Now we have to choose between: OLED (Deck) VRR (Ally) 8.8" screen (Go)

These devices are what I imagined 20 years ago, it's amazing how they are getting better and better

I have a Deck, just bought the Legion Go. Haven't touched the Deck ever since. The big screen and screen quality of the Legion Go are top notch like for real. In person it looks so damn good!! very sharp and bright colors. Love that after 6 months this video and his showcase aren't near what Legion Go has to offer now. It runs now perfectly with high FPS output, just a few tweaks and its now playable at 60+ fps.

Really appreciate the in depth review and honesty. Mine is on its way today and I cant wait to set up emudeck. Looking forward to more emulation featured on the Legion Go! Thanks Russ!!!!

Wow please update video for current state of go

I am looking forward to getting the Legion Go. I have used the Steam Deck and ROG Ally and both of them are great devices. I did end up selling my Steam Deck earlier this year for the ROG Ally due to compatibility issues with titles that have the anti-cheat software. When I first got my ROG Ally back in June, it was a buggy mess to the point where I almost returned it. However, I am glad that I kept it because five months later, it is possibly the best Windows handheld you can get right now. The majority of the issues have been fixed and the games run well. The speakers are a major selling point for this device as they sound amazing. My three criticisms with this device would be the microSD card slot issue, battery life, and screen size. The screen size is actually one of the reasons why I am getting the Legion Go. The 8.8 inch display is more of an ideal size for me. The detachable controllers also adds flexibility to the device since it is basically a mini Windows tablet. Since I am a fan of the iPad mini form factor, this is a win in my book. I will definitely be paying close attention to see how this device holds up in the long run, but I am guessing that it is going to be a similar situation to the ROG Ally.

Another reviewer (filterless) reported the same issues concerning the USB ports when using an external driver. So it's definitely not just your device. Now we have to wait and see if it's an issue that can be fixed by software or if it's a hardware problem

I was already sold on the legion go but wanted to watch this in case there were any deal-breakers and I loved the depth of information in the video!

Great honest review that gets to all the important details. I still want a Legion Go but I hope by the end of November they get the performance on par with the ROG Ally, especially at lower TDPs.

Amazing review, as always Russ. Thank you for all your work.

Awesome review. I like your honesty when you related your issues with the controls. Reviews are subjective, and you made that clear with your final statement on the device.

Nice review Russ, I really dig the points system break down which defines what's subjective by comparison in relative terms. I definitely had reservations about getting the Legion Go and now I see them justified in using my bestbuy rewards towards a meta quest 3 instead.

It’s the one for me! That big screen is what I’ve been wanting out of a handheld since the steam deck came out. I use mine 80% of the time streaming my desktop to it and so I’m able to game at its full capability at 1600p 144hz and it is glorious. Other 20% of the time is when I’m using it out of the house and gaming on its internals and it works good enough for those times too.

I believe the usb issues you are having are related to the power bypass feature that Lenovo put in the Go. It makes the power input not charge the device while using it and this has somehow messed up power delivery to connected devices. Any powered hub I have works flawlessly, but any device that requires power to be supplied from the usb port has issues. This is something they can fix in firmware and bios updates. I have brought this issue to their attention in the main lenovo forum so I hope this gets fixed.

Great video, I love my steam deck but I picked up a GO as well, the potential for upgrading not only software but hardware as well and the avenues they can go with what the detachable controls is super exciting!

Bought one today at Microcenter for $799 with an upgraded 2TB drive !!!!! Love my new Legion GO

Awesome review and honestly one I've been waiting for, my biggest thing about the ally is that It doesn't have the extra functionality of the steam deck that make playing some pc games enjoyable (or playable in some cases) and I think the legion might be able to meet those needs too P.s The legion also offers themost versatility to me with the different ways it can be used, I'm also okay with being an early adopter and dealing with those growing pains.

Thanks for the great videos. Love the extensive analysis. I love used switch joycons(when it didnt drift) so im interested if the tradeoff is good

I bought it this week. Fantastic device because of the screen! There is definitely problems with it. the software is crap even after the update. The fan is also annoyingly loud. I will be returning it in a month or two if they don't make big improvements to the performance. Best buy allows for holiday returns up to January, very cool.

There's a new design and update of the Legion space today. That's faster, more beautiful now. Legion Go is worthy of "Legion Go after 1 month "

Great Review! I will be getting my ally soon, because while legion go is something that could become great for a lot of people who would love to have a larger screen and/or someone who just cannot be asked to play shooters with the sticks because of Go's fps mode, but for me personally I want something more portable than Go, meaning a bit smaller dimensions and also VRR is something I am not ready to give up (I've opened FreeSync premium on PC for myself not so long ago and it's amazing). And also I really want something more mature than what Go is right now. Overall your review kind of reassured my choice since I feel like Ally will fit me way better than Go would.

Thanks for all the hard work, another quality video. Like you said it’s subjective, as I kept wondering if we owned the same legion go. My hands love the legion go and my Go doesn’t need a kick stand when hooked up to a display so I had two usb ports available. I think a revisit in a month or two would be a better comparison. I wonder if the battery issue you had has to do with having batteries in the joy cons need to be charged as well by the main battery.

Good to know, that I’m not the only one with USB-C connection issues. Same as you, with external SSD‘s (SanDisk Extreme) as well as the Lenovo Thunderbolt Dock. Both disconnect randomly. I also took a look on the DPC latency’s on this device and it’s all over the place. Especially the Audio, Display, ACPI and WiFi driver cause massive delays, causing stutters. I guess there could be something wrong with the chipset drivers or BIOS. This would also explain the random disconnections due to time outs on the USB/thunderbolt connection.

Great review. I love the way you broke it down into a points system but one aspect I believe you should also score these "handhelds" on is actual portability and whether you would actually use the device outside of the house. I just got the rog ally because for me I could never see myself lugging the much bigger legion go around. It was a huge reason for my purchase and might be a huge thing to alot of people.

Good review! I've had the Steam Deck for almost a year now and this seems like a potential alternative if you didn't already pick up a Deck or Ally. Hopefully, Lenovo can make improvements and make the Go even better in the future. It doesn't sound like it is a bad device, but there is so much competition in this market especially with Valve pretty much setting the standard for which everything will be measured.

I like how you listed the games and settings for your battery life tests. Brilliant

I like how you showcase the emulation on the legion go out of all the handhelds I’m leaning towards this one for the emulation and regular current games and their supporting software. The one thing that’s in my mind is how to set up light gun games on this or any handhelds and if we can set up a light gun controller to lt?

I had two corrections: You can actually get Adrenalin to work with the Legion Drivers. The issue is related to Windows updates. If you use DDU Cleaner and install the drivers in safe mode, then you can (as that's how I got it working.) You can also get integer scaling to work via registry change. It's not ideal, but the fault lies with AMD on that one.

Good video wish had the glasses to hear about it.. atm moment I'm looking threw reviews to find out the info of best to get out of 2

I bought Lenovo 2 days ago, and it's a very good handheld. The big screen is the best part. Lenovo posted a temporarily fix to improve the audio, but will be in a update soon. It's not a hardware problem. They made a list of around 20 things to upgrade ASAP. You can already disable the Lenovo app from starting on auto. In a patch yesterday.

I love your channeleverything is so calming

If I had money I would consider this. The mouse controller sounds so cool! I would love a dedicated windows handheld. I have the Steamdeck. But like you said there are certain games and mmos that can’t be played via steam. So having a windows handheld would be great. But I am still fine with the steameck. And I also have my PC. These amounts of handhelds is interesting! I’m loving the variety!

I'm having the same issue with the usb ports. I transferred a 3gb rom file from my m.2 enclosure to the go and it took about 3 attempts because it kept disconnecting. It definitely was not the enclosure as it's a very reliable drive. I'm hoping it gets addressed as a software issue.

Just received mine in the UK, can’t wait to get into it 😊

I've had no issues with using usbc hubs. I haven't been running any emulators off an external ssd but I have no issue playing steam games on ssd through my usbc hub. I've been using it as a desktop substitute and I'm able to work full days with it plugged into an external screen and a mouse, keyboard, and ssd plugged into my usbc hub. I have had no issues while using it. I've only had a few weird soft locks on the windows sign-in screen that forced me to restart by holding down the power button.

I'm glad there's alternatives and a market for this, but I'm sticking with my Deck and 353P. Not a fan of the asymmetrical joysticks or the detachable controllers, nevermind the software issues.

Hi Russ, I love the handheld pc comparison section 😍🤗 please if you can implement that on each review that will be fantastic ☺️.

I love these over 25 minute reviews by Nerdnest, The Phawx and RGC... so much more in-depth than the fluff of some other shills that say, "this is the most amazing, most powerful handheld I've ever played with - it's an absolute beast of a gaming machine". Thanks Russ!

having both the Go and a Steam Deck, I can tell you they are both good for what I play, I do a lot of VN games and RTS and having a larger screen really helps. Is it perfect nope but for me was a good selection, the screen size mattered. I got rid of my Loki due to the screen was to small and the whole SD debacle on the ROG really damped my decision on which direction I wanted to go, The fact also ROG cannot be bothered to give a good stand or case for the same cost as the Go and the Steam Deck could also for 150 dollars cheaper also turned me off the device. Great Video Russ as always!

This is perfect. My Legion Go is due to arrive today and I'm just sitting here super antsy and bored.

great review thanks . I would love to see with Lenovo release different style joy cons, that maybe address some of the gripes with layout or better D-Pads. so many possibilities with the joy cons

Performance issues will be sorted out. The Ally also had issues at launch. When there are more updates and drivers itll be much better.

Damn… this is a crazy good and crazy detailed video! So now the real question, you had the regular Steam Deck ranked higher than both the Lenovo and ASUS, so does the new OLED model just destroy everything else? Watching the part of the video with performance issues on “Stray,” I’ve been playing that game on my Steam Deck since it came out, and I get way better performance. But we all know that the SD is the performance per watt king.

I use the bottom USB-C port all the time when docked, with the kick stand at a maximum angle and an angled usb-c cable. Works great and does not put a strain on the cable.

Nice work as always! I have a Steam Deck, and now I've also got the Legion Go as a second device because some things are still a bit too cumbersome with Linux for me. Plus, I like to play games with mods, and it fits well for that

This is the one I'm definitely going to get.

So in-depth 🔥🔥🙌🙌🙌

I cannot wait to see your steam deck oled review. That table comparing handhelds is gonna look insane for the oled deck lol.

Best review 👌🏼

One more note... you should ,make a disclaimer and say this needs to be revisited, as most if not all the CONS, are already resolved... Just saying, love the cahnnel, but providing informaiton that is not longer valid

This looks a lot more appealing than the OLED deck in almost every way.

I personally love my legion go so much, it runs games so great and it feels so great to play in handheld and desktop.

great video like always! thanks for sharing but I will keep waiting or dreaming for a steamdeck oled with VRR :)

I’ve watched this whole video. New sub here. Great review and I was torn between this and the ally. I have a steam deck but I wanted a windows device for cod etc. glad I made the choice to order the ally from best buy and pick it up tomorrow. I just feel the Lenovo isn’t ready

Been debating on buying this for a couple of days now. Hopefully this video will give me some input on if I want this one.

Thanks for another informative review, shame that they have so many issues with both the hardware and software as it did seem like they tried to do some interesting things with that basic windows handheld form factor. The complaint about the second usb being on the bottom of the device seemed a little harsh, actually having that second socket is a good thing, even if it cannot be used in tabletop mode. If you were charging while playing handheld, the bottom usb socket would have less stress on it than a cable plugged into the top and I'd love to have a second usb socket on either my steam deck or switch.

Excellent review. However as an honest question, would you say that you’re sticking with the ROG Ally because you’re already heavily invested in the ecosystem - i.e. you have the device + the XG mobile. For the record I have both - ally and the XG mobile and so I’m hesitant to get the Legion Go purely because of what I’ve invested in the ecosystem.

im really exited to buy one of these quite soon!

After 3 Months with the LeGo im must say this is the GOAT. I installed Bazzite and Windows on Dualboot, printed a new Backcase and Full Size SSD bracket and upgraded to 2TB. With Bazzite its just a big SteamDeck with a nice screen. Every Game i throw at it works flawless and the latest Bios Updates makes the device better. Like Full Button remapt and 80% Charge Limit. Best Money spend on a PC in a long time.

Enjoyed the video a lot but wish next time you would include some actual game play for the battery test section instead of just the voice over. But great review!

The performance issues are really odd here. The Ally and the Go both use the same chipset... I understand there being some discrepancies depending on background tasks and the like. The huge deltas between the two are a little too wild.

Deck OLED seems to have sucked the enthusiasm out of the gate for this. Wild stuff. Added: Great review, none the less! Betting your tally for the Deck at 25:35 will increase by about 13 points for the OLED.

This was a scathing review thanks Russel

As someone who cares about speakers and audio quality, I couldn’t disagree more about the differences between SD and Ally. The Deck’s speakers are PAiNfuL but clear whereas the Ally’s speakers sound better than any device I’ve ever owned. This also applies to sound processing via headphones, I fell in love with Ally mainly for its audio and overall bumped up hardware experience. Now if only Asus could give us dat 8.8 screen…

ordered the Legion Go and it has been delivered already but the screen itself sold me. i already have a 6.7 inch phone. Getting the Rog Ally makes no sense its jus a little bigger then my phone to play games on. That and the sd card issue. Im a merchant seaman so having to ship my ally off before i got out to sea would not be ideal at all. The Go is new give it time nothing is perfect out the box sheesh.

A part of me wanted to go with Steam Deck OLED but the APU is a big turn off aproaching 2024. I’m now considering the Ally or Legion Go

Great video as always, Russ. I was waiting the "tablet productivity use case" as you promise me in discord but I guess you preferred to cut it. Also another note: the 1TB version is available only in the US, for the rest of the world there is only the 500 GB version For me the Steam Deck OLED isn't an option because of SteamOS and the Ally for the SD burning and little screen. I was really hyped to buy the Go but I did well to wait this review. I'll wait some other 2-3 months when the software will be more optimized and i can grab it up more easily here in Canada (as of now no Legion Go in local stores and it is sold out online in best buy, only way to take it from Lenovo online store).

I really appreciate your review! I do have a question for your opinion. I have the Steam Deck and I adore it!…however, my desktop computer is an Apple and is severely limited for gaming. I’d like to get into the PC gaming field with Windows, but a stand alone gaming desktop is outside my price range. Would this be worth selling my Steam Deck and purchasing this because it DOES allow a Windows gaming experience?

Luckily a lot of these issues have been addressed, aside from the bad legion space. Should find a way to make a more relevant video on this topic. Perhaps an update to the state of all three in one video. Either way, I enjoy the content. It's unfortunate these companies don't release these devices in a better state to begin with.

Great video, thanks, Russ.

Please revisit legion go to see if lenovo fixed the software.

I don't why your legion go have performance issues. When I played my games it pretty stable in performance mode. It is double the performance than my steam deck. Something is not right.

Nice video. Glad I watched it before I got the GO. I'm good with my steam deck. 👍🏾

Lenovo thinkpad thunderbolt 4 universal dock works beautifully on the legion go. No issues, running dual display with the works.

I already sum up Steam Deck OLED points. 95 Display (+3), Fan Noise (+1), Battery Life (+1), Value (+1)

Another slam dunk video my friend! Well done! As a long time Lenovo Legion line supporter and current owner of two of their laptops, I was genuinely pumped for the release of the Go. Unfortunately, mine had to be returned within 24 hours of delivery. After unboxing the handheld I was immediately impressed with the size of the screen and overall build of the device, but quickly recognized that the right joy-con had a lot of movement and play when holding the device in my hand. After further inspection I confirmed that the joy-con was properly seated and locked to the base and that none of the screws on either attachment points were loose (found reports on reddit about loose screws from the factory causing this issue). Needless to say, this issue did not sit well with me and caused some serious concerns about the longevity and durability of the console over time. It is my hopes that this is an isolated issues that relates specifically to the device I received. Regardless this was truly disappointed because if it hadn't been for this problem, the Go really did check most of the boxes on my wish list for a handheld device to replace my Deck as my daily driver. When referencing your "Wishlist" section of this video I think you are spot on. In the future I would like to see replacement standard joy-cons without the first person shooter mode buttons and/or design, as I feel from a personal use case, this really isn't much of a value added option. Again, just my personal opinion as I recognize that this feature may be truly appreciated and utilized regularly by other consumers. Thanks again for another killer review!

In my opinion the Legion Go is really great! My time with it so far was really grat despite the issues I had so far with the old LegionSpace. The latest version already does a lot of it better. I love the big and great looking screen, which was a really big minus point for the handhelds so far and why I only got one now with the Legion Go, because for me on the other both the screen is still way too small to properly see the huds of the games and to comfortably read texts. Also the interaction with the touch screen in Windows works just great on the Go compared to the Ally. I'm just waiting for each software Update experiencing how the system is getting better and better. I had a blast with it so far, and I don't regret buying it at all!

wow, another left handed gamer? I know the struggle lol. I am very hesitant about the fps mode because of this, but seeing you do it is interesting. I've managed to train myself to use traditional keyboard and mouse left handed, and its second nature at this point

I had problems with USB devices disconnecting randomly. An issue like that for me can be a deal breaker. However I have updated the device. So I will be doing more testing with a 4tb External SDD.

I have been using the Legion Go for a couple of days to play BG3. For me, I think one of the best parts is the kickstand because I can essentially wrest it on my leg as I play so there's no strain from holding the system. I wish the experience was maybe a little smoother but I think a lot of it for me is that I'm launching Windows to launch Steam to launch my game.

I could watch a new video of this guy from now until the end of time

Different controllers (joy cons) that u can buy would be a cool idea for it Iv got a steam deck lcd model b4 the oled came out and love it but was interested in buying a windows based handheld so I just ordered a legion go I liked it because of the large screen and different play styles and ur vid really helps and is informative thanks 👍👍👍

Not sure if you know. But they just had an update on the legion space which means you no longer have to tap it three times plus they fixed the legion space better than before.

So hold up a second... You tested whether or not the Lenovo deck or whatever was plug and play compatible with a PC using a product that you yourself said was a bad product that is notorious for not being very plug and play friendly. Look man, i have no dog in this race and I'm perfectly fine with you not liking this product, but did you really think that you werent obviously setting it up for failure here?

I loved the Atari Lynx from 1989, and so I got one Sega Game Gear in 1992... this is such a blast to see how it developed so far...

I have Steamdeck and Legion go here. The larger screen is a complete game changer! In Triple A games, the higher resolution makes a big difference. The performance is also absolutely good. (is there perhaps something wrong with your device?) Forza Horizon 5 in 1200p with medium and some high details runs at 50 FPS and looks so much better than in 800p. You can also see more details in Batman Arkham for example. I just love it.

I would be curious to see your review of the legion go with bazzite os on it.

I think I'm a traditional mouse enjoyer moreso, using a regular mouse for my controls that I have ingrained it my brain and muscle memory, combined with the left controller being my "Keyboard" was an amazing experience. I'm determined to get better with the vertical mouse to have the all in one experience, but taking a separate dedicated mouse to use with the left controller is my favorite way to "FPS mode" this device, I love the Legion Go, and this is coming from a Steam Deck veteran

I was so looking forward to this video..... before the Deck OLED was announced.

I just ordered mine for Christmas. I believe most issues will be solved with software updates over time and in short order.

So the back buttons are not mappable? Do they only function in fps mode? Trying to gather all the facts before I purchase this or the Ally.

Well, the nice thing about detachable controllers is an easy swap. They could simply offer alternatives for purchase kind of like what microsoft did with the original xbox controller between the western and asian markets

So... Steam Deck meets Switch? Also definitely one of my favorite reviews.

Ok, let's put things here. Over the years, I have had gaming laptops over the years, truth be told, they suck. It was always a PIA to deal with it and setup. It was not a quick game here and there. When the Steam Deck came available, I ordered it, it took 1 year and 1 day to get my home. Still to this day, I am blown away what I can do with it, and how it feels in the hand. I have a few handled devices, but the steam deck is always my go to device (when I can afford to take a larger device with me), Some PC games, it's the only device I finished it on, not my gaming PC. I like the bigger screen/performance level that the Legion go could possibly hit. The Steam Deck software wise, hits almost perfect NOTE for a portable device (even with non-steam games), and with EmuDeck, OMG, emulation is there too, perfect (and up to Switch/PS3 games). I love the size of the Legion go, I could deal with Windows BS but, is it really that much more powerful? According to your numbers, not so much. The biggest problem with the Deck is I CAN'T PLAY a modern COD game. It's my ONLY problem with it. Even with the OLED SteamDeck (no serious performance boost here), there is NO perfect device for me. Maybe when the Deck 2 finally hits, a Modern COD could play on Linux......dreams could come at least... Cool device, has some nice options but, maybe next years models it will be worth looking at.

My LGo came in a few days ago. Unfortunately it is being returned. I LOVE the screen. But the coil whine on the fan is the most uncomfortably annoying sound. My gf could even hear it at least 20ft away. Playing the same games that my deck oled plays completely silently. Sad because I was so hyped for that beautiful 8.8” screen.

Great review Russ! You hit all the points that made me return it. 😅 Now that you've played this for so long, that steam deck is going to feel that much more comfortable for you. 😂

Hi Russ what tests did you do on Auduo to determine that Deck audio is better. I always thought Ally audio is the best and its not even a matter of opinion just a fact

Download the 780m driver . All games will run smooth

The way i see it is that if you bought either the steamdeck, Rog ally, Onexplayer etc, its not a point to switch to none of the orthers. Each have their strenght and weakness. I have the rog ally and wont switch it until "next gen" handhelds. I want more battery, better ergonomics and better software.

I played the Go on tablet with a PS5 controller the game Ratchet and Clank. It was a great experience. Just use take out the "joy-cons" and use only the Go tablet with an Xbox or PS controller. Nice portable experience.