The Lenovo Legion Go S finally made its debut here at CES 2025, and over in a corner in AMD’s room, I managed to find the console, along with the second generation, full-fat Legion Go to have a go at.
Now, if you didn’t already know, the Legion Go S comes in two flavours: one running Windows 11 and another running on SteamOS. The latter is an important and, in my opinion, one of the more exciting models, as it marks the first time that a gaming handheld besides the Steam Deck is able to run Valve’s Proton-based operating system. Sadly, AMD didn’t have the model with SteamOS and I had to make do with the Windows 11 model but regardless, both systems run on the same hardware.
And by the same hardware, I’m talking the AMD Ryzen Z2 Go that was recently announced, alongside the Z2 and Z2 Extreme. That’s the model with four Zen3 CPU cores and 12 RDNA2 Graphics Core, which are the same generation as the custom APU found in the APU. That said, I can confidently tell you that my brief run through with the console was anything but.
AMD had the Legion Go S running Ratchet and Clank A Rift Apart and after a couple of tweaks to the graphics – turning on FSR3 and Frame Gen, lowering the graphics settings – I was able to get the game running on a choppy 60 fps. It’s impressive, considering the console is running what is essentially an older generation architecture. At this stage, though, I’ll need the console in my lab to run the usual tests and benchmarks, in order to paint a more concrete picture.
Moving on, let’s talk about the chassis of the Legion Go S. I like it, truly. As a whole or rather, one piece gaming console without the Joycon-inspired detachable controllers, it feels solid and rigid in my hands. It still holds dual USB4 ports but unlike its sibling, both ports are located at the top of the spine.
The display is still an 8-inch FHD+ panel with a refresh rate of 120Hz, more than plenty for most use case scenarios. The controls are different from the Legion Go; because it has no removable parts, It uses the asymmetrical Xbox style controller layout, with symmetrical trigger and shoulder buttons at the top, plus two more at the rear. It even gets a trigger depth switch behind, allowing you to change how deep the triggers sink when you pull them in.
So, yeah, if you like them shallow like my colleague does, then this should be right up your alley, although to be fair, he’s absolutely repulsed by the Xbox controller layout.
The Windows 11 version of the Lenovo Legion Go S is slated to hit the market starting this month, while the SteamOS version of the gaming handheld is expected to ship out to the masses in May this year. At the time of writing, there is still no word on local pricing and availability.
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