Lenovo’s Legion Go S gaming handheld is a great deal at $549

This week, the Steam Deck OLED with 512GB of storage jumped from $549 to $789, making it significantly harder to justify for anyone who had been waiting for restocks after months of scarcity. In a small silver lining, however, a solid alternative has appeared at that very same original price point. The Lenovo Legion Go S is currently available for $549.99 at Woot, down from its usual $729.99. A deal like this might not have turned heads a year ago, but in the current market, it stands out.

We weren’t exactly blown away by the Legion Go S at launch, but much of that criticism stemmed from its steep price. Sean praised its gorgeous 8-inch 120Hz screen and noted that its ergonomics beat most competing handhelds, even the Steam Deck. Still, the original cost was hard to swallow when it underperformed Valve’s device in several games. On top of that, it launched when Windows 11 was notoriously clunky in handheld mode, though Microsoft has since made some improvements.

The Legion Go S isn’t a product we can recommend without hesitation, but these are strange times. I’d much rather point you toward the version with the Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor , which delivers anywhere from 10 to 40 percent better performance over the Ryzen Z2 Go, depending on the game , but that model currently sits at an absurd $1,452.99 on Lenovo’s site. That’s not a realistic option for most buyers.

For now, the $549 Legion Go S is the sensible pick, especially when the competition has become more expensive. It’s not perfect, but at this price, it’s a reasonable entry point into PC gaming on the go.