Lenovo has introduced its own portable gaming PC to compete with the likes of the Steam Deck and the Asus ROG Ally. The Windows 11-powered Legion Go will launch in October for $699, and will be available through Lenovo’s site, as well as Best Buy and Micro Center.
The Legion Go may look similar to its competitors (the specs are similar to theirs, too), but its high-quality screen and feature-packed detachable controllers are currently unmatched in the field. The screen is an 8.8-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 1600p and a refresh rate of 144 Hz; it can be scaled down to 800p and 60 Hz to save battery life and maximize performance. Don’t expect the device’s 49.2Wh battery to last very long while handling 1600p resolution (although Lenovo claims it can be charged back to 70% in 30 minutes if you use the included 65W charger).
The Legion Go’s attempts to stand out in the portable PC space rely on tricks the Nintendo Switch popularized (but barely perfected). For example, it has a kickstand, which allows it to recline without the need for additional accessories. The Legion Go’s signature feature is detachable controllers, which look like high-tech Joy-Cons. They feature precision Hall effect joysticks, and in my experience, they aren’t prone to drift after prolonged use – unlike the potentiometers built into the analog sticks in most controllers today. All the standard buttons are there, plus a bunch of extras, including multiple customizable macro buttons, a thumb trackpad, and even a mouse scroll wheel that lets you shout out loud.
To make playing first-person shooters easier, the right controller can be placed in a magnetic dock that keeps it upright. Once it’s toggled into FPS mode with a toggle switch, it activates an optical sensor on the underside so you can move it like a mouse for more precise aiming. It’s a nice idea and I’m curious if it works well in practice.
Like the ROG Ally and the Steam Deck, the Legion Go can be paired with a monitor or a TV, and you can connect controllers to it via Bluetooth. It can also run games from a microSD card, as well as an M.2 2242-sized PCIe NVMe SSD (like the one Lenovo uses for some ThinkPad laptops). The starting model includes a 256GB SSD, but Lenovo will also offer 512GB and 1TB configurations, though the company hasn’t revealed pricing for those versions.
Image: Lenovo
Image: Lenovo
If you’re into a luxurious life, the Legion Go can be viewed from your own virtual private screen with Lenovo’s new wired Legion goggles, which the company also announced on Friday. These goggles enable a wearable big-screen experience, with a micro-OLED display that can push a 1080p resolution at a 60Hz refresh rate to each eye.
They also deliver what Lenovo claims to be “high-fidelity” audio with the device’s built-in speakers. Better yet, they work with more than just the Legion Go. Any device that supports USB-C video output via DisplayPort alt mode should work, including Windows and macOS computers, Android phones, and presumably other portable gaming hardware. Like the Legion Go, the Legion Glasses are coming in October; they cost $329.