OK. So it’s been a while since I’ve been playing with Lenovo’s Legion GO handheld gaming device, and yes, it’s taken quite some time for me to put this out here. But there’s a reason for that. Unlike the Steam Deck, this is Windows 11 computer so there’s some more elements to it. Right now it’s available starting at $549.
Unlike other handheld gamers, the controllers on the side come off. This gave the GO a ridiculous number of use cases, to the point where testing became full integration into my day-to-day technical arsenal. I always boast about multiclassing with my tech, and preferring streamlined technology that serves multiple purposes on a single unit. So while you may treat the GO as the handheld gaming device it was designed for, prepare yourself for maybe the strangest gaming hardware review you’ve possibly ever read. But first the specs:
OS: Windows 11 Home
Processor/GPU: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with RDNA Graphics
Memory: 16GB 7500Mhz LPDDR5X (onboard)
Screen: 8.8″ QHD (2560 x 1600) IPS, 500 nits, 16:10 aspect ratio, 144Hz refresh rate, 97% DCI-P3, 10-point touchscreen, Gorilla Glass
Storage: Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2242
Connectivity: WiFi 6E 802.11AX (2×2), Bluetooth 5.1
Other: 2 x 2W Speakers, Dual-array near-field microphone, MicroSD card slot (up to 2TB)
Specs and Design
For the most part the hardware is similar to the ROG Ally using custom AMD silicon for processing and graphics, but a little bit fatter. Overall it’s a larger device at 1.41lbs over the Ally’s 1.34, but provides more features that more than make up for that tradeoff. We get an 8-inch QHD 144Hz screen with Corning Gorilla Glass, a kickstand in the back to prop it up without a case, and removable TrueStrike controllers that open up some interesting use cases. It measures at 1.60″ x 11.76″ x 5.16″ all in, and .79″ x 8.27″ x 5.16″ for just the screen tablet portion, which still impressively comes in on its own at under 1″ thick.
We’re not going to find as many ports as we would on a laptop, especially given this is a very focused unit, but there’s still expansion options both for storage and piping your game out to a larger screen. On the top of the unit is a headphone/mic jack, the microSD card slot, and a USB-C 4.0 port (DisplayPort 1.4, Power Delivery 3.0). On the bottom is another USB-C 4.0, so you can make some decisions on where you want to plug in on charging or output based on your space and where you need your cables to be.
As far as controls, there’s a touchpad to use for a mouse in Windows mode if you don’t want to just use the touchscreen. In addition to that, there’s a mouse wheel, 6 programmable grip buttons, a D-pad, two analog joysticks, ABXY buttons, a 6-axis gyroscope sensor for motion, and of course, removable controllers. But for some extra juice, the GO comes with an adapter that seats one of the controllers to convert it into a vertical mouse, so you can play your mouse and keyboard games if you have a surface handy. Combine the GO with a 60% travel keyboard and and you have a travel gaming setup for most destinations. The touchpad is a great addition as opposed to other handhelds to make it far more usable as a PC, which opens up a ton of use cases.
The other thing to note about this versus other handhelds is that it’s completely self contained, meaning that you don’t need a dock to pipe out signal from either of the USB-C ports to your monitor or TV without needing an external dock to do so.
Now we say that you don’t need a dock to pipe out signal, but one is available. The same way you have docking stations for your ThinkPads, the GO ‘s dock gives you many more ports to play with and is under $60.
It comes with a hard shell carrying case to keep the screen and components safe too while you’re traveling about.
Performance
PCMark 10: We skipped this one because we don’t have a front facing camera for Zoom calls and while it’s cool it’s never going to be a work laptop replacement.
3DMark Time Spy: Time Spy gave us an 3,186 which looks pretty low, but we have to remember the much smaller screen graphics are being piped out too – we’re going to see a lot of seemingly small numbers here.
3DMark Port Royal: This ray-tracing test came back with a 986.
3DMark Night Raid: The test for lighter weight machines came back with a 25,787.
Procyon Photo/Video Editing: We skipped these too – you’re not running Adobe apps on here.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider: With the XeSS settings on “balanced,” we were able to get good gameplay partying with Lara Croft on her madcap adventures.
- FHD / high: 36 fps
- 720p / high: 60 fps
Final Fantasy XV: Yup, traveling with Noctis is still no issue. We’re not doing graphics tuned all the way up at 4k but this isn’t a huge gaming screen we’re playing on either.
- 720p / standard graphics: 5,685 – fairly high
- FHD / standard graphics: 3,661 – standard
Both of our test games still play quite smooth.
Software, Settings, and Use Cases
The GO comes equipped with the Legion Space software built in, which is a portal not just for buying games but providing access to games you have in your other libraries as well. I successfully have Steam and XBOX Game Pass on there, but another perk is that because this is a Windows machine, it can also run PlayStation Plus – meaning you can download and stream games from your Sony Library, which you can’t do on non-Windows devices. To our surprise we were also able to play games from our Steam library that the Steam Deck itself didn’t support – namely Final Fantasy XIII-2 as I was feeling nostalgic. In addition to the software the GO also provides a number of options for performance settings like you would normally find in Vantage on a Legion laptop. These controls let you set performance, balanced, quiet, or custom modes with direct control over not only the resources used while gaming but also how you want performance to run just while running Windows. And if you’re using it as a straight up Windows PC, one of the panels makes shortcut keys very easy to execute.
Use case: Gaming
Being part of the Legion family, the GO is naturally focused on gaming. And given it’s construction there are more than a few ways to play. The first is the basic handheld mode. I’m not really using it for Windows the same way I’m not using a DualSense controller to operate my work laptop. Keeping the controllers hooked up to the sides emulates console gaming or PCS gaming with an XBOX or PS controller, and works just as id would if you had gamepad plugged into a gaming rig. I used this to play Diablo IV from my Battle.net app, God of War and Final Fantasy VII: Remake from PlayStation Plus, and some odds and ends from my Steam library like Devil May Cry 5. Everything ran flawlessly, and I found FHD was enough for me without having to max out the resolution and drain juice for an 8″ display.
The second mode is using the included adapter to turn the right controller into a mouse. Using that and detaching the left makes it a great option for FPS games – with the dual control being more precise than just handheld. Lastly, since we have plenty of Bluetooth keyboards around to connect, and were able to traipse through the realms of Azeroth in World of Warcraft.
This is where we get the tradeoff for the size and bulk of this unit – the detachable controllers and built-in kickstand can take it from a base handheld and truly expand what you can do with it.
And if you pair your GO with a subscription to NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW, man I’ll tell you what the performance is absolutely capital.
Use case: Entertainment
Because the GO has its own built-in kickstand without requiring an additional case, it’s already set up to consume media on the go. Loading up Netflix or other streaming services work flawlessly when you’re on the job or just chilling in your kitchen. But in those cramped spaces like the tray table in coach class on an Airbus it still works, since you can remove the controllers. This immediately allows the self-supporting tablet to take up less space when you’re on the go or in a hotel room.
The GO also pipes out pretty well to Bluetooth speakers and headsets, with little to no noticeable lag between video and audio.
If reading’s more your thing, the Kindle app and other readers also work great on the bright and easy to read screen as well.
Use case: Work
We have to remember that the GO isn’t just a handheld gamer, but a Windows 11 mini PC. Even though it’s the home edition I was still able to use it as a second screen, and a travel workstation instead of toting a laptop around with me to client sites. Load up your Google Workspace or install local apps on your Microsoft 365 subscription, connect a Bluetooth keyboard and you have a travel workstation. I used it to remote into my Windows servers, editing documents, and even looking at some data dashboards using Microsoft Power BI. And while the performance isn’t designed to match what I can do on my X1 Carbon, I was able to work without issue on remote sites dialing in through IPSec tunnels using popular VPN software.
Running a presentation? Hook it up to a television (as we said up top, sans dock) and drop some knowledge with your PowerPoint slides. The only thing it can’t do natively is video calls since there’s no camera on it – though I would posit that hooking up my Razer Kiyo up to it would solve that shortcoming.
Real-world Battery Life
This is where it gets a bit weird to measure – using it as non gaming mode this thing does last all day as a Windows PC, but that’s not really what it’s built for. If that’s what you’re using it for though, expect 4-5 hours on wifi and 60% screen brightness.
As mentioned above, for most games you’re going to be tuned up into performance mode, and bringing it down to balanced or eco is going to provide a bit of chop, at least it did for us for Diablo IV and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Granted this can be optimized – for example I don’t ever really feel the need to run games at more than 1920×1080 FHD instead of the full 2560 the GO is capable of. Starting in performance mode and dropping it down as I get later into my session I got just a shade over 1.5 hours – a little more if I’m running something from my 2D indie library as opposed to a 3D triple A.
Not bad at all for what this little device is capable of.
Overall
There may be other handheld Windows 11 gamers on the market with more being released, but Lenovo played this one pretty smart. It may have some bulky construction and be a bit heavier than its rivals, but it has removable controllers, a big screen with kickstand, decent gaming specs, power control, and built-in circuitry that doesn’t require a dock (for example, like MSI’s Claw and its dock, “the Nest”). It’s priced right now at $549 for the 512GB model, and the 1TB model will run you $799.
