00:00The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is here and it's big and expensive. We're talking over one grand for the
00:04price of admission to this gaming handheld console. In this episode of BuyerSkip, I'm
00:08going to break down the pros and cons for my Legion Go 2 review, including how it compares
00:12to the original Legion Go and the Legion Go S. Let's get into it. As usual, we're going to start
00:18with what makes the Legion Go 2 special. And I mean, I think it's pretty obvious just looking
00:21at this thing. This 8-point-inch OLED display is pretty much the start of the show, especially
00:26given how we don't have many OLED consoles these days. Okay, sure, there's the Nintendo
00:30Switch OLED and Steam Deck OLED, but for me, neither of those impress me as much as the
00:35Legion Go 2 display-wise. Colors pop and I'm seeing strong contrast and the upgrade to HDR
00:40support makes games like Cyberpunk 2077 look absolutely jaw-dropping. I mean, even the
00:45Windows 11 home screen feels alive, and you know that's really saying something. But when
00:49you're roaming Neon Soak Night City, the Legion Go 2 OLED's display really shines. Lenovo did
00:55drop the resolution from 1600p to 1200p, but honestly, it's a fair trade for OLED. And
01:01with a 144Hz refresh rate, every game you run feels fluid and smooth, which really elevates
01:07the experience. The test of performance tells a little bit of a different story, but I'll
01:11talk about that later in the video. Looking a little closer at the design, the Legion Go
01:162 does look a lot like the original Legion Go. It's slightly bigger and heavier, but more
01:21importantly, it's more comfortable to hold thanks to its round, smooth controllers, and even
01:25weight distribution. Basically, it's more ergonomic than before. Then you get the kickstand, which
01:30is super convenient, and was one of my favorite features about the OG Legion Go. Lenovo even
01:35throws in a controller grip, kind of like what you get with the Switch, and honestly, this
01:38should be included considering how expensive this thing is. With the controller, you can play
01:43the Legion Go 2 in a console mode, as Lenovo calls it. I think I personally still prefer
01:48to keep the controllers attached, but it's good to have options. Speaking of options, we also
01:52get the same number of ports as before. To refresh your memory, that includes two USB-C
01:57ports, one located at the top, the other one at the bottom. There's also a 3.5mm headphone
02:01jack and a microSD card slot, and like before, the power button has a fingerprint reader, which
02:06is a nice touch. No pun intended. I know I already talked about the controllers a bit, but they
02:12really are a selling point in weighing up the Legion Go 2 against other handheld gaming consoles.
02:16These TrueStrike controllers, as they're called, might not be radically different from what we got
02:20on the original Legion Go, but they have been redesigned with more ergonomic lines, a smoother
02:25feel, and a more intuitive button layout. Legion Go 2 also has hall effect joysticks and a redesigned
02:30D-pad. I found the joysticks fluid and responsive, with just the right amount of tension when you move
02:35them. Then we have the rounded D-pad, which is a lot better for fighting games like Street Fighter 6.
02:40And in case you were wondering, the new controllers are back-up compatible with the original Legion Go.
02:45Don't know how valuable that actually is, but either way, I'm here for detachable joysticks.
02:49As for what I'm not here for, let's pivot into why you might want to skip the Legion Go 2.
02:53And just a reminder that if you like these kind of videos, you should consider subscribing to the
02:57channel. Okay, we got to talk about Windows 11. I know what you're thinking. Oh, here goes Tony
03:04complaining about Windows 11 on handhelds again. That's right, because there's an operating system
03:09that has no business being on handhelds. This is especially true now that systems like Lenovo's
03:14own Legion Go OS operate on SteamOS. And as I said five million times before, Windows 11
03:19sucks for handhelds. Don't get me wrong, using Windows 11 on gaming PCs and laptops is fine,
03:24but the same isn't true for gaming handhelds. Moving the cursor with the right analog stick,
03:29or with your finger on an 8.8-inch screen when navigating desktop is still a pain.
03:34Then on top of being clunky on touch screens, Windows 11 also seems to contribute to slowing down
03:38gaming performance and battery life, which is something we noted when we installed SteamOS
03:42on the original ROG LIX and saw improved performance and battery life.
03:48Windows 11 might still have greater game compatibility and system customization
03:52than SteamOS, but SteamOS comes out on top where it matters, which is why I'm probably going to be
03:57sitting tight until Lenovo inevitably releases the Legion Go 2S. But at the time of this video,
04:02we haven't seen a single rumor yet, so we might be waiting a while.
04:06Lenovo sent us the most specced out Legion Go 2, so my expectations were pretty high for what this
04:11AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme driven machine with 32 gigs of RAM could do in terms of performance. And let's
04:17just say I was pretty disappointed by what our benchmarks produced. You can see our full set of
04:21benchmarks linked in the description if you're really interested, but for now I'll tell you that
04:25running the in-game benchmark tool and graphics cranked up to ultra, Cyberpunk 2077 ran at an unplayable
04:314 frames a second at the native 1200p resolution. In fact, no game that we tested with these settings
04:37managed to run well, which just absolutely shocked me. When I dialed back the resolution and graphics
04:42settings, I saw better frame rates. For instance, I got Cyberpunk 2077 to run between 45 and 50 frames
04:47a second at 720p resolution and with the frame boosting AMD FSR 3 enabled. It's the same case with
04:53Spider-Man 2 and Dirt 5. But it's a bummer that I can't run most games even at 30 fps
04:58at the native
04:591200p resolution. I wish the Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip inside this thing delivered better performance.
05:04And don't worry, I'm still going to be tinkering with it, but it's not great out of the gate.
05:09Another thing that's not great is how buying the Legion GO 2 will make your bank account feel.
05:14Right now, it's the most expensive handheld for a major manufacturer. Yikes!
05:18The Legion GO 2 starts at $1099 for a model with the regular Z2 chip and a whopping $1479 for
05:24fully
05:24decked out model. In comparison, the Asus ROG Xbox Ally with a Z2 chip starts at $599 for the base
05:30model,
05:31while the ROG Xbox Ally X with a Z2 Extreme chip costs $999. Yeah, $999 isn't cheap either,
05:38but it's still less expensive than even the base Legion GO 2. There's also the fact that Asus
05:42handheld runs on a leaner version of Windows, which promises to have less of an impact on battery life
05:47and performance. Now, you're probably wondering if you should get the Legion GO S instead of the
05:53Legion GO 2. After all, the Legion GO S is more affordable thanks to its $649 starting price,
05:58or sometimes lower if you can catch it on sale. Additionally, you can opt for the Legion GO S model
06:03that runs on SteamOS, which is a superior operating system for handheld compared to Windows 11,
06:07in my humble opinion. There are trade-offs. First, the Legion GO S has a smaller 8-inch display,
06:13and there's no OLED option. You're also getting a less powerful Z2 GO or Z1 Extreme chip. However,
06:19in my experience, the Z1 Extreme model with SteamOS offers comparable or better performance to Legion
06:25GO 2. Legion GO S also lacks detachable controllers. If the Legion GO 2's 8.8-inch OLED display and
06:32unique
06:32form factor are more enticing, then get this system. But if you want a more affordable handheld that runs
06:37on CMS, then get the Legion GO 2. So, should you buy or skip the Lenovo Legion GO 2? Buy
06:45for the
06:45gorgeous OLED panel, more ergonomic design, and for its attachable controllers. On the flip side,
06:51you should skip the Legion GO 2 if you don't want to deal with Windows 11, expect better performance,
06:55or if the asking price is too steep. While I wish the Legion GO 2 offered better performance,
07:01it's hard to deny its beautiful OLED screen and distinctive design. And considering how Microsoft
07:05will allow other manufacturers to use its lighter Windows OS, which would make the Legion GO 2 easier
07:11to use and potentially boost the performance, Lenovo's handheld might be a more compelling option
07:15in the future. That's it for this episode of Buyer Skip. Let me know in the comments if you're
07:20planning to buy the Legion GO 2 or if you're going to wait for another handheld. If you liked this
07:24video,
07:25make sure to hit the like button, subscribe for more reviews, and turn on notifications so you don't
07:29miss our next episode. I was Tony Polanco and I'll see you in the next video. Later!
07:59Lenovo, what is we doing?
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