I love that Lenovo has finally chosen SteamOS for the Legion Go 2, but it's kidding itself with that price tag

Date:
Wed, 07 Jan 2026 12:21:27 +0000

Description:
Lenovo, thanks for supporting SteamOS with the Legion Go 2, but the price tag is too extreme, and I don't think most consumers will consider this.

FULL STORY

We're deep into CES 2026 and we've finally got our first major announcement
for a new handheld gaming PC launching later this year, although that's using
a liberal definition of the word 'new' admittedly.

As reported by VideoCardz , Lenovo has unveiled a SteamOS version of the
Legion Go 2 at CES 2026. This fresh spin on an existing handheld formula is
set to launch in June 2026, starting at $1,119 / around 829 / AU$1,660. This
is an addition to the Legion Go 2 models already available which are powered
by Microsoft's Windows 11 (and follow in the footsteps of the Lenovo Legion
Go S ).

Of course, this launch is no real surprise as the move was already rumored,
and it appears that the leaked image of the Legion Go 2 seemingly using
SteamOS (before the Windows version even arrived) was indeed legitimate.

The same configurations will be available with this new SteamOS model,
meaning you can run with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and an AMD Ryzen Z2 or Z2 Extreme SoC. That's a hardware spec which is more than capable of providing great performance for most portable gaming scenarios.

However, Lenovo has unsurprisingly run into the same issue that it had when launching the Windows 11 models of the Legion Go 2, namely pricing.

While tariffs and the tough PC hardware market (due to the RAM crisis) are aspects to consider, it will be hard for most consumers to justify spending over $1,000 for a handheld device, and not a fully-fledged gaming PC instead.

For the Windows 11 version, the Legion Go 2 Z2's MSRP is $1,099 in the US, while the Z2 Extreme model is $1,349 (which comes close to the price of the most powerful handheld out there, the GPD Win 5).

This means Lenovo has increased the base starting price by $100 for the
SteamOS model. That's a turnaround from the Legion Go S, where the Windows version was the more expensive option.

In that case, we can expect the Legion Go 2 with SteamOS using the Z2 Extreme chip to cost at least $1,449, and I don't think many gamers will even
consider a handheld which costs that much, and doesn't offer much of a performance leap over much cheaper devices.

Analysis: all credit where it's due for supporting SteamOS, but that price stinks

As I have said numerous times, the Lenovo Legion Go 2, regardless of whether it's powered by Windows 11 or SteamOS, has no business costing over $1,000
(and the Ryzen Z2 Extreme models hit particularly ridiculous levels price-wise).

I'm well aware of the harsh component market conditions that are currently making it difficult to keep down the cost of PCs, and the premium hardware on board Lenovo's handheld such as the OLED display.

However, the processor used is hardly a significant improvement over its predecessor, the Ryzen Z1 Extreme, and if you just save a little more money, you can land a handheld built around the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 the most powerful AMD APU in existence.

I've previously argued that prices like these for 'mainstream' handhelds effectively take them out of the mainstream and back into the niche category they resided in before Valve's Steam Deck arrived. Unfortunately, it seems
like Lenovo and fellow manufacturers won't budge on this, and I don't see
that changing.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES , and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen.

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/gaming-pcs/i-love-that-lenovo-has-finally- chosen-steamos-for-the-legion-go-2-but-its-kidding-itself-with-that-price-tag

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