Lenovo has recently announced its first handheld gaming console, the Legion Go, at the IFA 2023 in Berlin. The device is powered by Windows 11 and AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, and features an 8.8-inch QHD+ display, detachable controllers, and a built-in kickstand. The Legion Go is expected to launch in November 2023 with a starting price of EUR 799 (roughly Rs. 69,000).
What is the Lenovo Legion Go?
The Lenovo Legion Go is a portable gaming device that runs on Windows 11 Home with Legion Space software. It allows you to play PC games on the go, as well as stream games from your Legion laptop or desktop via Wi-Fi or USB-C cable. You can also connect the device to an external monitor or TV via HDMI or USB-C port, and use the detachable controllers or a keyboard and mouse for gaming.
The Legion Go has a sleek and ergonomic design, with a magnesium alloy body and a matte black finish. It weighs 650 grams and measures 230 x 130 x 20 mm. The device has an 8.8-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) IPS LCD display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, HDR10 support, and a 144Hz refresh rate. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and has narrow bezels.
The device is powered by the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, which is based on the Zen 3 architecture and has four cores and eight threads. The processor has a base clock speed of 2.5GHz and a boost speed of up to 4.2GHz. The GPU side is managed by the AMD RDNA graphics, which has eight compute units and supports ray tracing and variable rate shading.
The Legion Go comes with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of PCIe NVMe SSD storage. It also has a microSD card slot for expandable storage. The device has a dual-fan cooling system with copper heat pipes and vents on the sides and back.
The device has a pair of detachable controllers that attach to the sides of the display via magnets. The controllers have dual analog sticks, D-pads, triggers, bumpers, face buttons, and menu buttons. They also have gyroscopes for motion control and haptic feedback for immersive gaming. The controllers can be used separately or together with a grip accessory that comes with the device.
The device has a built-in kickstand that allows you to prop up the device on a flat surface and play games with the controllers or other peripherals. The kickstand has three angles of adjustment and can also be used as a handle for carrying the device.
The device has a 10,000mAh battery that supports 65W fast charging via USB-C port. Lenovo claims that the device can deliver up to six hours of gaming on a single charge. The device also has dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, dual microphones with noise cancellation, an audio jack, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, and a fingerprint scanner.
How does the Lenovo Legion Go compare to other handheld gaming consoles?
The Lenovo Legion Go is not the first handheld gaming console to run on Windows 11. Earlier this year, Asus launched the ROG Ally, which has similar specifications and features as the Legion Go, but with a slightly smaller display (8-inch) and battery (9,000mAh). The ROG Ally also has an RGB lighting system on the back and supports wireless charging.
Another competitor for the Legion Go is the Steam Deck, which is developed by Valve and runs on SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system that supports thousands of PC games from Steam. The Steam Deck has a larger display (7-inch) but lower resolution (1280 x 800) than the Legion Go. It also has different processor options (AMD APU with Zen 2 CPU cores and RDNA 2 GPU cores), RAM options (8GB or 16GB), and storage options (64GB eMMC or 256GB/512GB SSD). The Steam Deck also has touchscreens on both sides of the display and four extra buttons on the back.
Another popular handheld gaming console is the Nintendo Switch, which runs on its own operating system and supports exclusive games from Nintendo as well as third-party titles. The Nintendo Switch has a smaller display (6.2-inch) but higher resolution (1280 x 720) than the Legion Go. It also has lower processor performance (Nvidia Tegra X1) and storage capacity (32GB