Leaked images reveal Lenovo’s Steam Deck competitor with a hint of the Switch

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Image: Windows Report

Valve’s Steam Deck might be getting more competition. Last month, Windows Central reported that Lenovo is working on a handheld gaming PC that runs Windows called the Legion Go, and on Wednesday, Windows Report published what appear to be the first images of the upcoming device.

Based on the images, Lenovo’s take on a PC gaming handheld looks a lot like devices such as the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally, but it also has a lot in common with the Nintendo Switch. According to Windows Report, the Legion Go has an eight-inch screen, images show two Joy-Con-like controllers that can be removed, and it even appears to have a wide Switch OLED-like kickstand that you can pop out for tabletop gaming.

Image: Windows Report

The Legion Go’s controllers appear to be a blend of the Switch’s flat but removable Joy-Cons and the Steam Deck’s contoured but attached grips. There looks to be one touch pad on the right controller — by comparison, the Steam Deck has touch pads on both sides — but the back of that right controller also apparently has a wheel. And since the controllers can be removed, Windows Report speculates that the screen is a touchscreen.

Perhaps the most important takeaway from these apparent images of the device (there are more, and you can see them all at Windows Report) is that Lenovo isn’t shying away from making the Legion Go thick. Asus steered away from thickness and heft with the ROG Ally, which wound up with middling battery life, but we’re beginning to see portables like the upcoming Ayaneo Kun pointed towards beefier batteries.

Windows Report says Legion Go will run Windows 11, meaning you should be able to play any Windows games that support the device’s specs. Windows Central previously reported it would use AMD Phoenix processors, which are also found in the ROG Ally and other recent and upcoming Windows handhelds.

Lenovo didn’t immediately have a comment.

Lenovo has dabbled with handheld gaming devices in the past, showing the “LaVie Mini” concept in partnership with NEC at CES 2021 and building an unreleased Android-based device called the Legion Play. If it’s real, the Legion Go seems like a much more serious effort — and I hope it’s real, because I want to see how it stacks up to the likes of the Steam Deck.