LENOVO LEGION GO S

If you love Steam but don't love Valve's Deck specs, try this new Legion variant

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The Steam Deck has been pretty transformative when it comes to playing beefy blockbusters in your hands. But as the competition has been increasing in the past few years, its specs are getting creakier... which an OLED screen alone can't hide.

Rather than waiting for a Steam Deck 2, Valve is letting other manufacturers put its robust Linux-based SteamOS into their portable machines instead - so you can focus on gaming goodness and none of the faff that comes with having to navigate Windows.

The Legion Go S has newer processors, with the option for a Ryzen Z1 Extreme and 32GB of RAM, which means you can more confidently launch a 'Deck verified' game and actually have it running as you would expect.

Steamy win flows

This isn't to say you'll suddenly be playing the latest massive blockbusters at higher graphics settings, but you'll have a better time getting them to run. And it's not just the power but also the design that you're benefitting from: the most noticeable thing is the button layout, which is more like a standard gamepad, where the Steam Deck has an awkward arrangement in order to fit its dual trackpads. It's a bit heavier in the hands but that's also because you've got a larger 8in 16:10 screen. Granted, it's LCD rather than OLED, but with higher resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

It has two programmable back buttons, like the Steam Deck, and you can also easily adjust the triggers from analogue to a much quicker input that will be more responsive when playing shooters. Even with the base version, the Go S feels like an upgrade over what Valve is offering. And you can still use it like a regular PC.

from £699/ go.stuff.tv/LegionGoSteam

Key specs