After Asus and its ROG Ally, Lenovo is investing in the still confidential market of portable PC consoles. To stand out, Lenovo relies heavily on features, but above all the additional features offered by its Legion Go console.
While the Steam Deck used a 60 Hz HD screen, Asus wanted to go further by adding a 120 Hz Full HD panel to its console. Eager to win the race, Lenovo for its part delivers an 8.8-inch IPS screen displaying a QHD definition of 2560 x 1600 pixels and pushing the refresh rate to 144 Hz.
To propel the whole, the Legion Go embeds the same AMD Z1 Extreme chip present at the heart of the Asus ROG Ally, accompanied by 16 GB of RAM in LPDDR5X. On the storage side, the possibilities range from 256 GB to 1 TB via 512 GB.
With a larger screen, better defined and with a higher refresh rate, the autonomy may disappoint for a nomadic machine, despite the 49 Wh battery. In the same way, the weight of 854 g is also likely to be felt, especially against the more than 600 g of its competitors, which are already quite heavy.
Unsurprisingly, the console works under Windows 11 with its advantages and shortcomings, in particular a somewhat tedious touch / joystick use.
If Lenovo Legion Go has a fairly impressive technical sheet, the Chinese brand intends to stand out in another way. Its real strong point lies in its removable controllers like a Nintendo Switch. It will thus be possible to put the screen on a table and play while holding only the controller, which would thereby solve the significant overweight of the console.
It will also be possible to use the Legion Go as a tablet, independently of its controllers, and to enjoy a fully tactile experience under Windows, especially since with two USB-C ports, a mini-jack port and a microSD slot, the console is quite versatile.
Not to spoil anything, Lenovo is preparing a panoply of accessories to complete the experience. Admittedly, RGB wired headphones are not going to upset our uses, but Lenovo has something else in mind. The brand plans to launch a pair of augmented reality glasses by October 2023 to play in total immersion. These are based on two Full HD Micro-Led screens and a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Playing on the move has never been so attractive.
We expect Lenovo to unveil these products at IFA 2023 on September 1 and begin shipping soon. On the price side, these products would stand up well against the competition. The Lenovo Legion Go console would thus be sold at 799 € in the entry-level version of 256 GB. The Asus ROG Ally was displayed at the same price with 512 GB, but without the specificities of the Legion Go.
The augmented reality glasses should see the light of day at 499 € and would be compatible with all Windows PCs. Finally, the headphones should cost €49.99.