The growing market for handheld PC gaming devices just got a little more crowded as a new Steam Deck competitor, the Lenovo Legion Go, has been officially revealed with pricing and a release window. Taking a slightly different approach to PC gaming on the go than its handheld PC competitors, Lenovo’s Legion Go looks to be heavily influenced by the wildly successful Nintendo Switch.
Lenovo’s Steam Deck Competitor, the Legion Go, will be available in October for $699
Confirming a report from early August that suggested Lenovo was working on a Steam Deck competitor, the company has unveiled its Legion Go handheld PC gaming device. As reported by Polygon, the Lenovo Legion Go will be available from the company’s website for $699 starting in October. Those who prefer to pick up the portable at a brick-and-mortar location will also have the option of purchasing the Legion Go at Best Buy and Micro Center. The high-powered handheld features an 8.8-inch touchscreen capable of running 1600p at a 144 Hz refresh rate, though gamers will have the option to dial down the resolution and refresh rate to save battery.
While Lenovo’s entry into the handheld PC gaming market has similar specs to existing devices like Valve’s Steam Deck and the ROG Ally, the Legion Go has a few unique features that set it apart from the competition. Taking a page from Nintendo’s playbook, the Legion Go’s 8.8-inch touchscreen is flanked by a pair of removable controllers similar to the Switch’s Joy-Cons. The inclusion of Hall effect joysticks on the controllers should help to prevent the sort of stick drift problems that have plagued many controllers in recent years.
Rather than using a custom OS like Valve’s popular handheld, Lenovo’s Legion Go will run on Windows 11. In theory, this should allow the Legion Go to play practically any game available on PC, even surpassing the thousands of games playable on the Steam Deck, though players will have to wait until October to see how the Lenovo Legion Go stacks up against its competitors. And with the Legion Go’s $699 price tag representing only the 256 GB base model without any accessories, interested gamers might want to start saving up now.
