Best Gadgets I Tested in 2024 #5: Lenovo Legion Go
The launch of the Nintendo Switch in 2017 and its success have put some faith in the new handheld gaming console category for gamers. Valve’s Steam Deck has also seen great success and positive word of mouth from gamers and reviewers alike, thus giving rise to some fierce competition in this niche gaming category.
While the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck run on proprietary OS, there are the likes of ASUS ROG Ally, MSI Claw, Ayaneo Air, and the Lenovo Legion Go that run on Windows 11 OS. The Lenovo Legion Go takes the fifth spot in the top five gadgets I tested in 2024.
Lenovo put a lot of thought into designing the Legion Go, from offering detachable controllers that also doubles as a mouse, to adding a big, high-resolution, 144Hz refresh rate display and more. It also packs powerful hardware for good performance and a cooling system to ensure you can play all your games for a longer duration on the go.
Premium Design, but Slightly Bulky and Heavy
·????? The Legion Go has an ergonomic design and premium build quality thanks to the sturdy metal frame, but that does add to its weight, making it a little bulky and heavy to use for longer hours.
·????? The detachable controllers feel solid in the hands. The triggers and buttons are well-placed as well.
·????? The Hall Effect joysticks are very responsive and quite durable too. ??
·????? When detached, the controllers double as a joystick and mouse when playing FPS games. However, there is a bit of a learning curve there.
·????? There is also a built-in kickstand that allows the device to be propped up for tabletop gaming, especially when playing FPS games with detached controllers. It is also good for multimedia consumption, like watching movies or videos.
Great display?
·????? The Legion Go has an 8.8-inch QHD+ IPS display with 144Hz refresh rate.
·????? The screen is sharp, has great colour reproduction and offers a max brightness of up to 500 nits, all making the games look stunning, especially the likes of Forza Horizon 5, Rocket League, and GTA V, to name a few. ???
Powerful hardware
·????? Under the hood is a powerful 4nm AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor designed for handhelds. It comes with an 8-core CPU based on Zen4 architecture, and has 16 threads.
·????? On the graphics side, you get AMD Radeon RDNA 3 graphics with 12 compute units.
·????? It is paired with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM (clocked at 7500MHz frequency) and 1TB SSD.
·????? With support for TDP (Thermal Design Power) up to 30W, users can choose between custom 5W-30W, depending on their needs, or choose between presets – 8W (quiet), 15W (balanced), 20W (performance) modes.?
Good Gaming experience for most titles, but not close to desktop-level or console gaming
·????? The hardware can handle some demanding games, but the only compromise is to run them at medium settings.
·????? Of course, it cannot match desktop or console-level experience, but if you are like me (an average/intermediate gamer) looking to play casual games, the Legion Go well serves the purpose.
?In terms of my gaming experience, below are some stats:
QHD+ Resolution, with 144Hz refresh rate ??
·????? Rocket League, 62-68fps, with a smooth gaming experience.
·????? Forza Horizon 5, 45-50fps, decent gaming experience.
·????? Cyberpunk 7077, 14fps, not payable.
领英推荐
·????? Borderlands 3, medium graphics (28fps) but not playable, high graphics (19fps) looks sharp, but not playable.
·????? GTA V, 50fps, good gaming experience.
·????? Left4Dead2, 128fps, very smooth (but it’s a decade-old title too).
?FHD Resolution, with 144Hz refresh rate
·????? Rocket League, 90fps, smoother graphics and gameplay.
·????? Forza Horizon 5, 55-60fps, decent gaming experience.
·????? Cyberpunk 7077, 25fps barely playable.
·????? Borderlands 3, medium graphics (40-44fps), high graphics (34fps).
·????? GTA V, 71fps, slightly smoother gaming experience.?
Legion Space – Hub for All Your Games
·????? PC games are available from several publishers and their platforms, such as Steam, Epic Games Store, and Xbox Game Pass to name a few.
·????? Lenovo’s Legion Space is a great implementation to have the games you own (and downloaded) under one umbrella. ?
·????? Besides, the Legion Space also gets you to tweak crucial settings like the lights around joysticks and their color and pattern. You can also change settings for individual games and create profiles for fan speed, TDP and more.
·????? The Legion Space game launcher is buggy at times, especially taking half a minute to launch on the first boot, but after that, it only takes a couple of seconds. ??
Software: Windows 11 is good to have full OS, but also holds back these consoles
·????? The Legion Go runs on Windows 11, meaning it is a full-fledged handheld PC.
·????? We connected a keyboard, mouse and monitor, and got a full PC experience, including Microsoft Copilot as well.
·????? But Windows OS is also something that is holding back these consoles, as, maybe, gamers don’t want the entire OS to play games, but a stripped-down version. This will ensure it is not resource hungry, and help in increasing the battery life too.
Decent battery life, but the next version can focus on a bigger battery and a thinner design?
·????? On average, when playing demanding games at QHD+ resolution and performance mode, the battery lasts around one hour and 40 minutes.
·????? Turning off joystick lights, haptics, and brightness to 50% and lowering the resolution to FHD, I could push it a little further to two hours and 53 minutes.
·????? For the next version, maybe Lenovo can go for a slightly bigger battery, or smaller display, or maybe opt for an OLED one.
·????? OS and Legion Space firmware optimization is also needed, but it is much better than what it was when initially launched. ???
In 2025, I am looking forward to more handheld gaming consoles, and curious to see what improvements they bring to the table. ?