Lenovo Legion Go S Review: Priced To Play Itself

In a universe the place all different competing merchandise don’t exist, together with Lenovo’s personal Legion Cross, I’d most likely be marveling at how the Legion Cross S is in a position to carry totally fledged PC video games to the arms of our fingers. I’d don’t have anything to check it to, so I’d be blown away through the functionality, the battery existence, the fee level – it all. However we don’t reside in that universe. Lenovo’s personal first access into this product class exists. The ASUS ROG Best friend and Best friend X exist. The Steam Deck exists.

In many ways, it’s precisely what I would like. It travels roads I want the unique 2023 Legion Cross had traveled. It packs in options different PC hand-held makers will have to consider of. There are portions of this device that carry me respectable pleasure. In others, the Legion Cross S is deeply disappointing. It makes some unusual possible choices, specifically in regard to its energy and its positioning out there, that make me fight to look how it would have compatibility into my existence.

The Legion Cross S reveals itself in a crowded PC hand-held area. Sadly, it doesn’t do just about sufficient to face out. So we’re all at the similar web page, listed here are the specs for the Legion Cross S variant this evaluation is having a look at:

Let’s dive in.

The Legion Cross S Is One Of The Highest-Designed, Highest-Feeling Handhelds On The Marketplace

A Triumph In Design

I’m no longer the most important fan of the unique Lenovo Legion Cross. Efficiency-wise, it no doubt will get the process performed. It may possibly care for the duty of operating maximum video games slightly smartly. However to at the present time, I will’t get previous what I imagine to be its a large number of design flaws, maximum of which might be the results of the “gimmicks” Lenovo selected to incorporate within the software.

The Legion Cross S, nearly as despite the fact that it learn a tick list of court cases about its older sibling, addresses each and every unmarried considered one of them in gratifying style. To come up with an concept of the way top I’m in this design, I’ll say this: the Legion Cross S doesn’t simply leapfrog the Legion Cross – it’s creating a case for “best-designed PC hand-held,” length.

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Its weight (1.61 lbs) may be very lightly allotted right through the software. This can be a better hand-held, however it doesn’t really feel like one. You’ll be able to one-hand the Legion Cross S to take a snappy sip or to test your telephone with relative ease. It doesn’t really feel unwieldy within the slightest.

The ergonomics are an enormous step up from the OG Legion Cross. Irrespective of the way you grip across the slightly considerable handles in this software, you’ll to find curvy, textured convenience; no longer a pointy, adverse edge in sight. This, mixed with the spot-on weight distribution, is helping the Legion Cross S sink without problems into your fingers and allows you to center of attention extra for your video games as an alternative of at the large slab of tech you’re preserving.

The 8-inch IPS show is dazzling. No, it’s no longer OLED, however it does its process moderately smartly the entire similar. Colours glance great and colourful. The backlight can cross rather vibrant for daylight play or extraordinarily dim for the ones late-night gaming periods. VRR (variable refresh charge) is helping deal with fluidity through matching the show’s refresh charge on your sport’s body charge, so the visuals glance easy even supposing functionality jumps round. Inconsistent functionality has a tendency to occur on handhelds, so I’m moderately delighted about VRR making it into the Legion Cross S.

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I consider that an 8-inch show, particularly at a 16:10 facet ratio, is the candy spot for PC handhelds. It’s no longer too small and it’s no longer too large. I’m a bit of extra iffy in this one wanting to be 1920×1200, however it’s simple sufficient to set a decrease base answer inside the Legion House device if you wish to eke out extra functionality. If somebody at Lenovo is listening, despite the fact that: 800p is ok!

Button and joystick placement each really feel herbal. The sticks have just right rigidity to them. The buttons have a suitable quantity of go back and forth. I’ve come to want this “saucer” form of d-pad, so I’m satisfied the Legion Cross S has one. The shoulder buttons are probably the most splendid I’ve used on any software. The triggers really feel a bit of bit shallow, however in referencing my different portables, that is extra the rule of thumb than the exception (everybody has some room to enhance right here).

The set off locks are an excessively great addition, and one thing different producers may just stand so as to add on their very own handhelds. The facility to move from the total analog vary to hair-trigger firing is if truth be told helpful, and is made conceivable through the truth that there aren’t any removable controllers in this device (hint-hint, Lenovo).

The mini trackpad gained’t be of a lot use in video games, however, as a result of this can be a Home windows software, you’ll inevitably want to engage with that underlying working gadget sooner or later. A trackpad makes that more uncomplicated to do. Merchandise just like the ROG Best friend and Best friend X could be a bit of bit higher with the inclusion of 1, so I’m satisfied Lenovo is sticking to its weapons in this characteristic.

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Xbox’s Showed Hand held Console Is Simply Too Past due

Xbox has a hand-held gaming software within the works, however it’s unclear free up window is already a explanation why to consider it gained’t be aggressive.

In spite of everything, a spherical of applause is due for the Legion Cross S’s front-firing audio system. I’m no audio engineer, however I do have ears. The sound at the Legion Cross S is head and shoulders above the unique Legion Cross, and I will’t assist however really feel like taking pictures that sound towards the individual listening would possibly have one thing to do with it.

All in all, the place design is worried, the Legion Cross S is incredible. I will’t assist however to find myself wishing that this was once Lenovo’s flagship shape issue; that the corporate was once placing the most recent, maximum robust chips and the most important batteries into this precise dimension and form. That most likely gained’t be the case for 2025 – there’s a Legion Cross 2 at the manner – however I’ll be crossing my arms for subsequent yr.

Tool Is Nonetheless A Subpar Enjoy

(That Isn’t In point of fact Lenovo’s Fault)

At the device facet, there are two components we’re going to hide. One is Legion House, which is Lenovo’s personal homegrown app for launching video games and managing your Legion Cross S software. The opposite is Home windows, the aggravating, extraordinarily bloated desktop working gadget that Legion House tries desperately to cover.

Let’s speak about Legion House first.

When the unique Legion Cross introduced in October 2023, Legion House was once in a coarse state. It lacked lots of the options present in competing device suites. There have been additionally a number of system faults provide that no longer most effective hampered the person enjoy, however hampered the functionality of the Legion Cross itself.

Speedy ahead to the current day, and Legion House is in a a lot better position now. I will’t say completely each and every hollow has been plugged, however maximum of them have. There are nonetheless some issues I’d love to look from it (game-specific settings, for instance). I’m nonetheless no longer sizzling at the retailer as the primary touchdown spot whilst you open the app. However the place launching your put in video games, mapping controls, developing customized energy profiles and conserving your software up to date cross, Legion House does its process smartly. The whole lot works as you’d be expecting it to.

I don’t assume you’ll to find so much to bitch about with Legion House.

Home windows, alternatively…

I don’t wish to repeat what’s already been stated hundreds of instances across the web, however I’m going to: Home windows isn’t a just right working gadget for hand-held PCs. Little or no in regards to the Home windows enjoy is handheld-friendly. Home windows does not anything to tailor itself in keeping with who’s the use of it and what software it’s operating on. Everybody will get the entirety, which means that a gamer putting in place a Legion Cross S is doomed to get little advertisements for Microsoft 365, pop-ups for OneDrive, and a movement of endless updates and reboots.

In all probability the worst phase about Home windows because the underlying OS is how it handles hibernation and sleep. It doesn’t – a minimum of no longer reliably. Put your Legion Cross S to sleep and you could go back to search out its battery totally useless. Or you could to find it’s inexplicably come again to existence and has been cooking within your bag for the previous half-hour. That that is nonetheless a topic in 2025 is unacceptable.

To be transparent: none of that is on Lenovo, which did not anything however put the arena’s hottest PC gaming OS on a tool kind that, at this level, is a number of years previous. Microsoft has moved at a snail’s tempo to correctly beef up Home windows on hand-held PCs, introducing piecemeal updates to its Xbox and Recreation Bar apps whilst no longer doing an entire lot else. Those updates did upload just right capability, however haven’t performed a lot to deal with the bigger problems that accompany full-fat Home windows on a transportable.

I’m no longer positive what model of chess offers your opponent 5 strikes on your one, however that appears to be the sort Microsoft is enjoying in regards to this burgeoning marketplace. That Lenovo is hedging its bets through liberating a SteamOS-powered model of the Legion Cross S (due out this Spring) will have to have the alarms sounding in Redmond.

Efficiency On The Legion Cross S Leaves A Lot To Be Desired

Room For Development

The Legion Cross S is the primary hand-held to characteristic an AMD Z2 chip. The only discovered on this software is the Z2 Cross. Going through the title by myself, you could consider the Cross S – with this chip on board – brings with it some next-generation functionality. You may consider it’s in a position to outclassing probably the most handhelds these days in the marketplace.

You’d be unsuitable. That’s to not say the Legion Cross S is a horrible performer. There’s simply no longer in point of fact a spot the place it excels.

Let’s take into consideration hand-held PC functionality the use of two buckets: low energy and top energy. Low energy will come with the rest at or under 15 watts. Prime energy will come with the rest above 15 watts.

In my comparability trying out, which put the Legion Cross S up towards the Steam Deck OLED and the ROG Best friend X, the Legion Cross S constantly failed to overcome the Steam Deck OLED at the decrease finish and the ROG Best friend X at the upper finish.

To make issues worse for the Legion Cross S, because of differing max energy ranges between the 2 units (each unplugged and plugged in), I ran comparisons the use of decrease TDPs at the Best friend X. It nonetheless beat the Cross S handily in each and every matchup.

Within reason, Lenovo isn’t advertising the Legion Cross S as an ROG Best friend X killer. The Z2 Cross chip it makes use of isn’t the highest-end chip in its circle of relatives. That difference belongs to the as-yet-unseen Z2 Excessive. For this reason, it’s no longer sensible to be expecting the Legion Cross S to face toe to toe with probably the most extra robust PC handhelds from the previous yr.

That also leaves us with the Steam Deck OLED, despite the fact that, which is consuming the Legion Cross S’s lunch at each 10 watts and 15 watts. Those are the facility ranges for the Cross S’s Silent Mode and Balanced Mode, respectively. If the Legion Cross S could also be shedding right here, requiring extra juice to succeed in the similar ranges of functionality as Valve’s hand-held, then what precisely is it making an attempt to succeed in? What’s its explanation why for being?

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All of this performs a significant function in battery existence. Lenovo’s determination to incorporate a 55.5Whr battery isn’t a topic in itself – that’s a sexy middle-of-the-road battery dimension when in comparison to different handhelds in the marketplace (the Steam Deck OLED packs a 50Whr battery, for instance).

However the Legion Cross S wishes extra wattage to hit cheap body charges. If you’ll swing 15W (Balanced) for your sport of selection, you’re taking a look at round 2 to two.5 hours of battery existence. Should you’re pressured to visit 30W (Efficiency), alternatively, that turns into 1 to at least one.5 hours.

The Deck, in the meantime, can cross to 10W or under in additional titles, pushing its runtime in the ones video games as much as 3 hours and past. The Best friend X, operating at 25W, can lean on its huge 80Whr battery to squeeze out 2 to two.5 hours. With all of this laid out, it’s simply in point of fact onerous to discover a position the place, performance-wise, the Legion Cross S competes.

The Legion Cross S Worth Tag Is Stunning

Now not A Finances-Pleasant Possibility

With an MSRP of, say, $500 or $550, I wouldn’t chide the Legion Cross S for its functionality just about up to I’ve. A value like that may put it within the combine with a number of choices within the Steam Deck lineup. It’d be offering a sexy compelling selection to the apparent Z1 ROG Best friend fashions nonetheless floating round on this planet. And it could go away some room for units just like the Legion Cross 2 to come back in and be price-competitive with long run top class handhelds.

That isn’t in any respect what’s going down right here. This model of the Legion Cross S has a prompt retail fee of $729.99 USD. Let’s put this into standpoint.

The Steam Deck OLED, which I used above as a comparability level for decrease energy functionality, begins at $549. To be frank, even the bottom, non-OLED Steam Deck will get very as regards to that very same stage of functionality. To make it simple, let’s say the Steam Deck circle of relatives begins at $399. This is about $330 less expensive than the Legion Cross S.

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The ROG Best friend X, which I used as a comparability level for upper energy functionality, begins at $799.99. This is simply $70 extra for a tool that can play your video games a lot better and, because of its huge battery, for much longer. Lenovo’s personal first-generation Legion Cross remains to be in the marketplace. It begins at $699.99, however on the time of this writing, Highest Purchase has it on sale for $649.99. The Legion Cross has the similar Z1 Excessive chip discovered within the ASUS ROG Best friend X. It has a bigger 8.8-inch show. It has design components I’m no longer specifically keen on, positive, and the 49.2Whr battery isn’t the beefiest available in the market. However it could be offering just right functionality!

It’s good to, at this time, spend $80 much less to get one thing that outperforms the Lenovo Legion Cross S – from Lenovo. If I’m coming throughout as bewildered at this time, it’s as a result of I’m. I’m no longer positive how Lenovo arrived at this fee level for the Legion Cross S. However I don’t assume it is smart.

The Ultimate Verdict: The Legion Cross S Is Tricky To Suggest

Higher Choices At Higher Costs

Hand held gaming PCs have come some distance previously few years. I nonetheless to find myself in awe now and again that they exist. How improbable is it that we will be able to play Elden Ring at 30+ FPS at the subway? Or wrap up a Forza Horizon 5 race at 60+ FPS whilst ready within the physician’s workplace?

The Legion Cross S is in a position to doing either one of the above. And as I stated on the bounce, if no different such handhelds existed, and this one was once the primary, I’d be completely floored. However it isn’t the primary. The Legion Cross S enters a marketplace this is changing into extra aggressive and extra mature with each and every passing day. There are already many choices to be had to players who crave a transportable enjoy. Extra will arrive within the months forward. And because of what’s already available in the market on retailer cabinets, a price-to-performance precedent has been set that Lenovo, for causes which might be unclear, appears to be ignoring.

Regardless of its glorious design – which I am hoping Lenovo carries ahead – the Legion Cross S is just manner too dear for what it could do. With higher choices each round its fee level and a long way under it, it’s a lackluster begin to the Cross S line.