Not Another Steam Deck vs Lenovo Legion Go Comparison Discussion
I have a serious shopping problem. If I see something that intrigues me even just a little, my brain goes into obsession mode. Once I start looking through YouTube reviews, I might as well just buy the thing because I won’t be able to sleep until I buy it.
That’s why I have a Lenovo Legion Go and a Steam Deck OLED. I’ve had the Legion since it launched last October and therefore have no real reason to ever get a Steam Deck. After all, the Legion Go is a full windows PC in the palm of my hands. It plays basically every PC game without needing to side load apps or perform some sort of digital wizardry. The screen is larger than the deck and supports 144hz. Plus I already own the damn thing.
And despite all that…the Deck still called to me. So after a couple of weeks of tossing and turning in bed, I bit the bullet and picked one up.
Since I’m writing about this, does this count as a tax write off?
After owning both now for a couple of months, I do have some thoughts on the pros and cons of each device. If you’re wondering if there is a quick and easy answer to this question, I hate to tell you that there isn’t one. Both have strong use cases and one works better than the other for different circumstances. I also won’t be going to deep into the spec differences since all of that info is readily available.
So let’s just dive right in.
Which one is more comfortable?
The Steam Deck by far. While the Legion has a kickstand which makes it easy to keep on your lap or play on top of a table, there is one major flaw on the Go that I don’t feel is talked about enough.
Look at the photo and notice how the Steam Deck rounds at the bottom where you would hold it? That is such an absolute goddamn game changer when compared to the Legion’s sharper curve. The longer you hold it, the more that corner starts to dig into my palms. Short bursts, absolutely fine, but after 10-15 minutes, the pressure starts to get to me. Combine that with the fact that the Legion is a heavier console, it makes for an overall mixed experience. On the other hand, if you treat the Legion almost like a mini laptop and have some accessories tied to it, then it’s a non issue (which we’ll get to later.)
The Steam Deck by contrast feel like you’re holding air and with the previously mentioned corners, you can use the Deck for several hours and it’ll feel like you just picked it up. The second thumb stick is also placed in a more natural spot and Steam wisely placed their menu buttons to the side as opposed to the Legion where they are placed right where your gamer brain naturally thinks are where the Start/Select go. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a game and accidentally activate the Lenovo Launcher instead of pause the game.
Which one has the better UI?
Again, this goes to the Steam Deck. While the Legion uses standard Windows which is totally fine when using a mouse and keyboard, navigating it using just the touchpad is a little awkward. Nothing deal breaking, but when you compare that to the Steam Deck’s almost Switch like UI, there is no question which is easier. Lenovo does have their own Legion Space software but user feedback has been so consistently negative because of how clunky it is, that Lenovo decided to turn off the startup at launch option. I will say that they have made some nice updates to make driver updates easier (the old version was a whole thing that I won’t get into now) but overall it’s just feels like you’re taking extra steps to do the same thing that the Steam Deck can do with 2 button presses.
Which one plays games better?
Here is where it gets a bit more complicated. If you’re library is almost exclusively Steam based, then the Deck is the easy answer. Even though not every game is compatible with the Deck, what is, runs like absolute butter. There are some apps you can download to expand your library and play more Steam games so the options are essentially endless if you’re willing to put in some work. Same goes with other launchers like Battle.net, Epic, and the FF XIV launcher. Again, it takes some work but if you have some patience, it’s doable. I really respect Steam’s position that they want the deck to be moddable and encourage folks to play around with it. If there is one major drawback with the Steam Deck, it’s in the multiplayer. If you play a game with some sort of anti-cheat, there is a pretty good chance that it won’t work on the Deck due to it’s Linux OS.
The Legion on the other hand plays absolutely everything because it’s a Windows based rig. That means no side loading or 3rd party apps necessary which makes it a bit easier to use in that regard. It also has better specs that the Steam Deck so you can play the same games with better settings. Where the Steam Deck does have the leg up though is with it’s OLED display. So while the Legion can run games at 144hz, you don’t get those deep blacks and vibrant colors with the Deck. It’s not a huge difference but it’s there.
Speaking of the specs, one thing I have noticed which has been really weird is that some lower spec games like Star Ocean Second Story R and the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection will lag. The Final Fantasy games can run on mobile without breaking a sweat so it’s weird that every time I enter a random battle, the game straight up stops to load. Same thing with Star Ocean. But if I turn on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and go online, it runs perfectly fine. I think it’s an optimization issue which means it can be fixed with updates. Hopefully it already did at the time of this writing. Another issue is that some games just don’t like the Legion. I tried playing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, and the game was struggling to adjust to resolution changes and controls were oddly wonky. Devil May Cry 5 would also crash every time I reloaded. These are very strange one off situations but this was my experience, so I wanted to share.
Like I said, it kinda depends on what games you feel like you’ll mostly be playing and how much time you want to spend customizing your device.
Which is more portable?
Another no brainer that it’s the Steam Deck. Besides the Deck being lighter, the carrying case also comes with a pocket on the back for the power chord. If you are going to take the device out but not long enough where you feel that you need the power chord, there is a second carrying case hidden inside that is big enough to just wrap around the Deck. This smaller case is a lot more bag friendly which I appreciate.
The Lenovo case is sturdy as all hell but it doesn’t have the little pocket in the back for the power chord. For me personally that isn’t an issue because I carry my Legion in my work backpack along with a keyboard and accessory bag.
Don’t mind the dust or Star Wars: Rebels reflecting off the screen.
So aside from the power chord, I bring an HDMI/USB adapter, a razer MMO mouse, and some headphones. While this does turn my Lenovo into a makeshift laptop, it also adds a lot of extra weight to my bag. Personally, this is not a dealbreaker since I use my Legion as a way to play some Final Fantasy or CoD during my lunch breaks. Again, the Steam Deck is more portable, but a big part of that is because I like being extra.
The stuff you don’t think about.
This is where the Legion starts to stand out. Since the Legion is a windows pc, and I carry that HDMI adapter, I can plug the Legion into a monitor or TV and it’s a full PC. When I moved to my new place, I signed all of my lease paperwork on my Legion. All of the passwords and accounts I have saved on Edge carried over as expected and when I’m not playing games on it, I’ve used it as a web browser, and to watch YouTube, Hulu etc. I haven’t tried that on the Steam Deck, although I know there is a browser, but the convenience of being an all-in-one device does make the Legion a lot more versatile than the Deck.
I also never use the Legion’s “switch” controls. I know that’s a major selling point for the Legion but since I keep my mouse and keyboard within arm’s length, I have no need for it. I did tinker with the joycon mouse a couple of times but it requires a bunch of customization that I just didn’t have any interest in exploring.
When it comes to gaming, both are obviously compatible with docks/adapters but I’ve had such inconsistent experiences with both devices that I legit don’t even bother with any sort of docked gaming experience. My personal use case is that I have a fairly beefy PC and laptop so I use these as portable devices exclusively.
So how do I use these?
Like I mentioned, I use the Legion primarily at work to play Final Fantasy XIV and CoD during my downtime. The Steam Deck is used once I’m home, vibing on my couch and for playing things like Fallout New Vegas and Tales of Kenzera: Zau (which is ah-mah-zing btw and you should absolutely play it.) I’ve taken it to my car dealership and played some New Vegas while my paperwork was being processed. It ended up being a nice conversation starter.
If I could only get one.
It’s so subjective that there will never be an easy answer for this. Despite some of the issues I’ve dealt with while using the Legion, none of them are deal breakers and whatever deficiencies it has are pretty minor compared to the benefits of playing damn near everything without too much of a hassle.
If I wasn’t so into Final Fantasy XIV or CoD multiplayer, I would say the Steam Deck is still the gold standard. Personally, I would still go with the Legion and hope they keep optimizing it.
Disclaimer: Thoughts and opinions are my own and do not reflect my employer, Activision Blizzard, in any way.
