Lenovo Legion Go: The Ultimate Steam Deck LCD Replacement
▼ Summary
– Valve has discontinued the LCD Steam Deck, making the Lenovo Legion Go S a key budget-friendly alternative for handheld PC gaming.
– The Lenovo Legion Go S is currently on sale for $589.99, featuring an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go APU, 16GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, and an 8-inch 120Hz display.
– In performance tests, this model ran SteamOS effectively, delivering playable frame rates in demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 and outperforming its Windows 11 configuration.
– It offers advantages over the Steam Deck OLED, including a larger screen, higher native resolution, VRR support, a bigger battery, and double the storage for slightly more money.
– SteamOS is highlighted as the superior operating system for this handheld, providing excellent game compatibility through Proton, and its current sale price may not last due to rising component costs.
With Valve officially ending production of the original LCD Steam Deck, gamers seeking a capable and budget-friendly handheld PC have a compelling new option. The Lenovo Legion Go S, now available on Amazon for just $589.99, combines solid hardware with the efficiency of SteamOS, presenting itself as a strong alternative for portable gaming. This price drop makes it an accessible entry point for enjoying a vast Steam library without the bulk of a traditional laptop or the cost of a high-end console.
Currently priced at $589.99, this represents a 14% discount and positions the Legion Go S as one of the more affordable ways to game on the go. For those acting swiftly, it could even arrive in time for the holidays. This device serves as a versatile alternative to consoles and more expensive gaming PCs, offering a dedicated portable experience.
In terms of specifications, this model earns its place among the best handheld gaming PCs. It is powered by an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go APU, which features four Zen 3+ CPU cores and an RDNA 2-based Radeon GPU with 12 compute units. This is paired with 16GB of fast LPDDR5X-6400 RAM and a spacious 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. The visual experience is delivered through an 8-inch IPS display boasting a 120Hz refresh rate, VRR support, and a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels.
Performance testing reveals this Z2 Go variant, while less powerful than the pricier Z1 Extreme model, delivers very playable results. In demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 at 800p, it maintained an average of 50fps under SteamOS. Notably, the same hardware struggled more under Windows 11, managing only 32fps in the same test, highlighting the efficiency gains of Valve’s platform. For the most intensive games, dropping the resolution from the native 1200p to 800p is recommended for smoother frame rates.
Valve’s discontinuation of the base Steam Deck LCD model enhances the value proposition of the Legion Go S. While it lacks an OLED screen like the newer Steam Deck OLED, it counters with a larger 8-inch display, higher native resolution, VRR support, and generally superior gaming performance. It also includes a larger 55.5Wh battery, which provides about two hours of gameplay in power-saving mode, and doubles the base storage compared to the entry-level Steam Deck OLED for only a modest price increase.
The inclusion of SteamOS is a significant advantage. While Windows 11 is improving for handhelds, SteamOS remains the optimized choice, especially on this tier of hardware. Leveraging the Proton compatibility layer, it grants seamless access to an enormous library of Steam games, making the user experience smooth and game-centric.
In the current climate of rising component costs for SSDs and RAM, handheld PCs like this offer a relatively affordable portal into PC gaming. The Legion Go S running SteamOS stands out as a top contender. Its sale price of $589.99 makes it one of the most competitive alternatives to the Steam Deck, but as market pressures on chips continue, this attractive price point may not last. For interested buyers, acting quickly is advisable.
(Source: Tom’s Hardware)
