Legion Go 8.8" 144Hz WQXGA Gaming Handheld - AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme - 16GB with 1 TB SSD

I’m pretty much late into the game. Not because I didn’t jump right in. Bought Rog Ally X in the past and didn’t like it. Was skeptical of the LeGo but took my chances. The LeGo hit the mark. It doesn’t feel like a first gen device. It’s a mature one from design perspectives and features proposition. And now with Bazzite dual booting, it’s such a versatile device. Installing Bazzite is not too complicated and it’s a straightforward process. The hard drive allocation for Bazzite Steam OS is easy to swallow since the LeGo has a micro SD slot that is useable as an additional drive. I’m a fan of handheld devices with detachable controllers. Since LeGo uses Windows by default, the device is not just a portable gaming device, it is a viable device for work purposes. Mini keyboard and mouse are easy to fit in a small sling bag along with the LeGo. I can even bring along a small portable external monitor and the whole setup is still fairly light compared to carrying around a gaming laptop setup. Windows and Xbox gaming in LeGo are great because the framerates are pretty good. It doesn’t need that much tinkering to make AAA titles work well. Assassins Creed Shadows and Helldivers 2 work really well and even can surprised people at the frame rates I was getting with AC Shadows. The screen quality is decent enough though sometimes I wish that it were an OLED. Windows audio is pretty bad, though audio quality improves in Steam OS. The ergonomics are actually pretty good despite the device is not exactly light. The kickstand is a huge contributing factor in making the gaming experience satisfying. Use the kickstand and you won’t be bothered with the weight of the device while playing with the controllers. Or you can use the kickstand, detach the controller and play. There’s a 3D printable controller pad that you can attach the LeGo controllers to. Alternatively, you can use your favorite gaming controller. This device has allowed me to stay in the living room while family members are watching TV instead of gaming in my room. Am I late to the game? Well, there’s an inherent advantage to that: open box prices are so good that the fact that the new LeGo 2 will come out sometime later this year is not a huge factor in deciding ownership especially amidst tariffs uncertainty. Am I excited about LeGo 2? Resoundingly yes. My top 3 reasons: Z2 Extreme, OLED screen and bigger RAM. The LeGo 2 will likely have larger battery capacity, however, these days a large capacity power bank is easy to carry around. For now, game on. This is a solid portable gaming device, and I can see that the device can withstand AAA games with manageable framerates for a few years to come. The LeGo deserves the five stars because this device doesn’t feel like a first gen product.

I also have the non-OLED Steam Deck (since Aug 2022). I upgraded the SSD to 2tb, installed the Hall effect sticks, and even installed the DeckHD screen. While the SD did the things I needed it to, it was frustrating to get a few of the games working. What led me to look at the ROG Ally and Legion Go was because all of a sudden, Balders Gate 3 stopped opening and Persona 3 Reload was running at a measly 15 fps in a few areas. I was also finding that I was continuously needing to tweak my games just so it could run properly. I scoured reviews of both the Ally and Legion Go and decided on the Legion Go due to the screen size and the recent updates which made it a lot better. It was also widely known the Ally had SD card issues due to its placement. I was also concerned about running Windows, but I’m glad I chose the Legion Go. The Ally would’ve just been an incremental upgrade to the SD. Pros - the screen is amazing - since it runs Windows, it can run all my games effortlessly (BG3, Diablo IV, FFXIV with all mods) - Windows allows the flexibility to install everything you would normally on a PC - it can be used as a normal PC especially if you use OneDrive - Hall effect sticks are a game changer - Steam input controls makes navigating Windows a lot better - All my games run better and look better. - Disconnecting the controllers is great - the weight doesn’t bother me. It’s a noticeable difference but doesn’t affect me. - Chianti (for PS5 remote play) runs better than on the SD Cons - battery life is much worse than I thought it would be. It only lasts maybe an hour and a half so I have to plug it in frequently. I’ll eventually tweak the settings to get better battery life, but it gets annoying. - the fan gets really loud in performance mode. You will want to tweak your game settings - the sound out of the box is so bad. You will want to install the Realtek Audio Control app, then look on Reddit for the best settings. This improved it dramatically. Overall I’m glad I got the Legion Go. It’s a significant upgrade, and with the FSR 3.0 mod, it is incredible. Starfield looks almost as good on my PC (AMD 7700x with a XFX 6800 XT card) and runs at about 40 fps.

I really enjoy the Legion Go, it is a versatile gaming machine with quirks. There is a lot of tinkering that needs to be done to have it running your favorite games smoothly. Some games are not well optimized for PC and that can be a huge problem for certain setups especially in the handheld PC world. A game like Resident Evil 4 Remake seemed like a fever dream for me to run on this when it first released as it barely ran on my Intel graphics card. Well in early 2025 I thought its been a while why not download it to my Legion go and see what it looks like. It ran way better than I had anticipated, I was sort of blown away by this thinking back on what a pain the game was on my Arc770le. This thing is great for on the go but you do have limited battery life especially on those more demanding games. I have used this on airplanes with some success though you will need a good backup battery to keep it going for longer. Where this device truly shines for me is just casually playing games around my house or taking the device to my local fighting game meetups. This wont be tournament legal for most of the new fighting games currently out but has been excellent for casual setups. With the removable controllers it makes it more pack-able as well. I have been trying to get friends to also purchase this over the consoles as you do not need a subscription to play steam games and you have the option of Gamepass if you really want it. It also doubles as a compact PC that you can hookup to televisions and portable monitors if you get a dock. The price is always a bit high but there are sales here and there which I would highly recommend you jump on if you get the opportunity. The things that are rough about the device is the tinkering to get games going, where they put the speakers, the sharp design of the device, and the fan sounding like a jet engine. If you dont mind those things there are plenty of positives of this device.

The Lenovo Legion Go is an ambitious entry into the handheld gaming PC market, competing with the Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally. Featuring an 8.8-inch QHD+ display, AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, and removable controllers, it blends high performance with versatility. But is it the ultimate gaming handheld? Here’s a deep dive. Design & Build Quality: Bulky But Functional The Legion Go sports a large 8.8-inch display, making it one of the biggest handhelds available. While the added screen real estate enhances immersion, it also makes the device noticeably bulkier and heavier than its competitors. The detachable controllers are a unique touch, allowing for a Nintendo Switch-like experience. The kickstand is sturdy, making tabletop gaming comfortable. Display: Stunning But Overkill? The 2560x1600 resolution 144Hz display is a significant leap over competitors like the Steam Deck (800p) and ASUS ROG Ally (1080p). Colors pop, and games look incredibly sharp, but the high resolution is overkill for a small screen, especially since most games run smoother at 1080p. Thankfully, the Legion Go lets you adjust resolution and refresh rate for better battery life. Performance: Ryzen Z1 Extreme Delivers With the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme and 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, the Legion Go handles AAA games and emulation effortlessly. Performance is comparable to the ROG Ally, making it one of the most powerful handhelds on the market. However, Windows 11 is still clunky on a handheld, and software optimization can be hit-or-miss. Battery Life: A Weak Spot Despite its 49.2Wh battery, the Legion Go struggles with battery life, lasting around 2-3 hours under heavy gaming loads. This is due to its power-hungry display and processor. Expect to stay near a charger or invest in a power bank for extended play sessions. Controller Experience: A Unique Touch The removable controllers are innovative, with the right controller even doubling as a joystick-style mouse in FPS mode. This could be a game-changer for some, but others might prefer traditional control schemes. Hall effect joysticks eliminate drift issues, which is a great addition. Software & UI: Windows 11 Struggles Running Windows 11, the Legion Go provides full PC gaming flexibility, but Windows isn’t optimized for handhelds. Navigating menus can be frustrating compared to the streamlined experience of SteamOS. Lenovo’s Legion Space UI attempts to simplify things, but it still lacks the polish of Steam Deck’s interface. Verdict: A Feature-Packed Powerhouse with Trade-Offs The Lenovo Legion Go is a powerful, feature-rich handheld that excels in performance, display quality, and versatility. However, its size, weight, battery life, and Windows-based UI hold it back from perfection. If you want top-tier performance with a large screen and unique controller features, this is an excellent choice—but for a more compact, optimized experience, alternatives like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally might be better. Pros & Cons ✔ Gorgeous 8.8” QHD+ 144Hz display ✔ Ryzen Z1 Extreme provides excellent performance ✔ Removable controllers with FPS mode ✔ Hall effect joysticks (no drift) ✔ Versatile form factor with kickstand ✖ Bulky and heavy for a handheld ✖ Battery life is mediocre ✖ Windows 11 is clunky on a handheld ✖ High resolution isn’t always practical for gaming Rating: 8/10 – A powerful handheld PC with great features but notable compromises.

I really really really like my Lenovo Legion Go! But I'm also not a typical user. I've already installed Linux on this device and unlocked more power in doing so. This device is excellent for anyone with patience or who loves to tinker. However, the default experience isn't the best and the first few hours with the device are better spent with a mouse and keyboard - even on windows. At a high level - Good: - Screen is wonderful from a refresh rate and color perspective, but I think the lack of an OLED panel is a mistake. - Performance is outstanding, likely the best of the 2023 handhelds. - Versatility - Again, likely the best of 2023 with a seamless FPS mode and a robust set of features. - Linux compatibility - Plug-and-play with Nobara, Bassite, and ChimeraOS linux distributions with only minor caveats and usually superior performance in every way. - USB4 - Having not one, but TWO full speed (40 Gbps) USB4 ports means this thing can already make use of external GPUs, thunderbolt docks, and other high performance peripherals. Meh: - Battery life is kinda meh. You can get a notable upgrade in battery life by switching to linux, but the display still likely consumes more power than the competing devices. It's not BAD if you know what you're doing and optimize games for 15 watts TDP or less, but still not as good as other devices. - Storage - I have the 1TB model, and I wish I had double the space with modern games reaching 200GB. The SD card slot helps a bit with older/smaller games, but provide a notable impact to load times on games over 40GB in size. USB4 is a far more effective way Bad: - Lenovo's software coupled with Windows is a terrible experience. Since this device has 16GB of memory shared between the CPU and the GPU, you'll often experience issues configuring the GPU with more than 4GB of RAM (leaving 12GB for the cpu) since Windows, on a clean boot, will take up 4-5GB of Ram without loading legion-space or the other tools. Add to this every launcher you'll need and maybe a web browser tab or two, and you run out of RAM fast. This problem is almost entirely a non-issue when running Linux where the RAM usage running Steam Big Picture is less than 2GB - meaning you can go up to an 8GB allocation for the RAM and unlock a TON of performance. - Lack of RAM - as stated above sharing 16GB of ram is tough. That's why modders are already offering upgrades to 32GB (which further unlock 10% MORE performance). In Linux, ZRAM helps make it hurt less.