Lenovo’s Handheld Gaming PC Leaks

It seems that the success of Valve’s Steam Deck is leading more traditional PC manufacturers to create their own Windows 11-based gaming handhelds. After Asus released the ROG Ally in June, Windows Report just published the first pictures of the Lenovo Legion Go, another PC gaming handheld that will feature two detachable controllers like the Nintendo Switch.

Windows Central first reported the existence of the Legion Go earlier this month, and this original report mentioned an 8-inch screen and the presence of an AMD Phoenix chip under the hood. These first leaked images show a device that could be thicker than the ROG Ally, with possibly more buttons and a handy kickstand on the back.

Looking at the images, there are some slight differences between the two detachable controllers: The right controller apparently features a mini trackpad and a wheel below the right trigger. The report didn’t confirm if the 8-inch screen would support touch input, but the device is said to be running Windows 11, just like the Asus ROG Ally. This will allow gamers to seamlessly access PC games from Steam and other digital storefronts.

It’s certainly not easy to create a Switch-like device using Windows 11 and more power-hungry PC components. The Asus ROG Ally comes with Armoury Create, a slightly clunky software overlay that provides quick access to games and essential settings. Valve’s Steam Deck, however, runs the Linux-based SteamOS, which is probably better optimized for handheld gaming devices.

If the hardware of the Legion Go looks quite different from what we’ve seen before, there are still many unanswered questions about this new gaming handheld. It will be interesting to see if Windows 11 and the detachable controllers can replicate the seamless experience that Nintendo created for sharing Joy-Cons with other players.