Here’s big news for anyone interested in handheld PC gaming: the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS is up for preorder now at Best Buy. The portable gaming machine is the first device made by a company other than Valve to ship with SteamOS, the Linux-based operating system that runs on the Steam Deck. The SteamOS-based Legion Go S will be available on May 25, starting at $549.99. Let’s dive into the details.
Preorder Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS
Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS (AMD Ryzen Z2 Go)
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120Hz gaming handheld with AMD Ryzen Z2 Go, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS (AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme)
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120Hz gaming handheld with AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme, 32GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD.
The SteamOS-powered Legion Go S will be available in two configurations. One has an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It costs $549.99 (the same price as the 512GB OLED Steam Deck). The other has the slightly more powerful AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip, along with 32GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. It costs $749.99.
Either model you choose, you’ll get a 120Hz gaming handheld with two USB-C ports. You can expand the storage easily by inserting a microSD card. It also has trigger locks to enable hair triggers, which comes in handy when playing competitive shooters like Marvel Rivals.
Both configurations also pack more powerful chips than the Steam Deck, which means they should theoretically be able to play some of the recent games that are just out of reach for the Deck. We’re talking games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Star Wars Outlaws, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Monster Hunter Wilds.
These SteamOS-based Legion Go S models are not to be confused with the Windows 11-based Legion Go S that came out earlier this year. See our Lenovo Legion Go S review to see why you probably don’t want that model (if you want to buy it anyway, it’s available at Best Buy for $729.99).
Valve has announced it will make SteamOS available for other non-Steam Deck handhelds as well. That means you’ll be able to install SteamOS on pretty much any handheld gaming PC of your choice before long – and possibly right around the launch of these SteamOS-based Legion Go S models. Still, if you’re looking to run SteamOS on devices that are more powerful than the Steam Deck, these ought to be among the top choices.
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.
