This week brought some exciting news for handheld gaming enthusiasts: Lenovo has slashed the price of its Legion Go handheld gaming PC, which aims to square off against the likes of Valve’s Steam Deck and Asus’s ROG Ally. Now available at $499 on Amazon, this price drop marks a significant $100 savings. To put it in perspective, that’s $300 less than the high-end Asus ROG Ally X, which comes with a hefty $799 price tag, and it’s also $50 cheaper than the Steam Deck OLED, currently priced at $549.
The Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally both boast the powerful AMD Z1 Extreme chipset, which delivers superior performance compared to the Steam Deck and its OLED counterpart. This makes Lenovo’s Legion Go a standout choice if you’re dazzled by its impressive 8.8-inch IPS display. When we reviewed the Legion Go, we were impressed by its dual USB-C ports, stunning display, sturdy kickstand, and the flexibility of detachable controllers. Updates since then have only served to enhance its appeal.
For those shopping for handheld gaming PCs beyond the introductory Steam Deck, the Legion Go offers a tempting proposition. It challenges the Steam Deck OLED, especially if you’re willing to swap OLED quality for a larger IPS experience. With the Asus ROG Ally X being significantly more expensive as the only Z1 Extreme device offering a performance edge, the small dip in performance with the Legion Go, particularly noticeable in some areas, hardly feels significant.
Priced at $649, the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme doesn’t quite match the performance of the Ally X. If you were debating, you can either enjoy a bigger screen with the Legion Go or choose the superior screen quality of the Deck OLED for $549. Consequently, the original ROG Ally is starting to feel less competitive.
In the long haul, the Lenovo Legion Go seems like a solid investment. While rumors suggest we could see a more basic or comparable Lenovo Legion Go Lite in the next few months, that shouldn’t concern you if you’re eyeing options within this price range. Additionally, whispers of a Lenovo Legion Go 2 on the horizon for 2025 are intriguing, though details on its capabilities are still scarce. Could this anticipated follow-up or the emergence of a Legion Go Lite be the reason behind this recent price cut? Only time will tell.