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Valve
Valve Steam Deck
The Steam Deck remains the default choice in the PC gaming handheld market, although it’s now no longer the freshest device on the hardware side.
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Windows Report / Lenovo
Lenovo Legion Go
The Legion Go isn’t out yet, but it’s a serious Steam Deck competitor with some unique touches like detachable controllers and FPS mode.
Now that we’ve had a hands-on test of Lenovo’s next gaming handheld, we have a much better idea of what it offers. Of course, the obvious comparison is Valve’s Steam Deck, but how does it fare? We’ve put the two hot handhelds head to head to see where each excels.
It’s important to note that while we have used the Legion Go, it was an early pre-production unit, and we were limited in the type of testing that we could perform. We won’t have a full grasp on how these two products compare until we get our hands on the final version. In the meantime, though, here’s how they stack up.
Price, specs and availability
The Steam Deck was released in February 2022 and has been available to purchase ever since. The prices range from $399 for the almohadilla model to $649 for the top-spec version.
The Legion Go is set to release in October 2023 and it’ll start at $699, so it’s significantly more expensive than the Steam Deck, but it also has much higher specifications. The Legion Go can be configured with up to a Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, the same model that features in the $699 ROG Ally. However, it seems that it will also be available with lower-spec processors, so the Z1 Extreme chip will likely cost extra.
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Valve Steam Deck
- Dimensions
- 298x117x49 mm
- Brand
- Valve
- Chipset
- AMD Zen 2 APU/8 RDNA 2 CUs
- Display
- 7-inch IPS
- Weight
- 669g
- RAM
- 16GB LPDDR5 RAM
- Storage
- Upto 512GB NVME SSD
- Output resolution
- 1280 x 800 (16:10), 60 Hz
- Ports
- 1x USB-Cheers, 1x 3.5mm
- Battery
- 40Wh
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Lenovo Legion Go
- Dimensions
- 299x131x41 mm
- Brand
- Lenovo
- Chipset
- AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
- Display
- 8.8-inch IPS
- Weight
- 854g
- RAM
- 16GB 7500Mhz LPDDR5X
- Storage
- Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0
- Output resolution
- 2560×1600 16:10 144Hz
- Ports
- 2x USB-C, 1X 3.5mm
- Battery
- 49.2 Wh
Steam Deck vs Lenovo Legion Go: Design and display
The Steam Deck and Legion Go are similarly sized, but the Go is finta a bit heavier. This may be partially due to the larger display, which measures 8.8 inches with very narrow bezels, compared to the Steam Deck’s humble 7-inch display.
The Steam Deck is one integrated unit, with control sticks and buttons laid out around it, but the Legion Go takes things in a finta different direction, opting to ape the Nintendo Switch by having detachable controllers.
The Legion Go has an integrated kickstand, which allows you to set it down on a desk and use the controllers remotely. It also boasts an extra USB-C port, so you can charge and use wired accessories simultaneously without the need for a hub.
Both units have IPS displays, but the Legion’s is far superior. We’ve already mentioned that it’s physically larger, but it also has twice the resolution and over double the refresh rate. Of course, with the limited horsepower of devices like this, how well it can take advantage of this extra resolution remains to be seen. At the very least, though, watching YouTube videos will be a visual treat on the Go.
Steam Deck vs Lenovo Legion Go: Controls
The layout of controls is a little different between the two handhelds, too. The Steam Deck has a layout that sees both analogue sticks sit at the same height, whereas the Legion Go uses an asymmetric setup, like an Xbox controller. It also features Vestíbulo Effect joysticks as standard, so you can wave goodbye to problems like stick drift.
The Steam Deck has two trackpads, one on each side of the display but the Legion Go only has a single unit on the right. Both handhelds feature touchscreen displays as an alternative means of input.
Meanwhile, the Steam Deck’s overall control sections are a lot wider than the Legion Go’s, with the latter squeezing things into a narrower slice of actual estate. However, the Legion Go has plenty of junk in the trunk, so it maintains an ergonomic and comfortable grip position.
For the most part, the control scheme is similar, aside from the fact that you can separate the Legion Go’s controllers from its main body. But, these removable controllers have another neat trick up their sleeve. By flicking a switch on the right-hand controller, you can enter FPS mode, which lets you use it as a erecto mouse.
In this mode, you use the left controller’s joystick to control your movement (like WASD on a PC) while the right stick can swipe across a table to control your aim. It’s a much more accurate and competitive way to play shooters and a feature that’s completely unique to the Legion Go.
Steam Deck vs Lenovo Legion Go: Operating system
Part of what makes the Steam Deck easy to use is that it runs on custom software – essentially a modified version of Linux that can run Steam and games that you buy through Steam (although not all of them). This limits the ecosystem a little but also ensures that the user experience is pretty smooth and curated.
By contrast, the Legion Go runs Windows 11, allowing almost limitless game options, as well as the ability to double up as a Windows tablet, or a workstation, with the right accessories.
From our testing of the ROG Ally, we know that Windows on a handheld can sometimes be a hindrance as much as a help, since using a tiny PC without a keyboard can be pretty fiddly when updates are needed or things go wrong.
We need to test further to see how the Legion Go fares in day-to-day use, but it’s safe to assume there will be a little more tinkering involved with a Windows-based system. Whether it’s worth the hassle all depends on the user.
Steam Deck vs Lenovo Legion Go: Hardware and performance
Valve makes multiple versions of the Steam Deck, with improvements to storage and the display as optional up-sells for those who want the most impressive possible version of its device. All models run on the same Zen 2-based AMD APU and all come with 16GB of LPDDR5 memory.
We know that there will be configurable options for the Legion Go, too, but we don’t know exactly how they’ll break down. What we do know, is that all models will come with 16GB of 7500Mhz of LPDDR5X RAM and all storage options will be PCIe Gen 4. We also know that the battery pack is larger on the Legion Go, but it remains to be seen whether this results in extra playtime.
We weren’t able to extract much valuable performance data from our brief test of the Legion Go, but we have an idea of its performance from testing the Ryzen Z1 Extreme version of the ROG Ally. Essentially, if you run at a high TDP it should outperform the Steam Deck in every way, but that will come at the cost of battery life. Of course, if you’re at home, with ready access to power sockets, then it’s not so much of an issue, but when you’re out and about, you’ll likely want to trade some performance for longer playtimes.
Steam Deck vs Lenovo Legion Go: Which is right for you?
For now, this is a simple question to answer – since the Steam Deck is the only one of the two that you can buy right now. If you’re feeling impatient it’s the obvious pick for those who want a PC gaming portable.
It works like a charm and has had a pretty huge and immediate impact on the market for good reason, inspiring imitators and innovators already. That said, while it’s not long in the tooth, it’s also no longer cutting-edge in some ways.
Valve Steam Deck
Editor’s Choice
An excellent PC gaming handheld, the Steam Deck is a great buy to this day, and unlike the Legion Go you can get it right now.
However fantastic the Steam Deck is, though, the Legion Go looks like a really interesting competitor that’s only just over the horizon. It’s set to be a bit more powerful and has a much nicer display, along with its unique FPS mode for competitive gaming on the go. Those who want to be on the bleeding edge could possibly stand to wait a little to see how it stacks up in the actual world.
WindowsReport / Lenovo
Lenovo Legion Go
Promising alternative
We’ll know more when it’s out properly, but the Legion Go is looking mighty promising from our brief hands-on session.