This week, an exciting development has hit the handheld gaming PC scene: Lenovo’s Legion Go, which squares off against heavyweights like Valve’s Steam Deck and Asus’ ROG Ally, is now available with a substantial $100 discount on Amazon. Priced at $499, the Legion Go not only undercuts the Asus ROG Ally X’s hefty $799 tag by a cool 300 bucks but also edges out the Steam Deck OLED, priced at $549, by $50.
The heart of the Legion Go beats with the AMD Z1 Extreme chipset, shared with the Asus ROG Ally, and it both outpace the performance you get from the Steam Deck and its OLED counterpart. This makes the Legion Go an enticing option in the handheld market, all the more so if you’re drawn to its stunning 8.8-inch IPS display. When we first reviewed Lenovo’s handheld, we lauded its dual USB-C ports, vibrant screen, durable kickstand, and detachable controllers, noting that subsequent updates have enhanced its offering further.
For those eyeing a step up from the Steam Deck, the Legion Go presents itself as a strong contender against the Steam Deck OLED—granted you’re okay with swapping OLED brilliance for a larger IPS screen. The price gap with the ROG Ally X, the only Z1 Extreme device that further hones performance, makes the minor hit in performance (mainly noticeable in 1% lows) a trivial detail in the grand scheme.
The Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme model starts at $649, but when considering that it doesn’t match the Ally X’s capabilities, your money might be better spent on the bigger display of the Legion Go or the superior screen of the Deck OLED at $549. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for the original ROG Ally to justify its place in the lineup.
Looking ahead, the Lenovo Legion Go seems a solid investment for future-proof gaming. Rumor has it we could see a more basic version, the Legion Go Lite, before long, though if you’re dipping into this price bracket, that may not be your concern. Meanwhile, whispers of a beefed-up Legion Go 2 potentially arriving by 2025 are swirling, but specifics about its possible power enhancements remain under wraps. Could this potential next-gen release or the upcoming Lite model be behind today’s price cut? Only time will tell.
