Our testing gauntlet is slightly different this time, as we can’t deploy our typical benchmark suite on SteamOS. In particular, SteamOS doesn’t support our usual Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III or F1 2024 benchmarks. However, we’ve employed benchmark tools in games like Guardians of the Galaxy, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Cyberpunk 2077, which we’ve used to test all of these systems. Each console was tested in the device’s performance mode while plugged directly into power, with the only differences being the resolution. (The Steam Deck screen is 800p while all three Legion Go S models are 1200p.)

Using the Steam Deck graphics preset, as shown in the chart below, the Steam Deck OLED averaged 32 frames per second (fps), while the Legion Go S (with Z2 Go and running Windows) pushed just 23fps in Cyberpunk. That’s a substantial falloff, considering the model’s Z2 Go chip is similar in build to the Steam Deck’s custom AMD APU.

On the other hand, the Z2 Go-equipped Legion Go S with SteamOS did much better—and, again, the only difference between the two versions is the operating system. The Steam-based Go S averaged 39fps, a 69% increase from the Windows version of the same machine. (For comparison, the Z1 Extreme SteamOS machine came in with a 50fps, a staggering 121% increase over its weaker Windows counterpart). Those two devices’ gains are smaller when compared with the Steam Deck, but still significant. The Steam-powered Z2 Go model saw a 21% performance increase over the Steam Deck, while the Z1 Extreme model netted a 59% performance advantage. Recall, of course, that the Steam Deck is running a nontrivially lower-res screen.

Of course, upping the settings to Ultra kneecapped performance across the board, and don’t even think about deploying any ray tracing. (The Windows model couldn’t even run this level of the test.) These handheld machines just can’t handle it.

Moving to Guardians of the Galaxy, the 2021 action game is quite a looker and runs well on these handheld devices. Deploying the internal benchmark on low presets with the resolution set to 720p, we saw 52fps on the Steam Deck, 56fps on the Legion Go S with Z2 Go and SteamOS, and an impressive 77fps from the Legion Go S with Z1 Extreme with SteamOS. The game wouldn’t even start up on the Windows handheld.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is getting old, but it’s still one of the best-looking games to date. It’s not Steam Deck verified, but the game is still playable on the system, as we see in our benchmarks. The Steam Deck pushed 44fps, while the Windows-based Legion Go S managed 36fps. On the other hand, the Steam-based Legion Go S saw a notable bump to 49fps using the same chip. Of course, the Z1 Extreme model led this chart again.

Remember that all four of these systems have lower performance ceilings than gaming laptops or desktops do. Current top-quality games are often incompatible with handheld consoles or require extremely low graphics settings to run. While I’m thoroughly impressed by what the Z1 Extreme and Z2 Go can do without Windows holding them back, neither chip is exactly future-proof.

From these benchmarks, we can conclude that the Windows partition seems to drag down gaming performance with its processing overhead. When free of Windows, the Legion Go S performs much better, even outpacing the Steam Deck at higher resolutions. However, the Z1 Extreme is the standout in our benchmarks. It shines on SteamOS, pulling well ahead of all three systems in direct comparisons.

Battery Life Test

Like the Windows edition, the Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS uses a 55.5Wh battery. That’s slightly larger than the Steam Deck OLED’s 50Wh, which promises roughly three to 12 hours of playtime on one charge. Lenovo doesn’t list an estimated per-charge battery endurance, but we can expect approximately similar longevity.

However, battery life depends on the game you’re playing. A graphically intensive game, like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Starfield, will likely draw more power than something simple like Vampire Survivors. While we can’t benchmark the handheld using the open-source Blender movie Tears of Steel that we use for testing laptops, we can at least apply some real-world testing and compare it with the devices on hand.

Pay attention to that power button and your battery levels as you play, as this isn’t the longest-lasting device. (Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

We set the system to 50% brightness at 100% volume, with Adaptive Brightness off, and deactivated all the Dim Display and Sleep options. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi were also disabled, too, and we set each system’s power profile to Performance. I turned on Baldur’s Gate 3 and let the handheld sit until the battery drained. The Steam-based Legion Go S lasted 1 hour and 39 minutes until its Z2 Go chip tapped out.

This result is disappointing considering the Steam Deck OLED lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes under the same conditions. Naturally, the higher-resolution screen draws more power, and the Steam Deck’s OLED panel likely doesn’t shine as brightly as the Legion Go’s IPS screen at 50%, relying more on its superior color coverage. The upside is that the device supports the Super Rapid Charge feature, which will net the system about 30% battery after 10 minutes, while 30 minutes should bring it up to around 70%. Lenovo says it takes about 80 minutes for a complete charge.