Lenovo Legion Go S with Windows launches this month, SteamOS model coming in May

The Lenovo Legion Go S is a handheld gaming PC with an 8 inch, 120 Hz IPS LCD display, integrated game controllers, and support for up to an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.

Lenovo says a model with Windows 11 software will be available this month for $730 with cheaper configurations starting at $600 coming in May, 2025. The company will also offer a version that ships with SteamOS for $500 and up starting in May, making the Legion Go S the first handheld other than the Steam Deck to ship with a licensed version of Valve’s Linux-based operating system for handhelds.

While the SteamOS version has a lower starting price, there are some folks that would argue that this will be the better model to get since it has an operating system that’s designed from the ground up for handhelds. Windows is first and foremost an operating system for laptops and desktops, and while there are still some PC games that only run on Windows and not SteamOS, it can still feel like a poor fit for devices that don’t have a mouse or keyboard.

Unlike the original Lenovo Legion Go, the controllers on the new Legion Go S are not detachable, and the screens are a little smaller, making the Legion Go S a slightly more compact device. It’s also a tad lighter weight, at 730 grams (1.61 pounds) compared with 854 grams (1.88 pounds) for the original Legion Go. And that’s in spite of the fact that the Legion Go S has a larger (55.5 Wh) battery than the Legion Go (49.2 Wh).

The Legion Go S will also be available with up to 32GB of LPDDR5x-7500 memory, which is twice the amount available on the original Legion Go. And entry-level configurations will feature an “exclusive to Lenovo Legion Go AMD Ryzen Z2 Go processor,” which is the cheapest chip in the new Ryzen Z2 series: it combines four AMD Zen 3+ CPU cores with 12 RDNA 2 GPU compute units.

Otherwise, the hardware for this model are pretty similar to Lenovo’s first handheld… the biggest difference being that by offering a SteamOS option, Lenovo is now giving users a choice of using Valve’s console-like operating system with support for features like cloud game saves for quickly resuming play or transition between a desktop, laptop, and PC. There’s also support for Steam Remote Play for streaming games from a PC.

Meanwhile folks who want a true next-gen device might want to wait a little longer for the upcoming 2nd-gen Lenovo Legion Go. The company unveiled a prototype at CES 2025, but hasn’t yet announced pricing or availability details.

That Legion Go 2 will keep the original Legion Go’s physical design with an 8.8 inch screen and detachable controllers, but it will have an OLED display, support for up to an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor (w, and a 74 Wh battery, among other upgrades.

press release