00:00If you just want to know what the best gaming handheld PC is right now, well that's easy.
00:03It's the Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS Edition. Now I was as surprised as anyone how good the
00:09stupid looking ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X actually turned out to be, but as much as Microsoft tried
00:15and let's be honest, it didn't seem to be trying all that much, Windows 11 is still not the best
00:20handheld OS. The full screen mode is better, but it's still a long way from being a dedicated
00:24handheld operating system, which is exactly what SteamOS is. The Legion Go S is the first
00:29handheld to ship with Valve's Linux-based OS that isn't the Steam Deck, and it has no doubt
00:34improved upon what was already a stellar little gaming brick when it was infested with Windows.
00:39It's quick to boot into the handheld mode and it's far more effective with its sleep and resume modes
00:43when you want to put it down in the middle of a game and come back to it later. There's
00:47no fuss,
00:47no messing around, just a simple, familiar interface that lets you get straight to your games.
00:52It is Linux, however, so no Fortnite for you, my child, and likewise any multiplayer game with
00:57kernel-level anti-cheat is right out. But Valve's work on Proton means that now the vast majority
01:02of the Windows games that you go actually want to play on a handheld are easily supported.
01:06Just be careful which version of the Legion Go S you go for. There are models with the Z1 Extreme
01:11and the Z2 Go AMD chips inside them, and you best believe it's the Z1 Extreme you're after.
01:16Forget the fact that the Z2 Go is one better in numerological terms,
01:20it's by far the weaker processor, with weaker graphical grunt and yet will still drain your
01:25battery just as quickly. The Legion Go S has also learned a lot of lessons from the original Legion
01:29Go, being a more ergonomic device that's more comfortable to hold for extended play sessions
01:33even without those detachable Joy-Con bits. You're not quite getting the same large screen,
01:38but this 8-inch is still plenty big enough for some on-the-go fun and doesn't have the debilitating
01:43resolution to drain the battery either. And one of the more pleasing things to note is that this
01:47superior handheld SteamOS experience is actually regularly cheaper by almost $100 compared with
01:53the equivalent Windows version of the Legion Go S. Though if you do want a Windows handheld or
01:57something a bit cheaper or something a bit more, well, Nintendo-like, we have a host of other
02:02recommendations here at PC Gamer 2.
