At first I was nintendo switch. And everyone thought this was the perfect portable console. Good games, easy to use and hours of fun. But then along came the Steam Deck, the first PC-based game console for the masses, capable of running top-notch PC games without needing a laptop or PC tower.
Steam Deck opened the market for portable consoles for PC games and now there are alternatives as interesting as lenovo Legion Go, which I could see at the IFA. It has a large screen, one of the most powerful portable processors for gaming, and a design optimized for hand-holding.
I haven’t yet been able to test it so thoroughly as to give you a definitive opinion in our analysis, but I didn’t want to stop talking about it, especially if you are thinking of spending your money on a portable console.
Lenovo Legion Go It is a portable console with a 8.8 inch screena AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme 3.3 GHz processor and 16GB RAM at 7500 MHz. I could be talking about a (very small) laptop, but just by looking at the design you can tell that it is something different.
The company has not given it much thought, the design follows the lead of other portable consoles, but the difference is its large screen, 8.8 inches, which is one of the largest of its type.
It has controls that you can separate to use them independently, with a pad, two joysticks and the typical 4-button pad (A, B, X and Y). Furthermore, a touchpad without buttons that when pressed for a little longer activates the right button.
I wouldn’t call it ergonomic, but it is certainly a portable console, comfortable to use, as long as you have a point of support, because weighs 854 grams with controls. It’s not that it’s excessively heavy, but it is slightly uncomfortable to use without a support point, call it a table or yourself. In comparison, a Nintendo Switch weighs about 315 grams and a Steam Deck about 640 grams.
The Lenovo Legion Go is easy to use even as a laptop. It has a touch screen, so you can use the virtual Windows keyboard. Furthermore, the touchpadIt is small, but comfortable. But it is not intended as a replacement for a laptop, this is a console.
Although the controls can be separated, like a Nintendo Switch does, and the right controller has a sensor to convert it, along with an adapter included in the box, into a mouse, it is a rather uncomfortable position. The tablet format and controls together is still the best option.
Let’s get to the point. Gaming. What is it like to play with a Lenovo Legion Go? If you have already used consoles like the Switch or even a Steam Deck, apart from the fact that it has a larger screen, the gameplay is pretty much the same.
In my case I have tested it with three of my favorite PC games: GTA V, Halo Infinite and Cyberpunk 2077.
GTA V manages, without problem, to achieve the desired 60FPS. Halo Infinite I have achieved between 50 and 60 FPS. AND Cyberpunk 2077Well, with one of the best games in recent years, it’s more complicated, because with pre-optimized graphics settings you get 30 FPS, but you have to adjust and go into the video settings and touch all the options to get something more stable.
Virtually any game in your Steam library is playable as long as it supports controller play. And if not, you always have the possibility of using a keyboard and mouse on your desktop. Inconvenient and impractical, but it is possible.
The problem with this (and with practically all portable/PC consoles) is that the games require so much power from the graphics processor that it greatly impacts two things: the battery and the heat generated.
Autonomy is short. Very short. Forget about using it for hours to play, in my days with this console I have achieved at most about two hours of autonomy, I usually had to play for an hour and a half.
The other problem is the heat it generates. Legion Go expels the hot air generated by the processor from the top, so your hands are never in contact with a hot area. Of course, the noise, when it works at maximum efficiency, and the heat it gives off, make it perfect for winter days, but in summer it will be interesting to see how high temperatures affect it.
You can change graphical settings simply by pressing a button on one of the controllers, from brightness, resolution, screen refresh or performance mode so that the battery lasts longer or the game runs smoother.
If there is something I am missing in this Lenovo Legion Go, it is an extra USB-C connection. It has one, more than enough to charge it, but if you want to connect something else you have to use one of those horrible USB-C hubs.
For the days that I have been testing it, I must say that I really liked it, especially because of the big screen and the fact that I can run those games that I have been playing for years, like GTA V, without any problem. My doubt, as happened when I tried a Steam Deck, is that gamers who are more accustomed to using a keyboard and mouse when we talk about PC games will at some point go through these consoles.
Yes, you can play with a PS5 or Xbox controller on your PC via cable or Bluetooth, but it is the format itself, with the practical problems of the battery or the heat they generate.
For now we will continue testing it and, if there is someone waiting to buy it, you can now buy it in some stores, such as Amazon or PcComponentes.
