Lenovo Legion Go Review: A Beautiful, Bulky Letdown
With the debut of the highly praised Steam Deck in February 2022, Valve sent shockwaves across the portable gaming community. Lenovo is only one of many businesses that have dabbled with portable computers since then.
When compared to other portable gaming PCs, the Lenovo Legion Go is plainly inferior due to its large chassis, unimpressive performance, and hefty price tag. The Legion Go is an excellent choice if you value a stunning display for playing independent games and cloud gaming. Unfortunately, it’s not up to par with Steam Deck from Valve or ROG Ally from ASUS.
Sixth and tenth generation Lenovo Legion Go $650 $700
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The Lenovo Legion Go is a lightweight gaming PC that has all the right features, but it can’t keep up with the demands of today’s games. The Legion Go is an option, but it’s not the greatest portable gaming device, whether you’re looking for cloud gaming or casual independent entertainment.
- Brand
- Lenovo
- Chipset mass 1.88 lb
- 16 GB of LPDDR5X memory, powered by AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme
- Display Up to 1 TB 144 Hz 8.8-inch Quad HD+
- Ports Output resolution 2560 x 1600
- 2-Battery Pack with USB-C 4.0
- The operating system of 49.2WHr
- Using Windows 11 for Home: Benefits
- Gorgeous 144 Hz screen
- Making the buttons and joysticks on the controller work
- Apt for independent games that don’t need a lot of processing power.
- Downsides (
- Underwhelming results
- Large and cumbersome style
- Setup for sporadic control
- $650 on Amazon
- 650 dollars at Best Buy
- Lenovo, $650
A Large yet Stunning Display & Design
Performance tab for the Lenovo Legion GoAuthor: Sergio Rodriguez from MakeUseOf
I will be comparing the Steam Deck, which is the portable gaming PC I have used most often, with the Legion Go, which is the Lenovo model. There are a few notable visual and tactile distinctions between the two, despite their otherwise comparable designs.
To begin, the Legion Go is somewhat heavier than Valve’s Steam Deck, which becomes immediately apparent the moment you have it in your hands. Although it’s not really a drawback, I found that the Steam Deck’s thinner design made it more pleasant to use for extended periods of gaming.
Reliable, As-needed Regulations
Detachment of the left controller from the Lenovo Legion GoAuthor: Sergio Rodriguez from MakeUseOf
Legion Go’s controls are reminiscent of Valve’s handheld, with a few Lenovo-inspired tweaks here and there. The controllers include an asymmetrical configuration with a row of customisable buttons on the back and sides, as well as left and right shoulder buttons, and trigger and right trigger buttons.
On the left side of the controller, you’ll find the View and Menu buttons, as well as a joystick, a regular D-pad, and a LegionSpace button. A second joystick, a tiny square trackpad, ABXY buttons, and a Quick Settings button are all located on the front face of the right controller.
What is the general impression? First, I will go over the standard controller features. In addition to making a little “pop” sound when they hit their lowest point and then rebound, the trigger buttons have a rather stiff, almost clicky, sensation. Nothing wrong with these controllers whatsoever, unless you like the Xbox One style with thinner triggers. I never had missing input difficulties, they aren’t squishy, and they definitely don’t stick.
Clicky, with a quick travel time and a pleasant crunch—the shoulder buttons are standard fare for pretty much every controller you’ve ever used.
Moving on to the controls. My money is on them being a major victory for the Legion Go. They are the perfect size, have a satisfying snap, and provide the perfect amount of resistance to allow for little changes without causing any pain when you need to move them around quickly. Without worrying about accidentally pushing them at random, clicking them down is straightforward enough. Additionally, they provide tiny rings of RGB illumination that may be customised to enhance the handheld’s overall appearance.
The D-pad lacks any notable features. The in-game menus and environments may be navigated using a conventional clicky cross. And there were no big issues, either, so I’ll take that as a little bonus. As a last component of the standard controller layout, the ABXY buttons are top-notch. Inputs are never sticky or mushy, pressing them down produces a pleasant pop, and they are straightforward to use.
Coming up next, we have some Legion Get your feng shui off the ground.
The rear of the Lenovo Legion Go controller’s buttonsAuthor: Sergio Rodriguez from MakeUseOf
The removable controllers, which resemble Nintendo Switches, include a few more buttons, similar to those on a Steam Deck. The additional versatility is great, but I can’t help but think they’re terribly positioned and ultimately inconvenient. Additionally, the controllers are not in symmetrical fashion; the left controller is devoid of any buttons whatsoever, while the right controller has the M1 and M2 buttons located along the side where your index finger sits.
When we turn to the rear of each controller, we see two buttons that can be programmed. The difference between the two controller layouts is that the left side has these buttons vertically while the right side has them horizontally. The right controller doubles as a mouse when not connected to the screen, which helps, but I never quite got the hang of using them consistently because of how randomly they were laid out.
Each controller has a little button on the underside that, when pushed, detaches them from the screen in a Switch-style fashion. Although it only accounted for a tiny portion of my playing, this is a great idea, and it was delightful to play without the burden of the Legion Go.
Last but not least, the right-hand controller has a little scroll wheel that allows you to move about the Windows operating system. Because the trackpad isn’t good enough for scrollbars and because I try not to use the touchscreen whenever I can to keep it clean, this is a useful addition.