I’ve used all the major handheld gaming PCs on the market today, from the GPD Win of old to the Steam Deck, the ASUS ROG Ally and now the Lenovo Legion Go. And for Amazon Prime Day, the Lenovo Legion Go is $100 cheaper than normal, making the deal much, much more attractive.
The Lenovo Legion Go and ASUS ROG Ally both use the same Z1E processor, so their gaming performance is near identical. The ASUS ROG Ally does have a VRR display, which can make frame rates feel smoother in some situations, but I still prefer the Lenovo Legion Go overall. Why? A much larger 8.8-inch display, complete with a higher max resolution. A kickstand, which makes the Legion Go almost as versatile as a laptop, allowing you to get some work done on the go (and yes, I have used it for this purpose!). It also has detachable joysticks, one of which can double as a mouse. Unlike the ROG Ally, it also includes a trackpad for the many PC games that occasionally require a pointer.
Today’s Best Amazon Prime Day Deals
Why I prefer the Lenovo Legion Go over other PC gaming handhelds
Lenovo Legion Go Specifications
Processor: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme with integrated Radeon Graphics
Operating system: Windows 11 Home Page
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 512GB SSD or 1TB SSD (rated at)
Display: 8.8-inch 16:10 QHD (2560 x 1600) IPS touchscreen
Refresh rate: 144Hz
Ports: 2x USB-C 4.0 (DisplayPort 1.4, Power Delivery 3.0), 1x MicroSD card reader, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery: 3~ hours (depending on performance modes)
Mate: 1.60 x 5.16 x 11.76 inches
Weight: 1.88 pounds (~0.854 kg)
I’ve used (almost) every PC gaming handheld on the market, experimenting with offerings from Ayaneo, GPD, Lenovo, Valve, and ASUS over the past few years. I find this category of devices to be one of the most exciting at the moment, as I travel a lot and also often find myself fighting over TV access with my family. The fact that you can connect these devices to monitors and larger displays via USB-C is also a welcome addition, and makes couch co-op more feasible. I often take my handhelds to friends’ houses to play games like Diablo 4 with a few cans in tow.
I prefer the Windows-based devices over the Steam offering, largely due to PC Game Pass. Many Xbox games now offer cross-save and cross-buy, and since I play more than half of my games on my Xbox, having access to my saves and progress across devices is a welcome boon. I also think the Steam Deck is a little limited by its horsepower. The Z1E chips inside the Lenovo Legion Go and ASUS ROG Ally are significantly more powerful than what Steam offers, leading to fewer real-world gaming compromises.
The benefits of the Lenovo Legion Go and ASUS ROG Ally include native Windows 11 support, but it’s also a drawback. Windows isn’t exactly intuitive to use on these devices, but once you get used to it and remember that these are just laptops in a different form factor, it’s not such a bad thing. They’re also monstrously powerful considering their size.
It’s true that the ASUS ROG Ally is smaller, lighter, and has a VRR display that allows for smoother frame rate performance. However, I generally prefer the Legion Go, having used both extensively. The integrated kickstand on the Lenovo Legion Go seems like a small detail, but it makes it so much more versatile. You can essentially use it as a laptop and get some work done if necessary. The modularity of the sticks also gives it a Nintendo Switch-like usability rating. Being able to mount the display and use the sticks is much more comfortable in some situations than staring at it on your lap for hours on end. The ASUS ROG Ally also has issues with its SD card slot, when it gets too hot it has reportedly warped some people’s memory cards, though ASUS has adjusted the fan curvatures to prevent this. The Lenovo Legion Go has had no such issues to my knowledge, and also has dual USB-C ports for additional docking options.
I feel like you get a lot more bang for your buck with Lenovo’s offerings, especially at this price point. If you want something a little slimmer, the ASUS ROG Ally is also $599 right now (not on sale), but the Lenovo Legion Go takes the win for me, especially with $100 off.
What is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day is a deal event that happens several times a year. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can grab tons of deals on a wide variety of products, like the ones listed here on Windows Central.
Over the years, however, competing retailers have begun hosting their own sales events with Amazon. If you live in the United States, it’s worth considering a My Best Buy membership, Walmart Plus membership, or even a Target Circle membership to get in on the action.