Lenovo Legion Go S is First Handheld to Run SteamOS Outside of the Steam Deck, Out in May

Lenovo took to CES 2025 to unveil its newest handheld gaming PC: the Legion Go S. The console will be available in two versions: one running Windows 11, and the other running SteamOS. The console is a follow-up to the Lenovo Legion Go, which was first unveiled all the way back in 2023.

In terms of specs, the Lenovo Legion Go S will have a 120 Hz refresh rate screen and a resolution of 1920 x 1200. Under the hood, the Legion Go S will run off a 55 Wh battery. The internal specs will depend on whether you go with the Windows 11 version or the SteamOS version of the device. The Windows 11 version of the Legion Go S will have 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage, along with a price tag of $729.99 when it hits store shelves later this month. The SteamOS version, slated for release in May, will feature 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, and a price tag of $499.99.

There is also a second Windows 11 version with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage planned for release and priced at $599.99.

All variants of the Lenovo Legion Go S will run on one of AMD’s newer chips – the Ryzen Z2 Go. The chip, designed specially for handheld gaming devices, has four CPU cores, 12 GPU cores, and can boost up to clock speeds of 4.3 GHz. According to The Verge, Legion Go product manager Alex Zhu has stated that Lenovo is targeting a battery life of between two and two and a half hours when the Legion Go S runs heavier games.

Alongside the announcement of the Legion Go S, Valve also made an announcement of its own about SteamOS growing beyond the confines of the Steam Deck. According to Valve, the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S will feature all of the software features that the Steam Deck is known for, including pre-compiled shaders. The company has stated that it will be working with Lenovo to improve compatibility with other handhelds.

It is worth noting that, since SteamOS is based on Linux, the variant of the Legion Go S running on Valve’s operating system might face similar compatibility issues to the Steam Deck, where games with strict anti-cheat systems don’t work well. Among the major games that can’t be played on the Steam Deck, for example, is Destiny 2.

SteamOS itself will also be getting its own beta release shortly before the launch of the Legion Go S, allowing users to try the operating system out with other handhelds.