00:00The Lenovo Legion Go S is a smaller, more ergonomic, and more affordable alternative
00:04to the original Legion Go. This new handheld features an 8-inch display, an updated game
00:09launcher, and the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip. At $729, it's worth buying now or should you wait
00:15for the upcoming SteamOS version or get the model with the more powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip.
00:21The Lenovo Legion Go S isn't here to replace the Lenovo Legion Go. Instead,
00:25it serves as a smaller, more portable option. The Lenovo Legion Go S now has rounded textured
00:31grips that make it easier to hold. It digits the detachable controllers found on the original
00:35Legion Go in favor of unibody design. Combine that with the smaller size, and you get a smaller
00:40machine that's easier to hold for longer periods compared to the Switch-like Legion Go, which can
00:45become uncomfortable to hold after 10 minutes of gaming. Despite slimming down, its 8-inch LCD display
00:50is still larger than rivals like the Asus ROG Ally and Steambeck OLED. The hellish landscapes of Doom
00:55Eternal and Mion-drenched streets of Cyberpunk 2077 come to life in glorious detail. The larger
01:00display can help games feel more immersive. But while its 1200 native P resolution looks sharp for
01:05most modern games, you'll probably need to drop them down to 720p to run smoothly.
01:09Look at the frame rate, bro. To be fair, this is Cyberpunk. The game kind of struggles to run well
01:14on even more powerful machines, so we can't throw that completely on the Legion Go S.
01:20Trigger locks for the L2 and R2 are great for first-burned shooters that require fast inputs,
01:25while the Ronda D-pad is perfect for fighting games. The analog sticks and face buttons are also
01:30plain responsive and have an atromestical design similar to the Xbox. The L2 and R2 buttons have
01:35trigger locks that let you set your actuation points. For instance, you want a shorter travel
01:40distance when playing first-burned shooters like Doom. Conversely, you want a longer travel distance
01:44when playing racing games like Dirt 5. Like other handhelds, you'll also find two programmable back
01:58buttons placed right where your middle fingers rest, making them easy to use. Some handhelds I've
02:04tested such as the original Steam Deck can run loud and hot. Thankfully, this isn't the case with the
02:09Lenovo Legion Go S. During normal gameplay, I hardly noticed the fans running. The only time I ever
02:15heard them is when the system was downloading games or installing updates. Even then, the fans produce
02:20a low hum, making it one of the quietest handhelds I've ever reviewed. Similarly, Legion Go S doesn't
02:25get very hot with its Senate gameplay. In our heat test, the Legion Go S gets warmest around the
02:30center of the back, reaching 89 degrees Fahrenheit. Considering how your fingers don't naturally rest
02:36there, you won't have to worry about that. To launch into your favorite games quickly, there's a built-in
02:40Legion Go Game Space launcher, which is as intuitive to use as ever. You can connect to several gaming
02:46services like Xbox, Epic Games, Steam, and more. You can even purchase games from their respective
02:51storefronts, right from Legion Space. As before, the settings menu features several customization options,
02:57including setting the device's performance mode, display resolution, refresh rate, and controller
03:02mapping. You can also customize the lighting effects, view screenshots through Snap, check download status
03:07for games, and more. The quick settings menu beside the display's right-hand side gives you access to
03:12these same features. You can find links for the Legion Go S and all the other handhelds I've shared so
03:17far linked below. Now, let's get into the cons. While it looks and feels good in hand, this Windows 11
03:23powered configuration is underwhelming. Design-wise, the Lenovo Legion Go S is a pretty
03:28solid machine. Unfortunately, under the hood, its underwhelming performance is both expected and
03:33disappointing, especially at this price. Currently, the Lenovo Legion Go S is only available with the
03:38AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. Performance-wise, the Ryzen Z2 Go chip sits
03:45between the AMD Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z1 Extreme, but even knowing that, I was still disappointed with the
03:51Legion Go S's overall gaming performance. Doom Eternal, which is one of the most highly optimized
03:55games available, ran at a brutal 25 frames per second at native resolution and medium graphical
04:01settings. It was only after dropping the resolution to 800p or 720p at 16 by 10 aspect ratio and set the
04:07graphical settings to low that the game started running at a more respectable 45 frames per second.
04:14Cyberpunk 2077 ran at an abysmal 10 to 15 frames per second in the Steam Deck graphical
04:18settings, which exists purely for handheld PCs. As with Doom Eternal, I had to lower the resolution
04:24to 720p and set the graphical settings to low to get between 25 to 33 frames per second, which is
04:29still not great. Using a game's built-in benchmark tools at 720p and medium graphical settings,
04:35with the device set to performance mode, the Lenovo Legion Go S struggled to run most games over 32
04:40frames per second. Assassin's Creed Mirage is one of the few examples where Lenovo's handheld did well,
04:45even matching its competitors. If you've seen any of my other handheld reviews, you'll know what I'm
04:49about to say next. To put it shortly, Windows 11 sucks for gaming handhelds. Though Legion Space
04:54works perfectly with controller inputs and allows you to jump into your games within a few clicks,
04:59the rest of Windows 11 isn't designed for controller inputs. Without a mouse or keyboard hooked up,
05:04you're forced to use touch controls, which even on large 8-inch display can be difficult and frustrating.
05:09Like the original Legion Go, the Legion Go S also has a touchpad which can be used as a mouse,
05:14but it's not exactly a seamless experience for navigating your desktop since the touchpad is so
05:19small. Yeah, it's not that great. While Windows 11 offers the versatility to do more than just play
05:24games, it isn't ideal for handhelds. Besides its clunkiness on touchscreens, we find that it also
05:29contributes to slowing down gaming performance on less than powerful handhelds, which you can also read
05:34about in our articles linked below. For anyone who just wants to play their favorite games without
05:37dealing with Windows 11, I recommend waiting for the inevitable SteamOS version, which releases
05:42sometime in spring with a starting price of $499. Speaking of pricing, if you don't mind Windows 11
05:48handhelds and are willing to pay a bit more, the original Asus ROG Ally with the Z1 Extreme can easily
05:54be found for under $700 and offers better performance despite being a few years old now.
05:59And though it costs $899, the MSI Claw 8 AI offers even better performance,
06:04longer battery life, and a similar 16x10 8-inch display. Finally, if you don't want to wait for
06:10the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S to release, it might be time for you to jump on the Steam Deck
06:15hike train. The 1TB $650 bottle is the best handheld for PC gaming for most folks and is very well
06:22optimized. This configuration of the Lenovo Legion Go S, currently the only one available,
06:26is difficult to recommend. Though I like its more ergonomic design and vivid 8-inch display,
06:31its lackluster performance and Windows 11 headaches make it a difficult console to recommend,
06:35especially for $729. But we shouldn't completely dismiss the Lenovo Legion Go S,
06:40as upcoming versions could potentially make it a true rival to the Steam Deck. Not only will the
06:45SteamOS version of the system have the best handheld operating system, but it'll also have generous
06:50$500 starting price. As for the Windows 11 version, Lenovo will offer a model for a similar starting
06:55price, along with configurations featuring the more powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip that could
07:00justify a higher price. So those are my thoughts on the Lenovo Legion Go S, but I'd love to hear what
07:05your thoughts are down in the comments below. Follow us everywhere at TomsGuy and you can follow
07:09the LB for more reviews. I've been Tony Polanco, and I'll see you around. Later.
07:24Like, imagine if the train was actually running, yeah. The train just went by as a setup. Oh man,
07:30yeah, but we can't time it. It'd be nice. All right, here we go.
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