Legion Go S SteamOS vs. Steam Deck: Is It Worth It?

Legion Go S Steam Edition: First Look

• 🚀 The Legion Go S Steam Edition is the first non-Valve handheld officially shipping with SteamOS.
• 💡 The reviewer, initially a Steam Deck skeptic, now uses it 95% of the time for its console-like PC gaming experience without driver or Windows issues.
• 🎨 This specific model features a unique dark purple colorway, distinct from the standard white Legion Go S.

Hardware and Design Comparison

• 📏 The Legion Go S has a larger eight-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and VRR, but it's not OLED.
• 🕹️ Controller layout differs, with offset sticks and a D-pad set further down, and a smaller, less useful touchpad compared to the Steam Deck's large touchpads.
• 🧱 A significant difference is the thickness, with the Legion Go S being considerably chunkier than the Steam Deck, partly due to its more powerful hardware and cooling.

SteamOS Performance and Issues

• 🛠️ Early SteamOS builds had issues, but a recent beta update significantly improved the experience, resolving many problems.
• ⚠️ A notable issue is games defaulting to Steam Deck settings, preventing resolution changes on other SteamOS hardware like the Legion Go S.
• 📊 Benchmarks show the Legion Go S (Z1 Extreme and Z2 Go) outperforming the Steam Deck OLED in games like "Cyberpunk" and "Forza," even showing better performance on SteamOS than Windows for the same hardware in some cases.

Battery Life, Thermals, and User Experience

• 🔋 Battery life on the balanced profile is around two hours in AAA games, which is acceptable but slightly worse than the Steam Deck OLED at similar power levels.
• 🌡️ The cooling solution is effective, preventing the unit from getting too hot, but it can get quite loud.
• ⚙️ Properly implemented performance profiles (low power, balanced, performance) are now available, with the balanced mode pulling around 22 watts.

Pricing and Market Position

• 💰 The Legion Go S with SteamOS is priced at $600 for the Z2 Go (16GB RAM/512GB storage), with a $830 option for the Z1 Extreme.
• 🤔 The $600 price point is considered acceptable but not a clear deal when compared to other Windows handhelds, especially with Valve planning to roll out SteamOS to other devices.
• 📈 The reviewer questions Valve's capacity to fully support SteamOS on third-party hardware given their small company size compared to giants like Microsoft.

The Future of Handheld Gaming

• 💡 The competition, particularly Microsoft's rumored handheld-specific Windows version, is expected to push SteamOS and handhelds forward.
• 🎮 The reviewer believes SteamOS has already spurred innovation, making handhelds much better and setting a high bar for third-party hardware.
• 🤔 Despite the Legion Go S being a respectable first attempt, the reviewer suggests patience due to the rapidly evolving handheld market, ultimately returning to the Steam Deck OLED for its superior hardware design.