Lenovo's Gaming Handheld Rival To Steam Deck And Nintendo Switch Just Leaked
2023 sure looks like the season of handheld PC gaming consoles. The latest brand to dive into the segment, apparently, is Lenovo. WidowsReport has leaked images purportedly depicting the Lenovo Legion Go, an upcoming handheld gaming PC that runs Windows 11 and will reportedly draw power from AMD's "Phoenix" silicon. Other details, such as display resolution, battery, and exact CPU and GPU configuration are still a mystery, and we don't know anything about a tentative release timeline, either.
The design comes off as awfully generic and bulky, but what truly arrests the attention is the form factor. Lenovo's designers apparently had a look at the Asus ROG Ally, Steam Deck, and the Nintendo Switch and then decided to create a mishmash. The result is a bland look that tries to stand out with form factor versatility instead of aesthetics.
As the images depict, the controllers are removable from each side, just like you would remove the Joy-Cons on a Nintendo Switch. There's even a neat folding stand at the back that helps the tablet stand still on a flat surface. Above it are vents for heat dissipation. Notably, it seems like Lenovo paid more attention to the controller design than the rest of the device.
The controllers are quite something
The handles on the supposed Lenovo handheld console are purposefully curved, and the trigger button positioning also looks unique. Aside from two L-shaped shoulder triggers on each side and a pair of curved lower triggers, there are an extra couple of buttons alongside the curved handle mid-way through each controller's hump.
There are most likely customizable macro buttons, and there's also a scroll wheel positioned at an angle at the top on the right half of the controller, likely for volume controls. So far, we haven't seen a button like this on any mainstream Windows or Linux-based handheld gaming console, but it is available on a handful of gaming keyboards.
Over on the front, the alleged Lenovo Go's controller offers a quartet of ABXY action buttons, a joystick, what looks like a quick controls button, and a square touchpad akin to the Steam Deck. The left half features a D-Pad button, another joystick, a power key, and two other buttons with menu and recent task identifiers. Lenovo also appears to have added some colorful lighting pizzazz at the base of each joystick.
Hope and caution
We first heard about the Lenovo Legion Go console in a Windows Central report, which also mentioned the possibility of an 8-inch screen on the device. But do keep in mind this is an early leak, and even though the leaked imagery looks like finished market-ready renders, take it with the proverbial pinch of salt.
Interestingly, the alleged design of Lenovo's Legion Go is also a far cry from the Android-based Lenovo Legion Play handheld console, which was officially showcased at MWC 2021, but never saw a market release. Later, unreleased prototypes of the device were spotted selling online for as little as $160 a pop. So yeah, there's some reason to believe that the Lenovo Legion Go might never see the light of day.
There's also some precedent for ambitious showcases that never materialized in the rival camps, as well. Dell also showcased a rather eye-catching handheld console called the Alienware Concept UFO back in 2020, but that stunning device never made it to the market.
In the meanwhile, if you're hunting for a handheld that can play PC and console games, your only options are the Steam Deck, Asus ROG Ally, or one of Aya's machines. If you would rather prefer Android games — or cloud-based streaming from Xbox or Nvidia platforms— you can check out the Logitech G Cloud or the Razer Edge. Moreover, if you got patience, Sony's own Project Q handheld console is also lined up for a release soon.