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The Lenovo Legion Go s was supposed to vary Issues. It was poised to point out valve is not the one one that may construct an inexpensive, moveable, pott handheld gaming computer – you simply want the best design and the best os.
I used to be intrigued by valve’s Personal Steam Deck Designers Advised with This Home windows Handheld Double as the primary authorized-party steamos handheld this may increasingly. Very i heard lenovo had procoured an unique amd chip that woulp assist that steamos model hit $ 499, i bought excited for a real steam deck computor.
However i am afraid that chip ain’t it.
I’ve spent Weeks Dwelling with a legion go s Powered by Amd’s Z2 Go, the Identical Chip Slated to Seem in that $ 499 Handheld. I’ve youd it with bot Home windows and Bazzite, a steamos-like Linux Distro that Eliminates A lot of Home windows’ Most Annoying Quirks. I TESTED BOTH Instantly in opposition to a steam deck oled and the unique legion go, anticipating to seek out it between the 2 when it comes to efficiency and battery life. However that not what i discovered.
Watt for Watt, Its Z2 Go Chip Merely Cannot Compete with the Steam Deck, and It ‘Weaker than the Z1 Excessive in Final 12 months’s Handhelds. That is inexcusable on the $ 730 worth you will At present pay for the Home windows model, and that i will not be the primary mission to say so. However with this much less environment friendly chip and a mere 55 watt-hour battery, I fear the legion go s is an effective selection in any respect.
$ 730
The great
Good EgonomicsGRAT Variable Refresh Charge Screenpowerful Coolingfast 100W Charging
The Unhealthy
Efficiency is simply too Too Bloated and Cannot Be Trusted to SleepsomeWhat Slippery Texturenearly Ineffective Touchpad
I need to say the legion go s “Makes a fantastic first impression,” however Home windows 11 Nonetheless Contains a horrible out-of-box Expertise. I Spent Practically 45 minutes Ready for Necessary Updates to Set up and Dissising Darkish-Patterned Affords for Microsoft Merchandise that don’t have any enterprise being on my handheld gaming.
Nonetheless, the go s is stu Far Higher than the unique legion go, whose flat-fached controls felt awkward in my fingers. The New Moveable has a few of the best-sculpted grips I’ve felt on a handheld, although their easy sew can Really feel a Little Slippery. I would have gone with extra aggressive stipple to assist with Maintain its 1.61-Pound Weight.
Photograph by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
Photograph by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
But it surely buts buttons all really feel exact and safe, if the triggers are longer than I would like, and its concave-topped, drift-resistant Corridor effectures FEEL COMFY AND WONDERFULY SMOOTH TO SPIN. The Solely Weak Management is the Touchpad, which is so tiny i flick repeatedly to maneuver the cursor an inch at a time.
Audio is far improked from front-facing audio system, and a Giant Fan Strikes Air whereas Staying Quieter than earlier than. And It ‘and one of many Quickest-Charging Handhelds But-I clockhed every of its top-mounted USB 4 ports drafting a full 100 watts of USB-C Energy Throughout Precise Use. The cool and charging are so good, Lenovo enables you to crank the chip as much as 40-watt tdp whereas plugged in or 33 watts on battery alone.
The backs of the unique legion go and legion go s, exhibiting removable controls vs. Fastened grips. Photograph by Sean Holister / The Verge
However as you will see in my benchmark charts, the z2 go Merely is not within the Identical ballpark because the steam deck’s “sephiroth” chip. In some video games, it will probably’t beat the steam deck in any respect, that is when you plug it in and crank all of it the way in which up.
Legion Go S 720p Benchmarks
vary
Legion Go S (Z2 Go)
Steam deck oled
Legion Go (Z1 Excessive)
Z1E vs. Z2 Go
AC VALHALLA, 15-WATT TDP444524911.36percent20-WATT TDP55N/A6314.55percent25-WATT TDP60N/A6915.00percent30-WATT TDP62N/A7114.52percentplugged in6527312.31percentCyberpunk 207, 15 TDP36524216.67percent20-watt TDP41N/a5431.71percent25-watt TDP45N/a5931.11percent30-watt tdp46n/a6132.61percentplugged in49526226.53% TDP5670618.93percent20-watt TDP63N/a8433.33percent25-watt tdp66n/a8934.85percent30-watt tdp67n/a9135.82percentplugged in70709231.43percenthorizon Remaid. TDP18342538.89percent20-watt TDP21N/a2833.33percent25-watt tdp20n/a2840.00percent30-watt tdp24n/a2816.67percentplugged in2433337.50percentreturnal, 15-wattt TDP24263233.33percent20-Watt TDP26N/A3846.15percent25-WATT TDP29N/A4037.93percent30-WATT TDP30N/A4136.67percentPLUGGED IN32263818.75percentShadow of the Tomb Raider, 15-Watt TDP536150-5.66percent20-watt TDP53N/a6930.19percent25-watt TDP55n/a7536.36percent30-watt tdp64n/a7314.06percentplugged in65617515.38%
Common Framerates. All Video games Examined at 720p and Low or (Cyberpunk 2077) Handdheld-Particular Settings.
Take Cyberpunk 2077. With the Steam Deck, Which Runs at 15-Watt TDP, I Can Common 52 FRAMES FOR SECOND AT UPSCAled 720p Decision and Low Settings on Battery Energy Alone. But when If I Feed the Legion Go S Watts and Plug It Right into a Wall, the Open-World Recreation Runs Slower at 49fps. And that is after a brand new set of drivers; The Transport ons Have been A lot Worsse.
Photograph by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
In Different Video games, Cranking Up Lenovo’s TDP by 5, 10, OR 15 Watts Can Give it a Comfy Lead over the deck. However that Considerably Battery Impacts. In Lenovo’s Default 25W “Efficiency” mode, i noticed some video games run simply as easily as on the deck-but with Whole System Energy Consumption of Round 36 Watts, Draining the Handheld’s 55 Watt-Hour Battery in Hour and A Half. The Steam Deck, which Drains at Round 22 to 24 Watts at Full Bore, Lasts Two Hours on the Identical smoothness.
I’ve posseible excellent news about steamos: be i put in foundation, which may function an honest preview of what steamos may feel and look like, i noticed frames enhance by a mean of 16 p.c in early exams (minus returnal, whic appears to to to to to to Hate Linux for Some Motive), and Foundation is Such a Breath of Contemporary Air after Trying to make use of Home windows. But it surely nonetheless did not reache steam deck efficiency except I sacrificed extra battery to get it. That WORKS WITH A HANDHELD LIKE THE ASUS ROG ALY X WITH A BIG 80 WATT-HOUR BATTERERY, however not a lot.
Legion Go s Home windows vs. Foundation
vary
Legion Go S (Home windows)
Legion Go S (Bazzite)
Steam deck oled
Foundation vs. Home windows
Cyberpunk 2077, 15-Watt TDP36425216.67percent20-WATT TDP4153N/A29.27percent25-WATT TDP4559N/A31.11percent30-WATT TDP4660N/A30.43percentplugged in49605222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222. 15-Watt TDP56627010.71percent20-Watt TDP6374N/A17.46percent25-Watt TDP6680N/A21.21percent30-Watt TDP6784N/A25.37percentPLUGGED IN70827017.14percentReturnal, 15-Wattt TDP241726-29.17percent20-Watt TDP2622N/A-15.38percent25-Watt TDP2924N/A-17.24percent30-Watt TDP3025N/A-16.67percentPLUGGED IN322526-21.88percentShadow of the Tomb Raider, 15-Watt TDP535161-3.77percent20-watt TDP5359N/a11.32percent25-watt tdp5562n/a12.73percent30-watt tdp6463n/a-1.56percentplugged in6565610.00%
Common Framerates. All Video games Examined at 720p and Low or (Cyberpunk 2077) Handdheld-Particular Settings.
Should you crank up the z2 Go, its “turbo” modes are By no means wherever close to as Efficient because the z1 excessive in final years. In my exams, the unique legion go along with z1e run wherever from 15 p.c to 40 Evaluating Home windows to Home windows – A Lot for a handheld, the place trendy video games wrestle to achieve easy frames in any respect.
The legion go s have have an ace up it sleeve: its crisp, colourful 1920 x 1200 ip display appears to be like at Decrease resolutions than its predecessor’s 2560 x 1600 panel, and it runs extra easily at Decrease Body charges now has vrr to regulate Its Refresh Charge Anyplace Between 48Hz and 120Hz on the Fly. I WAUDED NOT BUY A LEGION Go Over a Legion Go S for this Motive Alone.
Photograph by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
And when you primarily play video games that do not require efficiency, the legion go s is a little more environment friendly at Decrease wattage: by setting tdp, brightness, and refresh charge low, i used to be capable of achieves a complete of simply 7.5w batin drain In Home windows and 7W in Foundation Flest Enjoying Magic Math Poker Recreation Balatro. That is ought to web with seven to eight hours of battery life, and you must be capable of hit the four-hour marks these simply by setting the legion go s 8-watt tdp “quiet” mode. Be i performed the simillary Straightforward to run slay the spire on the unique legion go, Pulling out all of the stops, i cannn’t attain 5 hours.
Photograph by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge
However Once more, The Steam Deck Does Efficcycia Higher. Merely Restrict Body Charge to 25fps and Brightness to 40 P.c Can Yield Over Eight Hours of Balatro on the Deck, and i have Gotten 4 Hours, 42 minutes in diver there. With the legion go s, my dave solely bought 2.5 hours to hunt these sushi substances and blow up pretend environmentists!
I’m Comfy Saying No One Ought to Purchase the Home windows Model of the Lenovo Legion Go S, Which Prices $ 730 at Greatest Purchase. If the Efficiency, Battery Life, and Value Weren’t Disqualifiers, Home windows is a stain on this machine. And like different current home windows handhelds i’ve examined, it doesn’t non secular fall asleep and get up once more: i woke a number of mornings to seek out the system sizzling with followers spinning, ede although button the earlier night. I discovered it uncomfortablely waring it out of my Bag the Different Day.
Should you choose Home windows to steamos, you may get notbyr Higher efficiency and much Battery Life from the $ 800 Asus Rog All X, WHICH IS WORTH EVERY EXTRA PENNY, Significantly SINCE IT DOUBLES AS THE BAST MACHINE YOU CAN BUY.
However when you add you add to the legion go s, it’s no steam deck, and i am not sura than’ll by Might. Should you’re waking for a $ 499 legion go s with steamos, here is my recommendation: simply purchase a $ 530 steam deck oled as an alternative.
AGREE to Proceed: Legion Go s
Each Sensible Machine Now Requires You to Comply with A Collection of Phrases and Circumstances earlier than you possibly can – Contracts that nobody truly reads. It ‘Not possible for US to Learn and Analyze Each Single One in every of these Agreements. However we begin counted precisely what number of extra occasions you need to hit “aggree” to make use of units when now we have reviewed, SINCE These are aggrements Most individuals do not learn and undoubtedly cannot negotiate.
To start out utilizing the legion go s, you will Must aggree to the next:
Microsoft Software program License Phrases: Home windows Working System and Phrases of USELenovo Restricted Guarantee and “Software program License Agreements”
You Can Additionally Say “Sure” or “No” to the Following:
Privateness Settings (Location, Discover My Machine, Sharing Diagnostic Date, Inking and Typing, Tailor-made Expertise, Promoting ID)
That is two necessary aggrements and 6 elective aggrements. Home windows Additionally Asks You If You Need A Number of Software program and Subscription Companies Through the out-of-box Expertise.
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Lenovo Legion Go S Overview: Feels Good, Performs Unhealthy
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