Lenovo Legion Go S is First Handheld to Run SteamOS Outside of the Steam Deck, Out in May

At CES 2025, Lenovo revealed their latest portable gaming PC – the updated Legion Go S. This device will be offered in two variants: one powered by Windows 11, and another utilizing SteamOS. The Legion Go S is an evolution of the original Lenovo Legion Go, which debuted as far back as 2023.

As an enthusiast, I can’t wait to get my hands on the Lenovo Legion Go S! This bad boy is packed with some serious specs. For starters, it boasts a 120 Hz refresh rate screen and a resolution of 1920 x 1200. Underneath the hood, it runs on a powerful 55 Wh battery.

The specific internal specs will vary depending on whether you opt for the Windows 11 or SteamOS version. The Windows 11 variant will come with a hefty 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB of storage, and a price tag of $729.99 when it drops in stores later this month. On the other hand, the SteamOS version, due out in May, will sport 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, and a more budget-friendly price of $499.99.

As a dedicated enthusiast, I’m eagerly looking forward to the launch of another variant of Windows 11. This one boasts a robust 16GB RAM and a generous 1TB storage, setting you back $599.99.

The upcoming models of the Lenovo Legion Go S will utilize AMD’s latest chip, the Ryzen Z2 Go, specifically engineered for portable gaming devices. This chip boasts four CPU cores, 12 GPU cores, and can reach peak speeds of 4.3 GHz. As per The Verge, Lenovo’s Legion Go product manager Alex Zhu mentioned that under intense gaming sessions, the battery life on the Lenovo Legion Go S could last between 2 to 2.5 hours.

In addition to revealing the Legion Go S, Valve also shared news about SteamOS expanding beyond the boundaries of the Steam Deck. As per Valve, the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S will come with all the software features that the Steam Deck is recognized for, such as pre-compiled shaders. Furthermore, Valve mentioned that they plan to collaborate with Lenovo to enhance the compatibility of this OS with other handheld devices.

It’s important to mention that as SteamOS, being Linux-based, may encounter similar compatibility problems with the Legion Go S, much like the issues faced by the Steam Deck. Specifically, games with stringent anti-cheat systems tend to perform poorly or not at all on these devices. For instance, Destiny 2 is one of the major games that cannot be played on the Steam Deck due to these compatibility issues.

The beta version of SteamOS is expected to roll out prior to the launch of the Legion Go S, enabling users an early opportunity to test and experience the operating system on various handheld devices.

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2025-01-08 17:11