Lenovo Legion Go Hands-on - Windows-powered Nintendo Switch!

**Lenovo Legion Go: A Gaming Powerhouse in Handheld Form**

The Lenovo Legion Go is an impressive gaming powerhouse that packs a significant punch despite its compact size and lightweight design. With a DNA Graphics 16 processor, this device is equipped with a robust CPU that handles demanding games and applications with ease. The graphics processing unit is paired with 16 gigabytes of DDR5X RAM, clocked at 7500 megahertz, providing seamless performance for both gaming and productivity tasks.

The storage capabilities of the Lenovo Legion Go are also noteworthy, featuring up to one terabyte of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage that can be manually upgraded. While this means there is no way to upgrade the RAM, which might be a drawback for some users, the overall package is still extremely impressive from the outset. The detachable controllers, which come in the size of the device similar to Nintendo's Switch, are another notable feature that sets the Legion Go apart.

The detachable controllers offer an ergonomic design with a strong kickstand, reminiscent of the OLED Switch, providing an excellent gaming experience on-the-go. Each controller features analog sticks with whole-effect sensors, reducing drift and improving responsiveness. The little mouse wheel on the underside of the right stick is also super nice, complemented by the touchpad, which mimics a laptop's functionality despite its compact size.

The 10 mappable controller buttons are another innovative feature that will be beneficial for gamers requiring precise control in specific titles. Lenovo has also touted an Innovative FPS mode, which comes with a kickstand in the actual package emulating a joystick. This allows for precise aiming in FPS titles and feels like a missing piece of functionality on other comparable handheld gaming PCs.

However, the weight of this device is one of its drawbacks, weighing 854 grams with controllers attached, and the screen alone weighs 640 grams. While not uncomfortable for short periods of use, it may be a consideration for those looking for a more portable gaming experience.

**Performance and Battery Life**

The small selection of pre-installed games on the Lenovo Legion Go, which we tested using Xbox Game Pass, ran flawlessly at native QHD+ resolution. Without benchmarking, it's difficult to assess its true performance, but consistent results were observed during gameplay. The device also felt super fluid when using extreme gaming modes, with responsive touch input and minimal lag.

However, the fans can become quite loud when used extensively, and a lot of heat is kicked out of the top frame vents. It's essential to note that these will require constant connection to a wall outlet using the 49-watt-hour battery, which may not provide sufficient power for extended use without recharging.

**Conclusion**

The Lenovo Legion Go has undoubtedly impressed with its powerful hardware and innovative design features. While there are some drawbacks, such as the inability to upgrade the RAM and the significant weight of the device, it's clear that Lenovo has put a lot of thought into creating a gaming powerhouse in handheld form.

Whether or not this device is worth the $699 price tag will depend on individual preferences and needs. For those who want to experience high-quality gaming on-the-go without the constraints of more portable devices, the Legion Go may be an excellent choice. However, for gamers looking at other handheld options available now, it might be worth holding out for what could be one of the best devices in this category.

**Will I Buy It?**

While the Lenovo Legion Go has many impressive features and qualities, I personally love a lot of what they've tried to do here, but there are some concerns that may make it difficult to recommend as an instant buy. The pricing, while not the most expensive option available now, may still be out of reach for some gamers.

Additionally, the wait until October 2023 before this device is available may deter some potential buyers. However, I am intrigued by the possibilities and think that the Legion Go could be one of the best options in this category once it's released.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enno this is not a Nintendo switch it's actually the brand new Lenovo Legion go we've tried it it's very impressive but let's get into it so right up top Lenovo appears to have done what no other windows gaming handled manufacturer has been able to at this point and created a pocket PC that mimics the Nintendo switch and the Nintendo switch outlet while we've only really have 30 minutes or so of Hands-On time this could be the steam deck killer that the Rog Ally from Asus wishes that it was for the Statin spec trackers out there there's an 8.8 inch QHD plus 144hz touchscreen with a 500 nit Peak brightness AMD ryzen Z1 extreme CPU with our DNA Graphics 16 gigabytes of ddr5x RAM clocked at 7500 megahertz and up to one terabyte of pcie Gen 4 SSD storage that can be manually upgraded there is no way to upgrade the RAM sadly but that is a really impressive package from the outset and even with a stacked spec sheet I think the headline Hardware change is the detachable controllers the unclip from the size of this device much like the Nintendo switch but the process seems lot less refined here getting that perfect button press is actually quite difficult at least in the time we spent with this credit where it's due though there is an ultra strong kickstand that feels lifted directly from the OLED switch and this is great for gaming on the go with each of these controllers the analog sticks on this Legion go device have whole effect sensors this might not seem all that important but it actually means that drifting with these and having that drift issue later down the line shouldn't be an issue all while improving overall responsiveness the little mouse wheel that is actually found on the underside of the right stick is also super nice with the touchpad itself also mimicking a laptop quite nicely despite its compact size and shape there are 10 mappable controller buttons which should be really helpful for precise gaming in specific titles no matter which game you do want to play Lenovo has also touted in an Innovative FPS mode and this is one of the most interesting aspects because it comes with a kickstand in the actual package that emulates a joystick when it's attached to it but it works like a mouse for import for that precise aiming in your FPS titles it feels like it might be tough to get used to but this is a kind of thing that feels missing on other comparable handle gaming PCs as you'll usually need to attach your mouse via Bluetooth or even plug that in if you can do that one of the only problems could be the weight of this device and while not necessarily uncomfortable for the short time that we had to trial run with some games on this device itself it's a hefty unit of 854 grams with those controllers themselves attached I will say that the screen alone is rated at 640 grams but you wouldn't necessarily take that on its own you're probably wondering at this point though how does it play well the small selection of games that were pre-installed on this and that we tried using Xbox game Pass Run pretty flawlessly at that native QHD plus resolution I would say without benchmarking it's actually tough to truly assess but the performance was consistent enough for it to be less of an issue while the games themselves felt know any that 144 FPS using that 144hz screen it did feel super fluid and I don't think it crept below that 50 FPS barrier at least to my a touch input was also super responsive when using the extreme gaming modes the fans themselves are quite loud though when you start to use these and a lot of heat is kicked out the top of those frame vents I will say that in 10 sessions will no doubt require constant connection to a wall outlet using that PSU but there's no way to know how well that 49 watt hour battery will actually fare in the real world and lose unless we try it for ourselves but we'll show that tweaking the in-game graphical settings like on other comparable devices will be a sensible decision to ensure increased longevity my biggest gripe with all handheld PCS so far though is Windows 11 as it can feel quite inhibiting and although Lenovo has tried with its own Legion space software and it does help it's obvious that this isn't going to provide the most seamless and best experience for everybody out there it's just basically a Lenovo version of asus's Armory crate on the ROK Ally and that lets you connect all of your gaming services from epic games to steam to help quickly launch into your favorite titles Xbox game pass itself elf has a plethora of titles that I think are perfect for this specific form factor and definitely feel like they're going to be less taxing on that integrated GPU I'm not entirely convinced that triple A games will run as well but I do actually look forward to testing this out after launch I gotta say I personally love a lot of what Lenovo has tried to do here for 699 but I can see that one of the biggest frustrations is not necessarily the pricing but having actually to wait until October 2023 before this is going to be available to you to go and purchase for gamers looking at other handhelds out there it might actually be worth holding out a little longer for what I think could be one of the best of the bunch so far is it an instant cop or an instant buy at 699 tell me down in the comment sections below it's also interested to hear your thoughts kids watching though and I will catch you in the next one thank you foreignno this is not a Nintendo switch it's actually the brand new Lenovo Legion go we've tried it it's very impressive but let's get into it so right up top Lenovo appears to have done what no other windows gaming handled manufacturer has been able to at this point and created a pocket PC that mimics the Nintendo switch and the Nintendo switch outlet while we've only really have 30 minutes or so of Hands-On time this could be the steam deck killer that the Rog Ally from Asus wishes that it was for the Statin spec trackers out there there's an 8.8 inch QHD plus 144hz touchscreen with a 500 nit Peak brightness AMD ryzen Z1 extreme CPU with our DNA Graphics 16 gigabytes of ddr5x RAM clocked at 7500 megahertz and up to one terabyte of pcie Gen 4 SSD storage that can be manually upgraded there is no way to upgrade the RAM sadly but that is a really impressive package from the outset and even with a stacked spec sheet I think the headline Hardware change is the detachable controllers the unclip from the size of this device much like the Nintendo switch but the process seems lot less refined here getting that perfect button press is actually quite difficult at least in the time we spent with this credit where it's due though there is an ultra strong kickstand that feels lifted directly from the OLED switch and this is great for gaming on the go with each of these controllers the analog sticks on this Legion go device have whole effect sensors this might not seem all that important but it actually means that drifting with these and having that drift issue later down the line shouldn't be an issue all while improving overall responsiveness the little mouse wheel that is actually found on the underside of the right stick is also super nice with the touchpad itself also mimicking a laptop quite nicely despite its compact size and shape there are 10 mappable controller buttons which should be really helpful for precise gaming in specific titles no matter which game you do want to play Lenovo has also touted in an Innovative FPS mode and this is one of the most interesting aspects because it comes with a kickstand in the actual package that emulates a joystick when it's attached to it but it works like a mouse for import for that precise aiming in your FPS titles it feels like it might be tough to get used to but this is a kind of thing that feels missing on other comparable handle gaming PCs as you'll usually need to attach your mouse via Bluetooth or even plug that in if you can do that one of the only problems could be the weight of this device and while not necessarily uncomfortable for the short time that we had to trial run with some games on this device itself it's a hefty unit of 854 grams with those controllers themselves attached I will say that the screen alone is rated at 640 grams but you wouldn't necessarily take that on its own you're probably wondering at this point though how does it play well the small selection of games that were pre-installed on this and that we tried using Xbox game Pass Run pretty flawlessly at that native QHD plus resolution I would say without benchmarking it's actually tough to truly assess but the performance was consistent enough for it to be less of an issue while the games themselves felt know any that 144 FPS using that 144hz screen it did feel super fluid and I don't think it crept below that 50 FPS barrier at least to my a touch input was also super responsive when using the extreme gaming modes the fans themselves are quite loud though when you start to use these and a lot of heat is kicked out the top of those frame vents I will say that in 10 sessions will no doubt require constant connection to a wall outlet using that PSU but there's no way to know how well that 49 watt hour battery will actually fare in the real world and lose unless we try it for ourselves but we'll show that tweaking the in-game graphical settings like on other comparable devices will be a sensible decision to ensure increased longevity my biggest gripe with all handheld PCS so far though is Windows 11 as it can feel quite inhibiting and although Lenovo has tried with its own Legion space software and it does help it's obvious that this isn't going to provide the most seamless and best experience for everybody out there it's just basically a Lenovo version of asus's Armory crate on the ROK Ally and that lets you connect all of your gaming services from epic games to steam to help quickly launch into your favorite titles Xbox game pass itself elf has a plethora of titles that I think are perfect for this specific form factor and definitely feel like they're going to be less taxing on that integrated GPU I'm not entirely convinced that triple A games will run as well but I do actually look forward to testing this out after launch I gotta say I personally love a lot of what Lenovo has tried to do here for 699 but I can see that one of the biggest frustrations is not necessarily the pricing but having actually to wait until October 2023 before this is going to be available to you to go and purchase for gamers looking at other handhelds out there it might actually be worth holding out a little longer for what I think could be one of the best of the bunch so far is it an instant cop or an instant buy at 699 tell me down in the comment sections below it's also interested to hear your thoughts kids watching though and I will catch you in the next one thank you foreign\n"