More from Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and more: all the news about the handheld PC gaming revolution
Physically, and on paper, I would pick this one over the original Legion Go in a heartbeat. It feels so much better — and it’s the first third-party handheld with SteamOS, which vastly improves that feel.
Sorry I couldn’t provide any performance or battery impressions, though: this unit has an old Z1 Extreme chip inside, no intensive games on display, not even a Portal 2 savegame.
The Legion Go S is the immediate successor to the Legion Go handheld, minus the detachable gamepads / mouse / kickstand and plus a SteamOS option. But a Legion Go 2 is coming sometime in 2025, Lenovo has announced.
Specs include Ryzen Z2 Extreme, an 8.8-inch 144Hz OLED screen with VRR (!), and a big 74Wh battery. This one didn’t turn on, but the grips are definitely comfier!
Valve just squashed its second Steam Deck-adjacent rumor in one day. “We’re not currently working with GPD on official SteamOS support,” Valve designer Lawrence Yang tells The Verge.
GPD said it planned to offer SteamOS on its Win 4 handheld, “with system adaptation provided by Valve.” Ayaneo once claimed to have SteamOS too. We’re expecting Lenovo to announce the first third-party SteamOS handheld this week.
[GamingOnLinux]
It’s co-developed with Tencent, it’s called the Sunday Dragon, and it’s absolutely huge with an 11-inch autostereoscopic screen (like the Nintendo 3DS but massive). I nearly dropped it trying to remove its detachable controllers.
The 3D popped to life just fine for me, and while the heft gave me pause, the grips are sculpted nicely. Lunar Lake inside.
It’s probably going to cost a buttload of money, but I’m seriously intrigued: could this modular design let some of us get symmetrical sticks, others offset Xbox-style sticks, and still others enjoy touchpads or extra buttons instead?
Still, looks like you’ll have to “pick two” at a time — while the Steam Deck offers dual touchpads, dual sticks and D-pad simultaneously.
Those Decks didn’t last long! Valve told us it’ll make more of the nicely discounted refurb units available, though, and that they’ll generally go in and out of stock.
I may have hinted to my family that I wanted an OLED upgrade as my one Christmas present this year... wonder if they saw it in time?
Could the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus salvage Intel and MSI’s gaming handheld reputation? Well, MSI now claims its handheld averages 7 percent faster than its chief rival at far less power, or 20 percent faster at the same 17 watts.
I’m still working on my GPD Win Max 2 review, and there’s now a more powerful model on sale. It’s pricier at $1,500 — but the 8840U version I’m using is now discounted to $1,000, so that’s great!
This is the best tiny Windows machine I’ve used, though I find I want a mouse. It’s also an OK handheld.
Steam Box? Gaming Chromebook? Take your best guess — but it sure looks like Johnny Deng, a Valve electrical engineer, is testing to ensure a powerful new “AMD Lilac” can properly control your TV (or vice versa) over HDMI.
It’s fascinating to think about. Why would Valve use ChromeOS instead of SteamOS? Valve did tell us it’d “love to work with third-parties” on living room extensions...
The Claw 8 AI Plus and Claw 7 AI Plus have appeared on Amazon for $899 and $799 respectively, and will ship Dec. 25th and Dec. 1st respectively, per Videocardz... but the listings seem to have been stripped of those crucial details now.
MSI already announced both handhelds in June as quick followups to the embarrassing original. Lunar Lake could bring better performance and battery, but apparently not pricing.
I have a hard time believing this OneGx2 could be comfortable to hold, but major kudos if OneXPlayer can figure it out! I’m currently toying with a similar GPD machine that hides its joysticks beneath little covers, but a split keyboard and sticks beneath a full keyboard is something else.
If you read my Lenovo Legion Go review and thought “that but less expensive and cumbersome,” Videocardz may have good news: the unannounced smaller “Legion Go S 8ARP1” now has a firmware update for its unannounced AMD Rembrandt APU. That’s a last-gen architecture that should be more affordable than AMD’s “Extreme” line.
Also, though: the original Legion Go is its best price ever right now.
