TL;DR
At first glance, the Legion Go looks like a big Steam Deck. However, its screen is much bigger and better. The Steam Deck’s display is a 7-inch LCD panel with a 60Hz refresh rate and a 1,280 x 800 resolution. The Legion Go absolutely trounces that with an 8.8-inch LCD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution.
Also, unlike a Steam Deck, the Legion Go features detachable controllers, just like the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons. The Legion Go’s built-in full-body kickstand lets you prop the display on a table and then use the separated controllers to enjoy your gaming session wirelessly. If you’ve ever gotten wrist strain from using a Steam Deck, this will likely be a game-changer.
For first-person shooter (FPS) lovers, the bottom of the right controller has an optical “eye” that behaves like a laser mouse. When you prop it into a magnetic base (included with your purchase), the controller can be slid around the table as a pointer, giving you mouse-like precision. Lenovo calls this, appropriately, FPS Mode. Check the photo gallery above to see what it looks like.
The controllers are also fully customizable with all the standard buttons you need and a few extra triggers. You can choose what each button does in the new Legion Space software, which acts like a hub for all your games, RGB lighting controls, key mapping, and more. Legion Space also allows you to customize settings per game, giving you precise control over optimizing performance and power consumption.
The Lenovo Legion Go features the AMD Ryzen Z1 or Z1 Extreme, depending on the configuration. These are the same processors you’ll find in the two versions of the ROG Ally. Also, like the Ally, it’s powered by the full desktop version of Windows 11, meaning this could be docked and act as a desktop replacement.
There’s a 49.2Wh battery inside the Legion Go. This is about half the size of what you’d find in the average gaming laptop but about 19% larger than the Steam Deck’s and ROG Ally’s batteries, which are both 40Wh. Regardless, when you run out of juice with your Legion Go, you can charge it up at a speed of 65W, bringing you from zero to 70% in about 30 minutes, according to Lenovo. Additionally, each controller has a 900mAh battery pack inside.
Speaking of power, the max TGP of the Legion Go is 25W. You can get this speed by using Custom Mode in the Legion Space software. Using Quiet Mode will significantly drop the TGP but limit the fan noise of the device to around 25dB. Lenovo did not give a decibel rating for the fans at the max 25W TGP, but during our hands-on session, we found them to be very loud.
Lenovo will start selling the Legion Go in October 2023. The company did not give a more specific date. When it does land, it will be available from Lenovo directly, Best Buy, Micro Center, and a few other retail partners. We can only assume these things will be limited in supply, so if you want one, we suggest getting in fast.
At the same time that Lenovo is launching the Legion Go, it is also launching two accessories that work well with the gaming handheld. The Legion Glasses can be connected to the handheld (or most any electronic with a screen) and used as theatre glasses. This would allow you to view the display of the Legion Go in the glasses, preventing you from needing to look down at the display or deal with people looking over your shoulder. Meanwhile, the Legion E510 headphones are wired earbuds that provide 7.1 surround sound. These also work with any device with a 3.5mm headphone jack but match the design aesthetic of the Legion Go.
This content was originally published here.
