Lenovo Go S with SteamOS Is the Steam Deck I'd Buy Today

CNET

20 hours ago

8.3
/ 10
SCORE Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS $830 at Best Buy Pros Generally very good performance
Two USB-C ports means you can, for example, charge while connected to a hub
Trigger stops and Hall Effect joysticks allow for more advanced customization
Relatively big 8-inch screen
Control layout is more Xbox-like than the Steam Deck's Cons Doesn't have an OLED screen (so it looks somewhat low contrast) or support HDR, and uses a glossy -- in other words, reflective -- screen to compensate
Longer battery life than a few hours would be nice
Fans can get loud
Speakers can get loud
Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS
8.3/10 CNET Score
$830 at Best Buy
It's unfair to compare a new device with one that's a couple of years old, but Valve's OG Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED are starting to feel a bit old compared with shiny new devices. As the first of what I hope is a decent-size field of new SteamOS-running hardware, I think Lenovo has gotten a lot of things right that I even found too quirky on Valve's device when I first got it, though. The SteamOS model of the Lenovo Go S does dole out its own share of sadness, especially given the $830 price tag of the top-end model I tested -- the IPS, non-HDR display instead of OLED is my biggest complaint -- but the bigger screen, better controls and device layout compensate a lot.
Comparing it with the Nintendo Switch 2 makes little sense -- your buying decision for a gaming device should be guided by the games you play, your budget and your age -- and Steam and Nintendo's platforms overlap only a little on all counts.
Similarly, one might expect a comparison with Microsoft/Asus' newly revealed ROG Xbox Ally. There's a lot more overlap there, and for a Windows handheld, I like the ROG Ally X it's based on better than the rest, but the Xbox Ally is still water -- not quite vapor, but not quite solid either -- and Microsoft's track record with stripping its operating system down to gaming essentials hasn't been promising. If you have an extensive library of Xbox games or need the flexibility of support for multiple launchers, like Epic Game Store's, in addition to an Xbox app, then wait. And unless Microsoft subsidizes it A LOT, it will probably start in the $600-plus ballpark as well.
Ultimately, like the Steam Deck, the Go S is for people who have a lot of, or want to run, Steam games, including Windows games sold through Steam.
Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS specs Price as reviewed $830 Display 8-inch 1,920x1,200-pixel IPS, 97% P3, 500 nits, 120Hz CPU AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme Memory 32GB LPDDR5X-7500 Graphics Integrated 16-core AMD Radeon RDNA 3.5 with 11GB VRAM Storage 1TB (M.2 2242, 2280 upgradeable), microSD slot Ports 2x USB4, combo audio Networking Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Operating system Valve SteamOS Weight 1.6 lbs/735g Dimensions 1.7 x 5.0 x 11.8 in/43 x 127 x 300 mm Available May 2025
The SteamOS versions of the Go S come in two models: this top-end one and a $600 model with an AMD Z2 Go processor, 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM. The latter processor is ill-suited to running Windows, which is partly why we found its performance so lackluster in its sister model, but it should be better running Steam OS.
I found the higher-end model's performance solid for gameplay -- it generally managed at least 60-plus frames per second on most games I tried, except Blue Prince, which I'm beginning to think isn't very well optimized. (About 90% or more GPU utilization when it's not doing anything? Hm.)
You do have a nice set of options over display stats and power profiles.
Lori Grunin/CNET
But I still wish it incorporated the newer Ryzen Z2 Extreme, despite the lack of big differences between the processors. The newer one has an updated GPU and should be a bit more power efficient, which might have given this a slight boost in both frame rates and battery life. My preferred settings -- which notably include adaptive brightness disabled and bumped up higher than devices usually expect (adaptive is the default, but I generally find it horribly distracting and too dim in my cave-like environment) -- aren't conducive to long battery life, and I usually find the battery depletes after a few hours.
Plus, when it gets going, the Go S's fans can get almost as loud as those of a gaming laptop. The cooling system is actually designed more like that of a laptop. The intake vent spans the entire back, blowing air across the components and venting the warmed air out the top.
The screen compromise
The absolute best reason to go with a bigger device is the larger screen. While 8 inches doesn't seem much bigger than the 7.4-inch screen on the Deck -- it's an increase of usable screen area of only about 8% -- the different aspect ratios (16:10 for the Go versus 4:3 for the Deck) make the Legion's screen seem a lot more expansive.
Plus, the screen supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, with VRR support, while the Deck only supports up to 90Hz; some of the games I played easily hit that 120Hz cap. The Go's higher pixel density (283ppi versus 203ppi for the Deck) also makes small details a bit easier to see.
However, there's a big trade-off as well. While text is generally more readable on an IPS panel like the Legion's because antialiasing (in this case, blurring the edges a bit so you don't see the individual pixels) works better on an LCD than on an OLED panel, IPS screens are lower contrast because they just can't do the absolute blacks that OLED can. The combination of the high contrast and the way OLED generates colors is what makes OLED screens look so vibrant. The Go uses a glossy screen to compensate, which just makes it more reflective.
Since I don't really use the touchpads on the Steam Deck (top) much, I'm fine with the tiny version on the right side of the Legion (bottom) beneath the left stick. And if you look closely, what seems like a background for the thumbnails on the Go S is actually the reflection of the brick wall on the glossy screen.
Lori Grunin/CNET
Plus, the Go S' screen doesn't support HDR; unless it's got the appropriate hardware inside ready for a firmware switch to flip, which I doubt, it never will. Depending upon your wants, that may be a deal killer for you, especially as a long-term investment of your limited budget. On the other hand, I was really surprised when I bought the Deck how much I'd use it -- at least 2 hours a day, it turns out -- so for my next purchase I'm willing to spend more, since I'm convinced it's not YADINU (yet another device I'll never use).
You can always connect to a standalone HDR display (that supports USB-C DP alt-mode), though that's obviously not convenient for the type of mobility you want from a handheld. The Legion's components are better up to the task of playing at a higher resolution on a desktop monitor than the Deck's, though.
Bigger, but better overall
One of my biggest concerns before picking up the Go S was that it would be too big for my hands. But it seems my hands grow to accommodate whatever I want to game on. Or, more likely, the layout of the Go S doesn't require my hands to use the entire side of the device. And I don't have to worry about covering the speakers on the bottom of the sides. It weighs about 3.5 ounces more than the Deck, but it's well balanced, and I didn't really feel the extra weight, even after a couple of hours.
And it's much easier to reach the Steam and settings menu buttons on the top left and right than having to move my hands to hit them below the touch pads on the Deck with my thumbs (it's probably less of a stretch if you have bigger hands than mine). I don't use the touchpads much; I don't think I have enough fine motor control in my thumbs to make them anything other than frustrating on such a small screen, and it never seemed worth the effort to train myself on them. But if you're a fan of that kind of input, the Go S definitely isn't for you.
The Windows version of the Go S in my hands.
Josh Goldman/CNET
There's a tiny pad below the right stick if you really need it, but I think that it's really for the Windows model: I couldn't get it to work anywhere on the Go S, including the Desktop interface. I didn't spend a lot of time (by my standards) trying to diagnose why, though.
The Go S's rumble in the grips is pretty subtle, at least the way I have it. You really don't want a strong rumble unless you use it informatively, like to track explosion strength, because it uses more battery power.
The Legion (left) is substantially thicker and a bit longer than the Steam Deck (right).
Lori Grunin/CNET
The other big differences between the Deck and the Go S are on the back; for one, trigger stops. Though part of me wishes they had three stop options instead of two, because it feels to me like there's almost zero travel for the on position, I'll take what I can get. Being able to set one side for fast shooting and the other for a deep pull when I'm using the right stick for aiming makes a big difference.
On the taketh-away side, the Legion has only two back buttons rather than four like the Deck. I use them only to remap the bumpers for games that use them a lot in gameplay (as opposed to, say, just settings navigation), like Hades 2, Have a Nice Death, Dead Cells and more. It's just easier and faster to use my middle fingers for them than to reorient my hands to reach the bumpers. Once again, a hand size issue.
The deep, rounded grip, trigger stop control and right-hand back button next to the Go S's full side-to-side air intake.
Lori Grunin/CNET
But for some games, having more buttons to remap may take precedence over other considerations. Once again, if you need those four back buttons, the Go S isn't for you.
I like the grips. They're not quite as prominent as the extended grips on a device like the Xbox Ally or PlayStation Portal, but they're not as small as those on the Deck, which relies on your palms sitting on the rests at the bottom -- not quite in the right place for my hands. The Legion's grips are a fine, comfortable compromise, with a slight texture to them for better, um, grip. That said, they did nothing to alleviate my sweaty hands sticking to them uncomfortably.
I also like the position of the D-Pad SO much more than the Deck; in Hades 2, for instance, I constantly hit the D-pad when I miss or drop off the left stick by a hair, which basically interrupts the game in the middle of a fight. The Go's is also an 8-way pad, and it's bigger. I wish its buttons were shallower, though, since they take a pretty deep press to hit bottom, which makes them feel less responsive and kind of mushy.
The triggers are more generously sized than on the Steam Deck.
Lori Grunin/CNET
As for the Hall Effect joysticks, I have a love-hate relationship with them. The technology helps prevent stick drift and theoretically lacks a dead zone, but you can dial one in to your liking in SteamOS. They generally feel smoother and more precise to me than analog sticks, like those on the Deck, which is nice in-game. But for navigating interfaces, they don't have the same stepped feeling that helps keep me from skidding past something. That's not a huge deal, since the D-pad is well-positioned for that purpose.
The speakers are just OK -- they can get fairly loud for two watts, but there's only so much you can do in the type of enclosure like the Go's, so if you're playing something with sound that matters, you'll still want to wear a headset.
My one usability complaint is the low-contrast labels on the Steam, three-dot, view and options buttons. Until I've used it long enough for muscle memory to set in, I still need to be able to see them. Yes, my eyes are aging rapidly thanks to spending about 18 hours a day looking at screens for the past few decades, but I'm sure people with less-than-stellar eyesight would appreciate the thought.
SteamOS isn't a perfect match either
As much as I hate the too-thinly skinned Windows on those gaming handhelds, SteamOS' Linux underpinnings only lie a little deeper. But I managed to avoid having to deal with SteamOS Desktop mode for a year and a half, and in fact, if I hadn't had to install the GeForce Now app, I could probably have avoided it for even longer, if not forever. But it's worth a mention, because not only did the app stop running -- I had to factory reset just to install it again after the first fail-go-round, only to experience it again -- but I couldn't get Dead Cells to run, either. (To be fair, I vaguely remember having to install a different Proton version to get it to run on my Steam Deck, but nothing like that seemed to work on the Go.)
And on the Steam Deck, SteamOS does have one noticeable advantage: Its Store interface is designed to filter verified games. On the Go, you're presented with "SteamOS compatible" filtering, which is NOT the same. There are a lot of "compatible" games that have important caveats when it comes to Deck-like compatibility. You don't get the Steam Deck verified iconography in the store or a shortcut to the "Great on Deck" landing page. It's there under the category listings, but it's one of the little things that currently differentiates the experience. I suspect it's possibly an oversight in either Valve's API or Lenovo's implementation, and that's something that's which, in my lay opinion, is an easy fix in a future software upgrade.
It may have sounded like I have a lot of complaints about the Legion Go S with SteamOS, but that's more of a me thing than the device itself, and this is a first go at implementing SteamOS on a third-party device. At bottom, the bigger, denser screen, better control layout and feel, and bigger grips make it a winner -- at least until it's got more competitors.