Lenovo Legion Go overview: Two issues I do not like concerning the Steam Deck and Nintendo Change hybrid

Have you ever ever wished a Nintendo Change to be extra highly effective, extra highly effective and costlier? The Lenovo Legion Go is likely to be the system for you.

A few of these descriptions could sound pejorative, however in truth, Lenovo’s new gaming laptop computer (goals to compete with the likes of… Steam floor And ASUS ROG ALLY) is precisely that. Whereas we wait for an additional doable 12 months for Change 2the Legion Go can whet your urge for food with its enormous, clean display screen, removable controllers, and sufficient horsepower to run new and previous, indie and AAA video games.

Beginning at $699 for the 512GB mannequin (there’s additionally an identical 1TB mannequin for $749), it is definitely not low cost by gaming console requirements. However if you wish to get into the world of PC gaming with out committing to a costlier laptop computer or desktop, the Legion Go may very well be a super choice for you.

What I like concerning the Lenovo Legion Go

It is transportable energy

Let’s reduce proper to the chase: this factor is admittedly good at working every kind of video games. It has an AMD Ryzen Z1 Excessive GPU, which is identical because the high-end ROG Ally mannequin. Because the ROG Ally is broadly recognized to be a bit extra highly effective than the Steam Deck, so is the Legion Go. It additionally has 16GB of RAM, so it is in a position to multitask with out stumbling if want be.

I performed a bunch of various video games new and previous on Legion Go and got here away somewhat impressed with its capacity to run all of them. This is a fast abstract of how the take a look at goes:

• Burnout Paradise Remastered: Steady 60 frames per second on excessive settings

• Yakuza: Like a dragon: About 30 fps on excessive settings

• Halo: Grasp Chef Assortment: Constant 60 fps on “Efficiency” settings.

• Infinite aura Multiplayer: Constant 60 FPS on low settings

In fact, nothing in PC gaming works completely with no little pre-configuration, and Legion Go is not any totally different. By default, the system’s display screen decision is about to the utmost setting of 2560 x 1600. I discovered that this hampered efficiency in video games like Like a dragon, which was virtually unplayable at this decision. However reducing it a bit to 1920 x 1200 fastened virtually all the points I used to be having with out sacrificing a lot visible sharpness.

You even have some management over issues like fan velocity on the system degree. Merely press the “Legion R” button (positioned roughly the place the pause button is on the Change, on the high of the correct controller) to open the fast settings menu. From there, you may change the decision, refresh price, thermal and energy modes. The latter two may be switched to “Efficiency,” making video games extra playable on the expense of working the inner fan and doubtlessly sacrificing some battery life.

Doing all of this, which solely takes a number of seconds, gave me greater than acceptable ranges of efficiency in each sport I attempted. I discovered that issues had been additionally just a little higher when the Legion Go was related to its included AC adapter, however I used to be in a position to recreate all the aforementioned efficiency profiles whereas it was disconnected as properly.

Oh, and if it may possibly run all AAA video games reliably, there will likely be no points with virtually any smaller indie video games.

A Sport Cross dream machine

One of many largest issues with Valve’s Steam Deck (a stunning little machine by all accounts) is that it runs Linux by default. You Can Install Windows It does, nevertheless it takes some effort and a few information to do it proper. This isn’t an issue with Legion Go.

Just like the ROG Ally earlier than it, the Legion Go comes with a comparatively clear Home windows 11 set up out of the field. There’s some Lenovo-specific gaming software program that I will get to later, however so long as you realize your Microsoft account info, you may sign up and produce over all of your apps and settings out of your PC, if you’d like.

The largest profit right here from a gaming perspective is that Xbox Sport Cross for PC is natively supported on Legion Go. Because of this over 400 video games are immediately accessible so long as you’ve got a Sport Cross subscription. In fact, different platforms like Steam, Epic Video games, and GOG are supported along with being on an everyday Home windows PC. In case your library is positioned in one among these storefronts, you may don’t have any drawback accessing it right here.

Having choices is sweet, that is all I am saying.

large present

In case you settle for the argument that the Legion Go’s major opponents are the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, the Lenovo system simply has the most effective providing among the many three.

It isn’t a lot of a debate both. This is how they stack up:

• Steam Deck LCD Show: 7-inch show with 1200 x 800 decision and 60Hz refresh price

• ROG Ally: 7-inch display screen with a decision of 1920 x 1080 and a refresh price of 120 Hz

• Legion Go: 8.8-inch display screen with a decision of 2560 x 1600 and a refresh price of 144 Hz

be seen? The numbers are larger, which implies it is higher. Severely, it is a large, sharp, vibrant show that is nice for gaming.

the Simply The caveat right here is that Valve simply introduced… OLED vapor floor With a bigger 7.4-inch display screen and a barely higher 90Hz refresh price. The OLED issue might tip issues in Valve’s favor right here, however not till the system is in folks’s arms and prepared for side-by-side testing.

What I do not like concerning the Lenovo Legion Go

Quiet there

That is easy: the fan is simply too loud.

To be extra particular, enabling the precise efficiency settings you’ve got enabled to run these video games like I did means you need to take care of fan noise. It isn’t on the degree of a jet engine like the unique PlayStation 3 or something, however you may hear it throughout a medium-sized room. I might undoubtedly really feel nervous about bringing it on a aircraft if the particular person sitting subsequent to me did not have headphones.

Area Legion kinda stinks

The one purpose I referred to as the Legion Go model of Home windows 11 “comparatively clear” is that it comes with a particular sport library/retailer interface referred to as Legion Area. This activates robotically at startup (turning it off in settings did not appear to resolve that both) and needs to be minimized or closed utterly earlier than you may entry the apps you really need to use.

It is principally only a approach for Lenovo to collect each sport you have put in throughout each platform into one little hub, which is sweet in principle however not nice in observe. Personally, if I wished to launch one thing from Steam, I might simply open Steam. Legion Area’s UI can be full of massive, ugly buttons that appear supposed for touchscreen use. I simply don’t love the way in which it appears to be like.

This is not a huge effect on the general high quality of Legion Go, however it’s He’s Annoying sufficient to be price mentioning.

What’s “er” in Lenovo Legion Go

Management tips

One other issue that units the Legion Go aside from the competitors is that the controllers on the left and proper sides of the display screen may be indifferent and used individually from the system, much like the Nintendo Change Pleasure-Cons. If you wish to play with out holding a 1.88-pound system in your arms, you are able to do so.

What’s much more fascinating is that there is a small toggle swap on the backside of the controller on the correct facet to change it to ‘FPS mode’. The thought is to put the correct controller vertically within the built-in controller base and use it as a mouse (with the left facet performing as a keyboard) for video games that benefit from mouse + keyboard controls.

In observe, this works properly however may be very goofy. You principally transfer the controller round in your desk to simulate the motion of a mouse. It is undoubtedly distinctive and works precisely as marketed, nevertheless it’s not one thing I might need to do for an extended time period. You would possibly prefer it, although.

Oh, yet one more factor to notice about controllers: they use so-called analog sticks “Hall effect sensors.” With out delving into what meaning on a technical degree, everybody I do know concerned on this type of factor tells me that Corridor impact sensors are a lot much less more likely to succumb to controller drift points than the sticks on the Change and PS5 controllers. In different phrases, the Legion Go sticks must be extra dependable for a for much longer interval than any Change Pleasure-Con.

Lenovo Legion Go battery life

I wasn’t in a position to get our typical battery benchmarking program to work on the Legion Go, however anecdotally, you may anticipate to get not more than 4 hours of steady use on a single cost, except you are taking part in nerdy video games. actually Not demanding.

It isn’t nice, nevertheless it’s additionally consistent with what the OG Steam Deck and ROG Ally supply. These are highly effective machines, and the expertise to provide them lengthy battery life with out compromising on dimension and worth could not but exist. From what I and plenty of others can perceive, you would possibly have the ability to play Legion Go whereas watching a soccer match in your TV, however in all probability not for for much longer than that.

How properly Cyberpunk 2077 Operating on Lenovo Legion Go?

Final however not least, let’s discuss how Legion Go handles one of the vital common gaming titles: Cyberpunk 2077.

Practically three years after its launch, CyberpunkThe sport bugs have been largely fastened and the sport is now superb. Nevertheless, it is nonetheless fairly cumbersome on no matter system you are taking part in on. Operating the in-game benchmark on the “Steam Deck” settings preset (which incorporates excessive texture high quality, amongst different issues), the Legion Go averaged 40 fps. The identical benchmark on the Steam Deck reached round 30fps.

Not solely Cyberpunk It is solely playable on Legion Go, and may be fairly enjoyable. What about that?

Closing ideas

With the not-yet-released qualifier, the Steam Deck OLED, I do not suppose it is loopy to say that the Legion Go is likely to be the most effective gaming laptop computer but.

Its efficiency profile speaks for itself, whereas the show is significantly better than the unique Steam Deck and ROG Ally. The fundamental model of Home windows 11 means you are able to do just about no matter you need with the system, even whereas coping with the annoying Legion Area software program. The removable controllers are additionally neat in principle, although I am not the kind who would ever profit from them.

At $699, it isn’t precisely low cost, nevertheless it’s simply probably the greatest entries into PC gaming you may get proper now.