Steam Deck vs. Legion Go S: Which gaming handheld do you have to purchase?

Despite a ton of competitors from corporations massive and small, the Steam Deck stays the go-to advice for anybody who desires PC video games in a handheld type issue—and Windows being a clunky choice is a giant a part of that. But the Lenovo Legion Go S has arrived with SteamOS in-built. So, now which one is best? Certified handheld fanatic Adam Patrick Murray breaks it down for us.

Specifically, we’re speaking in regards to the base mannequin Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS Edition (wow, what a mouthful) with a Ryzen Z2 Go processor. This will be discovered on sale for round $500 at instances, versus the Steam Deck OLED at $550. The first-step improve over the $400 model is extra immediately appropriate with the brand new Lenovo mannequin, with its upgraded display, battery, and 512GB storage drive.

That OLED display is clearly a giant enchancment over the cheaper one, however the Legion Go S’s display could be very high-quality for an LCD, and it’s additionally greater, sharper, quicker, and has a variable refresh charge. So, which one you favor will probably come down to non-public choice (or a necessity for aggressive pace) somewhat than a flat “this one is better” dedication. Will Smith is torn on the choices.

What in regards to the specs? While these are very comparable gadgets, the largest differentiator is that the Legion Go S has a a lot newer processor. The Ryzen Z2 Go isn’t an earth-shattering powerhouse by any means, and it’s acquired an analogous AMD 4-core setup. But its newer Zen 3 structure means extra energy and respiratory room within the built-in GPU, particularly on high-end PC video games with that denser display decision. The Legion Go S’s 16GB of RAM is identical because the Steam Deck, however it’s barely quicker.

The backside line is that you simply’re going to get significantly extra efficiency on the Z2 Go model of the Legion Go S, by a margin of about 20 to 40 % based mostly on video games. (The Z2 Extreme model has a fair greater hole, however it’s dearer.) Crucially, that’s matching the Steam Deck’s 1280×800 decision. So, should you’re on the lookout for pure efficiency, Lenovo is successful with the newer {hardware}.

What in regards to the bodily structure of the gadget and the way it feels in your arms? The Legion Go S is greater and chunkier, largely due to its greater and taller display. Adam says that it feels higher within the arms, however Will notes that Lenovo goes with only one rear “paddle” button on all sides whereas the Steam Deck has two. The Steam Deck’s two bigger trackpads are additionally a lot better for normal navigation and offer you extra choices in-game. The Legion Go S is heavier, louder, and Adam says the vibration motors aren’t as good.

The Steam Deck has its personal downsides, although. Those who’re used to Xbox-style controls won’t like the bizarre stick placement to the within of the D-pad and motion buttons, and people with small arms would possibly discover them tough to succeed in. Unfortunately, this can be a extremely particular person distinction, and also you’ll need to get your arms on each of them to make the decision for your self.

Despite the truth that each are operating SteamOS, it’s laborious to disclaim that it’s only a smoother expertise on the Steam Deck. And it’s not Lenovo’s fault! Rather, Valve has been supporting the Steam Deck for 3 years now, whereas the Legion Go is nearly model new by comparability. You’ll simply get fewer hiccups in video games on the Steam Deck, with issues like inputting textual content or display decision choices or management customizations, than on the Legion Go S. Software help, particularly within the driver help for Linux-based SteamOS, continues to be a little bit of a query mark.

Adam says that regardless of liking the display, the elevated efficiency, and the ergonomics, he’d nonetheless go along with the Steam Deck OLED in the intervening time. Will is touchdown at across the similar place. For extra deep dives into PC gaming, be sure you subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube and take a look at our weekly podcast The Full Nerd.