Lenovo first dipped its foot into gaming performance devices back in 2017 with the introduction of the Legion series of laptops and PCs. Fast forward to six years later, and the prominent Chinese tech giant is now poised to make a move into handheld gaming with the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go, which will arrive sooner than anticipated with a price tag that’s sure to catch attention.
First disclosed by Windows Report, Lenovo’s Legion Go, set to be officially unveiled on September 1, is slated to hit store shelves in October at a price point of $799/€799. Edging the Asus ROG Ally price by a hundred dollars more, it’s natural to wonder if Lenovo’s aspirations might be reaching a touch too far, especially when considering certain revealed specifications.
Without the controllers attached, the dimensions of the Legion Go measure around 8 inches in length and 5 inches in width, with a weight of approximately 1.4 pounds. Once you attach the controllers, the portable PC extends by 3 inches in length and increases in weight, reaching almost 2 pounds.
The display boasts a slim bezel and spans across an 8.8-inch QHD+ screen with an incredible 144Hz refresh rate. Why the company thinks we need a 1600p screen with such a high refresh rate on a handheld beats us, as it will most likely come at the cost of battery life.
The Legion Go will sport an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor coupled with RDNA graphics and 16 GB of 7500 MHz LPDDR5X RAM as well as three different storage options ranging from 256GB to 1TB NVMe M.2 SSDs. Our educated guess places the $800 price tag with the entry-level 256GB variant, which implies that the 1TB alternative could easily surpass the $1000 mark. The Lenovo Legion Go will also be bundled with 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
When it comes to battery life, the 49.2WHr 2-cell battery should output at least 2 hours of uninterrupted gaming. When combined with the 65W Super Rapid Charge capability, you won’t have to wait long before diving back to your favorite titles.
The sizable air vents positioned on the rear of the device ensure an optimal gaming experience, while the inaudible fans mean you won’t feel like your Legion Go is about to take off from a runaway. Also worth noting are the USB 4.0 ports that enable seamless streaming on an external display and the added option of using eGPU enclosures.
Building an entire ecosystem around the Legion Go, the handheld PC will be complemented by AR Glasses and new in-ear gaming headphones. The Lenovo Legion AR Glasses are set to feature micro OLED displays delivering Full HD to each eye, high-fidelity integrated speakers, a prescription lens frame, and a full-function USB Type-C, which means you can use them with any other compatible device. Expect a starting price of $499.
As for the Lenovo Legion E510 7.1 RGB gaming in-ear headphones, they will feature an eight-channel surround audio output and 10mm dynamic and balanced armature drivers that offer improved fidelity, realism, and detail while providing greater output with less power. The classy in-ear headphones will retail for $49.99.
Taking all these specs into consideration, the one feature that sticks out like a sore thumb is the extravagant display. It doesn’t take a genius to deduce that the hefty price tag can be attributed to the high resolution and refresh rate. It’s rather amusing that Lenovo wants to compete with Valve’s Steam Deck, yet it’s evidently missing the key factors that have fueled the Steam Deck’s remarkable success.
With its 1280×800 (16:10 aspect ratio) resolution, the Steam Deck can last a minimum of three and a half hours with the potential to reach seven hours at lower setting. While a QHD+ screen is good for marketing optics, it’s detrimental when it comes to battery life.
Will you be getting Lenovo’s Legion Go, or will it be a hard pass after reading this? Let us know in the comments section below.
