Preorders are now open for Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS, giving you a chance to access Valve’s popular operating system on a platform beyond Steam Deck. This will be the first third-party device running SteamOS, so preorders could prove to be more popular than usual for a PC handheld. The Legion Go S SteamOS releases May 25 with two different configurations of RAM and storage space. Both models have large 8-inch displays, 120Hz refresh rates, adjustable triggers, and other premium features.
Lenovo will also release its second Legion Go S with Windows 11–the first Windows-based Legion Go S launched in February–on the same day as the two models running SteamOS. Let’s take a look at Lenovo’s upcoming Steam Deck alternatives.
Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)
$550 | Releases May 25
The base model Legion Go S with Valve’s handheld operating system is fitted with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD and costs $550. For $750, you can double the RAM to 32GB and the storage space
But if you’re concerned about storage space with the 512GB model, it’s worth emphasizing that the Legion Go S has a microSD card slot. Games running off microSD tend to work well on SteamOS on Steam Deck, so hopefully that remains true for the Legion Go S.
For a price comparison, the Steam Deck starts at $399 for the 256GB model with a 7-inch LCD display. The 512GB model with a 7.4-inch OLED display costs $549, and the 1TB OLED edition goes for $649.
The Legion Go S is powered by the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip and AMD Radeon Graphics. It’s too early to say how performance stacks up against the competition, but the Z2 Go, on paper, is more powerful than the Steam Deck’s APU and less powerful than the Ryzen Z1 Extreme.
Lenovo’s Steam handheld has a larger 8-inch IPS display with 1200p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. The Steam Deck OLED is limited to 800p resolution and 90Hz refresh rate, but it does benefit visually from its 7.4-inch OLED panel. The 7-inch LCD Steam Deck is limited to 60Hz refresh rate.
Despite the larger screen, the Legion Go S is almost exactly the same length as the Steam Deck, but it is slightly taller and a bit thinner. It measures 11.75 x 1.71 x 5.02 inches, while all Steam Deck models are 11.73 x 1.92 x 4.6 inches. The Legion Go S weighs 1.62 pounds, while the Steam Deck OLED weighs 1.41 pounds.
Along with the aforementioned microSD card slot, the Legion Go S has a 3.5mm audio jack and two USB-C ports. The extra USB-C port is a nice addition for when you want to connect accessories or dock the handheld. The Steam Deck, in comparison, only has one USB-C port.
Lenovo went with a more conventional control layout with offset sticks, while the Steam Deck’s two sticks, D-pad, and face buttons are essentially aligned. The layout admittedly looks odd, but the Steam Deck is a lot comfier than it looks. Valve’s handheld has four remappable back triggers, while Lenovo’s new handheld only has two. The Steam Deck also has two large trackpads, whereas the Legion Go S has one small pad. Adjustable trigger tension is unique to the Legion Go S.
It’s worth noting that the Windows version of the Legion Go S has been received poorly by critics and users. That said, the Windows model that’s currently available costs $730, and some of the complaints have revolved around the high asking price.
Lenovo Legion Go S (SteamOS, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)
$750 | Releases May 25
For $750, you can double the RAM to 32GB and the storage space to 1TB. The $200 upgrade also includes a boost to the CPU and GPU. This model runs on the popular AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip with AMD RDNA 3 Graphics.
It’s worth noting that the Windows version of the Legion Go S that’s currently available has been received poorly by critics and users. That said, some of the complaints have revolved around the high asking price for a handheld with Z2 Go chip. The upcoming SteamOS handheld with the same RAM and storage specs and a better chipset only costs $20 more than the current Windows version.
The Legion Go S isn’t the only upcoming handheld from Lenovo, as the brand is also working on a Legion Go 2. It’ll arrive sometime this year (an exact date is yet to be announced) and features a more powerful Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, an 8.8-inch, 144Hz OLED display with VRR, and a 74Wh battery.