After weeks of testing handheld gaming PCs, I never expected one device to spark such an existential crisis. The Lenovo Legion Go S Z1 Extreme with native SteamOS isn't just another Windows handheld with a Linux coat of paint—it's a genuine game-changer that made me question everything I thought I knew about portable gaming.
This legion go s z1 extreme review comes after extensive real-world testing, and spoiler alert: it might just be the best steam os handheld 2025 has to offer. But before you rush to Amazon, let's dive deep into what makes this device special and where it stumbles.
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| Legion Go S Z1 Extreme Review |
What Makes This Handheld Different?
The Legion Go S Z1 Extreme isn't your typical handheld gaming pc with steam os. While other manufacturers bolt Linux distributions onto existing Windows designs, Lenovo partnered directly with Valve to create something genuinely optimized for SteamOS.
Under the hood, you're getting AMD's proven Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor paired with a generous 32GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage. That's the same chip powering the original Legion Go and ROG Ally handhelds, but here's the kicker—SteamOS transforms its performance completely.
At $829.99, it sits in an interesting position. The Steam Deck OLED starts at $549 for the base model, while the ROG Ally X commands $899 with its beefier 80Wh battery. The Legion Go S splits the difference, offering premium specs without breaking into four-digit territory.
What really sets this apart is being only the second handheld to ship with native SteamOS support. That Valve partnership shows, and it makes all the difference in day-to-day usage.
Design and Comfort – Built for Long Sessions
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| Design and Comfort – Built for Long Sessions |
Ergonomics can make or break a handheld, and the Legion Go S absolutely nails this aspect. At 730 grams, it's heavier than a naked Steam Deck, but the weight distribution feels perfect in your hands.
The device features curves everywhere—from the substantial grip sections to the clever indentations where your palms rest. Those full-size analog sticks feel premium and smooth, while the D-pad delivers that satisfying tactile feedback that makes retro gaming a joy.
Here's where things get interesting: while the Legion Go S weighs more on paper than competing handhelds, it actually feels lighter in practice. My Steam Deck OLED with a protective case weighs more than this device. Same story with my ROG Ally X once I add the necessary grip accessories for comfort.
The Legion Go S doesn't need those add-ons. It's comfortable right out of the box, which means you're actually carrying less weight for extended gaming sessions. That's smart design.
The only ergonomic complaint? The menu button placement still trips me up. Having select and start buttons positioned below the main face buttons goes against muscle memory built from years of Steam Deck and Ally usage. It's a minor gripe, but one that persists even after weeks of use.
Display – The Goldilocks Screen for Gaming
This 8-inch LCD panel might just be my favorite handheld display of 2025. At 1920×1200 resolution with 120Hz refresh rate and VRR support, it hits that sweet spot between performance and visual quality.
The 16:10 aspect ratio is surprisingly versatile. Modern games look fantastic at the native 1200p gaming handheld resolution, while retro content benefits from less severe letterboxing compared to 16:9 screens. Playing 4:3 games feels natural, not cramped.
Colors won't wow you like an OLED would, but this LCD delivers consistent brightness and excellent motion clarity. That 120Hz panel enables features like CRT beam simulation shaders for emulation, creating smooth motion that OLED displays struggle to match at lower refresh rates.
The bezels stay reasonably thin, especially on the sides, giving you that immersive feel without adding unnecessary bulk. It's 37% larger than the ROG Ally X's display, which makes a real difference for reading text and appreciating visual details.
This truly is a Goldilocks screen—not the brightest, not the most colorful, but hitting every important metric just right.
Performance – Z1 Extreme with a Twist
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| Performance – Z1 Extreme with a Twist |
Here's where the steam os vs windows on handheld debate gets fascinating. Using identical Z1 Extreme hardware, SteamOS consistently delivered 10-14 FPS improvements over Windows in my testing.
In Cyberpunk 2077 at 800p for benchmark comparison, the Legion Go S hit higher frame rates than the original Legion Go running Windows, despite using the same chip. Rise of the Tomb Raider showed even more dramatic improvements, jumping from 60 FPS average on Windows to 85 FPS on SteamOS.
Real-world gaming tells the same story. Playing Cyberpunk at native 1200p with Steam Deck preset settings, I maintained a stable 40 FPS cap in performance mode for about 1.5 hours of battery life. God of War ran beautifully at 1200p low settings with FSR quality mode, maintaining 30 FPS in balance mode.
The amd z1 extreme handheld performance really shines in SteamOS's optimized environment. Games that struggled on Windows versions of this hardware run smoothly here, and the per-game profile system makes optimization painless.
You dial in your perfect settings once—frame rate cap, power mode, VRR preferences—and SteamOS remembers everything. No more tweaking settings every time you boot up a game.
Battery Life – Balanced but Limited
The 55.5wh battery handheld pc capacity tells the whole story. You're getting respectable runtime, but not class-leading endurance.
In Low Power mode, lightweight indie games deliver 4-5 hours of gameplay. Shovel Knight managed nearly 6 hours, while Celeste pushed past 5. Even moderately demanding titles like Hollow Knight hit 4 hours at 1200p resolution.
Balanced mode is where most gaming happens, delivering 2-2.5 hours with mid-tier games. This mode handled Bioshock Infinite at 1200p medium settings while maintaining 60+ FPS. More demanding titles like Horizon Zero Dawn required 40 FPS caps but still provided that crucial 2+ hour sweet spot.
Performance mode drains battery fast—1 to 1.5 hours maximum—but unlocks the full potential of that Z1 Extreme chip. Elden Ring jumped from 35 FPS average to 40 FPS, though the battery trade-off feels steep for just 5 extra frames.
Compared to the ROG Ally X's 80Wh battery, the Legion Go S falls short for marathon gaming sessions. However, steam os battery life optimization helps squeeze every minute from that smaller capacity through superior power management.
SteamOS Experience – Console Simplicity on PC Power
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| SteamOS Experience – Console Simplicity on PC Power |
This is where the Legion Go S truly shines. SteamOS transforms complex PC gaming into a console-like experience that just works.
Boot up the device, log into Steam, and 443 of my 520 games showed as compatible immediately. The interface flows smoothly between your library, recently played titles, and system settings. Navigation feels intuitive using just the built-in controls.
The Quick Access Menu (QAM) puts essential controls at your fingertips. Brightness, volume, airplane mode, and crucially, performance profiles all live behind one button press. Frame rate limiting, VRR toggle, and power mode selection happen instantly.
Sleep mode deserves special mention. Unlike Windows handhelds that struggle with hibernation, SteamOS lets you pause mid-game, close the device, and resume exactly where you left off hours later. Battery drain during sleep stays minimal.
I did encounter some teething issues. Marvel Spider-Man showed question marks instead of button prompts, while Ratchet & Clank had controller recognition problems. The RGB lighting around the analog sticks required installing Decky plugins and third-party software to configure properly.
These bugs felt minor compared to the overall polish. Per-game profiles eliminated the constant tweaking that plagues Windows handhelds, while the Linux foundation delivered rock-solid stability.
Emulation – A Retro Gamer's Dream Device
The Legion Go S excels at emulation thanks to its best 8-inch pc gaming handheld form factor and 120Hz display. That 16:10 aspect ratio makes 4:3 retro content shine without excessive letterboxing.
RetroDeck and EmuDeck work flawlessly, providing one-click setup for dozens of systems. NES and SNES games look fantastic with CRT shaders enabled, while the 120Hz panel enables smooth beam simulation effects that enhance motion clarity.
Game Boy Advance titles particularly benefit from the screen size and aspect ratio. The 3:2 GBA ratio scales beautifully to fill most of the display, creating an immersive retro experience on modern hardware.
More demanding emulation handles wonderfully too. PlayStation 2 games run at 3x resolution with 3+ hours of battery life. GameCube titles like F-Zero GX maintain stable performance whether running in original 4:3 or stretched widescreen modes.
Even challenging targets like Breath of the Wild via Wii U emulation work well. Setting a 40 FPS cap and enabling graphics packs for native 1200p 16:10 resolution creates a nearly perfect handheld Zelda experience with 1.5 hours of battery life.
The emulation on legion go s experience feels polished and mature, benefiting from years of Steam Deck development that translates directly to this hardware.
What Could Be Better?
No device is perfect, and the Legion Go S has several areas for improvement.
That $830 price point stings. You're paying a significant premium over the Steam Deck OLED for the larger screen and more powerful processor, but the value proposition gets murky when the ROG Ally X costs just $70 more with a much larger battery.
Audio quality disappoints compared to the competition. The front-firing speakers sound muffled and quiet compared to the Steam Deck or ROG Ally. Windows had third-party audio enhancement options, but SteamOS lacks easy solutions for improving the sound profile.
The Z1 Extreme chip, while still capable, shows its age. With Z2 Extreme handhelds launching later in 2025, this processor feels like a placeholder rather than a future-proof choice.
Finally, some SteamOS integration feels incomplete. Native RGB lighting control should work out of the box, not require community plugins. Controller button mapping issues in certain games suggest the SteamOS port needs more polish.
Final Verdict – Who Should Buy the Legion Go S?
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| Who Should Buy the Legion Go S |
The Legion Go S Z1 Extreme creates a compelling case for SteamOS gaming beyond the Steam Deck. Its exceptional ergonomics, versatile display, and optimized performance make it genuinely enjoyable to use for extended sessions.
If you're entering handheld PC gaming for the first time, this device deserves serious consideration. The legion go vs steam deck comparison favors the Legion Go S for screen size, processing power, and comfort, while maintaining that crucial SteamOS simplicity.
Current Steam Deck OLED or ROG Ally X owners face a tougher decision. The improvements feel incremental rather than revolutionary, especially given the premium pricing. The same Z1 Extreme performance exists in other devices, and Bazzite can bring SteamOS-like functionality to existing Windows handhelds.
However, if comfort ranks as your top priority, the Legion Go S delivers the most ergonomic handheld gaming experience available today. Combined with native SteamOS optimization, it creates a package that's hard to replicate through modifications or accessories.
🎮 Ready to experience SteamOS at its absolute best?
The Legion Go S Z1 Extreme Edition is the most ergonomic, versatile, and performance-optimized handheld PC in 2025.
👉 Buy it now on Amazon for $829.99 USD — includes 32GB RAM + 1TB storage
Take your gaming on the go, with console simplicity and PC power in one ultra-comfortable device.
FAQ Section
Q1: What is the price of the Legion Go S Z1 Extreme in 2025? A: As of mid-2025, it retails at $829.99 USD on Amazon for the SteamOS version with Z1 Extreme, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD.
Q2: Does Legion Go S perform better with SteamOS or Windows? A: In benchmark and gameplay tests, SteamOS gave 10–14 FPS better performance vs Windows on identical hardware due to Linux optimizations.
Q3: How long does the battery last during gaming? A: Depending on mode:
- Low Power: 3–4 hrs (light games)
- Balanced Mode: 2–2.5 hrs (mid-tier games)
- Performance Mode: 1–1.5 hrs (AAA titles)
Q4: Is it good for emulation and retro gaming? A: Absolutely. Its 16:10 screen is perfect for 4:3 content, and 120Hz allows for CRT shaders and smooth motion.
Q5: Can I run Steam Deck games on the Legion Go S? A: Yes. SteamOS allows you to download any Deck-verified title, and most of your library will be compatible.
Q6: Is the Z1 Extreme still worth it or should I wait for Z2 Extreme? A: Z1E is still a powerhouse in 2025, but Z2-based handhelds are expected by late 2025. If you want the best now, this is a great pick. If you can wait, consider holding off.