for the set up are typically faster and simpler to get into than on a Home windows handheld as soon as they’re really arrange.

For a handheld, I will take SteamOS daily of the week. It is faster, lighter, extra handy, and even has higher wake/sleep performance—I discovered it to solely drop about 2% battery life whereas sleeping in a single day, and I may resume my recreation precisely the place I left off, as quickly as I hit that wake button. The working system now even helps GeForce Now, which means if in case you have an excellent web connection you may play video games on it simply as in the event you’re utilizing significantly better {hardware}.

With the Z1 Excessive, SteamOS model of the Lenovo Legion Go S, you are getting all the advantages of this OS for the primary time with some {hardware} that may make deft use of it. There was loads of speak about ‘Steam Deck on steroids’ when the primary non-Steam Deck handhelds got here out, however with this one I believe this pithy catchphrase may really be true. You could have all the advantages of SteamOS, plus some {hardware} that may play most fashionable video games at respectable body charges.

Throw within the beautiful color scheme and splendidly comfy design, and you’ve got a handheld that provides a singular mixture of advantages that no different handheld does proper now. It is costly, positive, and I might have favored to see a Z1 Excessive system going for slightly cheaper than this nowadays, however it’s nonetheless inexpensive than its major opponents and also you’re getting a greater expertise for it.

The one actual concern is that different SteamOS handhelds may be simply across the nook, together with presumably a Z2 Excessive-based Legion Go 2. However such handhelds aren’t right here but. Proper now, regardless of its few flaws, the Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS with Z1 Excessive is the hand-held I might pluck out of the goodie bag, bar none.

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