Legion Go S and Go 2 Come in SteamOS Versions

Lenovo makes SteamOS versions of the Legion Go S and the Legion Go 2; the original Legion Go ships with Windows 11. What separates the three is the chip, the screen and the controllers: the cheapest Go S uses AMD’s four-core Z2 Go, while every other chip in the range has six or eight cores, and the original and the Go 2 have controllers that come off.

On 11 October 2026 Lenovo’s US store was selling Legion Go S models and nothing else from the range. The Go 2 and original Legion Go pages read “Available Soon”, with no model to order.

The line-up, model by model

Lenovo’s formal names are Legion Go (8.8″, 1), Legion Go S (8″, 1) and Legion Go (8.8″, 2); its US store calls the last one Legion Go Gen 2. On support pages they appear as machine types, and two of them share a code: Legion Go 8APU1 is the original, Legion Go S 8APU1 is the Go S with the Z1 Extreme, Legion Go S 8ARP1 is the Go S with the Z2 Go, and Legion Go 8ASP2 is the Go 2.

Model	Chip	Memory	Storage	Operating system
Legion Go (original)	Ryzen Z1 or Z1 Extreme	16GB	256GB, 512GB or 1TB	Windows 11 Home
Legion Go S, Z2 Go (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Ryzen Z2 Go	16GB or 32GB	512GB or 1TB	Windows 11 Home or SteamOS
Legion Go S, Z1 Extreme (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Ryzen Z1 Extreme	16GB or 32GB	512GB or 1TB	Windows 11 Home or SteamOS
Legion Go 2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Ryzen Z2 or Z2 Extreme	16GB (Z2), 32GB (Z2 Extreme)	512GB, 1TB or 2TB	Windows 11 Home; SteamOS version announced January 2026

Model	Screen	Battery	Weight	Controllers
Legion Go (original)	8.8in IPS, 2560 × 1600, 144Hz	49.2Wh	Under 854g with controllers	Detachable
Legion Go S (either chip)	8in IPS, 1920 × 1200, 48–120Hz variable	55.5Wh	About 740g	Built in
Legion Go 2 (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	8.8in OLED, 1920 × 1200, 144Hz	74Wh	About 920g with controllers	Detachable

Every figure is from Lenovo’s PSREF spec pages, read on 11 October 2026, apart from the Go 2’s 16GB, which is from PSREF’s page for the US Z2 model, 83N10009US. Lenovo lists the SteamOS Go 2 at up to a Z2 Extreme, 32GB and 2TB; it has not published a US configuration.

The chip is the widest gap

Chip	Used in	CPU cores	CPU design	Graphics	Graphics cores
Ryzen Z2 Go	Go S	4	Zen 3+	RDNA 2	12
Ryzen Z1	Original Go	6	Zen 4 and Zen 4c	RDNA 3	4
Ryzen Z1 Extreme	Original Go, Go S	8	Zen 4	RDNA 3	12
Ryzen Z2	Go 2	8	Zen 4	RDNA 3	12
Ryzen Z2 Extreme	Go 2	8	Zen 5 and Zen 5c	RDNA 3.5	16

From AMD’s own specification pages. The Z2 Go has half the CPU cores of the Z1 Extreme and an older graphics design, RDNA 2 against RDNA 3. Lenovo’s own Go S page puts it the same way: “four CPU cores and eight threads” on what it calls Zen 3.

At the top, the Z2 Extreme is the newest design in the range, with 16 graphics cores and a power range up to 35W against 30W for the others. The Z2 in the cheaper Go 2 matches the Z1 Extreme on paper — eight Zen 4 cores, 12 RDNA 3 graphics cores — with a lower graphics boost clock, 2,700MHz against 2,900MHz.

Spec sheets do not measure frame rates. Outlets do, and they score the two Go S versions separately; our average of published handheld review scores records how far apart they landed and why. Because the two Go S models share a name, a screen, a battery and a weight, the chip is the line to check on any listing.

Screen, battery and controllers

The original Legion Go has the sharpest screen of the three, 2560 × 1600 on an IPS panel. The Go 2 drops to 1920 × 1200 but moves to OLED, with 500 nits typical and 1,100 nits peak in PSREF. The Go S uses a smaller 8in IPS panel at 1920 × 1200 and up to 120Hz.

The Go 2’s 74Wh battery is 50% larger than the original’s 49.2Wh; Lenovo’s US page says “50.4% more capacity than the last gen”. A larger battery feeding a chip that can draw more power does not guarantee more hours, which is the pattern our piece on why handheld battery life stays short traces across other handhelds.

Lenovo describes the Go S as having “fused” controllers. The original and the Go 2 detach theirs, and both have an FPS mode in which the right controller sits in an included base and works like a mouse. The Go S is about 740g; the Go 2 is about 920g with its controllers on.

Which ones run SteamOS

• Legion Go S: both versions. PSREF lists SteamOS for the Z2 Go and the Z1 Extreme, and Lenovo’s SteamOS FAQ covers both machine types. Lenovo Support also publishes a SteamOS image and install steps for both.
• Legion Go 2: announced, not on sale in the US on 11 October. Lenovo’s 6 January release put the SteamOS version at an estimated $1,199, expected from June 2026. Lenovo’s US page notes that the fingerprint reader is disabled on SteamOS models and that its Legion Space software is Windows-only.
• Original Legion Go: Windows 11. Its PSREF entry lists Windows 11 Home variants and no SteamOS configuration.

SteamOS here is Valve’s operating system, the same one the Steam Deck runs; what a Steam Deck actually is explains what that means for which games run. One caution carries over: Valve’s Verified checks are set at the Deck’s 1280 × 800, so what a Deck badge promises is a guide, not a guarantee, on a 1920 × 1200 Go S.

Prices at Lenovo US, 11 October 2026

Model	Configuration	Lenovo US, 11 Oct 2026
Legion Go S, Z2 Go, SteamOS	16GB, 512GB	$699.99
Legion Go S, Z1 Extreme, SteamOS (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	32GB, 1TB	$999.99
Legion Go S, Z1 Extreme, Windows	32GB, 1TB	$1,299.99
Legion Go 2, Z2, Windows (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	16GB, 1TB	$1,711.99 shown, “Available Soon”, cannot be ordered
Legion Go 2, SteamOS	Not published	Not on sale; Lenovo’s January estimate was from $1,199
Legion Go (original)	—	Not on sale; PSREF lists it as withdrawn

Lenovo shows each Go S price as a reduction from a higher “estimated value”: $1,173.99, $1,607.99 and $1,756.99. On the same hardware, the SteamOS Z1 Extreme was $300 less than the Windows one. Lenovo’s own pages disagree on the Z2 Go: its family page offered it with an Add to Cart button, while the model’s page said it was no longer available.

For scale, Lenovo’s CES 2025 release estimated the Windows Go S from $729.99 and the SteamOS Go S from $499.99.

Who each suits, on paper

• SteamOS at Lenovo’s lowest price: the Go S with the Z2 Go, accepting the four-core chip.
• SteamOS with an eight-core chip: the Go S with the Z1 Extreme.
• Windows with controllers built in: the Go S with the Z1 Extreme, Windows version.
• OLED, the largest battery and detachable controllers: the Go 2, which Lenovo US was not taking orders for on 11 October.
• The sharpest screen in the range: the original Legion Go, which Lenovo has withdrawn.

These are matches between what you want and what Lenovo lists. We have not used any of these handhelds.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between Legion Go and Legion Go S?

The Go S has an 8in 1920 × 1200 screen, controllers built into the body, and Windows or SteamOS. The original Legion Go has an 8.8in 2560 × 1600 screen, detachable controllers and Windows 11. The Go S also comes with AMD’s four-core Z2 Go, a lower-specified chip than anything in the original.

Does the Legion Go 2 run SteamOS?

Lenovo announced a SteamOS version on 6 January 2026, estimated from $1,199 and expected from June 2026. On 11 October Lenovo’s US Legion Go 2 page described SteamOS models but read “Available Soon”, with no model to order.

Legion Go S Z2 Go or Z1 Extreme: what is the difference?

The chip. The Z1 Extreme has eight Zen 4 cores and RDNA 3 graphics; the Z2 Go has four Zen 3+ cores and RDNA 2. Screen, 55.5Wh battery and roughly 740g weight are the same. At Lenovo US on 11 October the SteamOS Z2 Go was $699.99 and the SteamOS Z1 Extreme $999.99.

Does the original Legion Go come with SteamOS?

No. Lenovo ships it with Windows 11 Home, and its PSREF spec page lists no SteamOS configuration, where both Legion Go S pages do. Lenovo’s SteamOS FAQ and SteamOS install guide name the two Legion Go S machine types, not the original.

Can you still buy the original Legion Go?

Not from Lenovo US. On 11 October its page read “Available Soon” with no model to order, and Lenovo’s PSREF spec database lists the Legion Go 8APU1 as withdrawn.

Are the Legion Go S controllers detachable?

No. Lenovo describes the Go S as having “fused” TrueStrike controllers. The original Legion Go and the Legion Go 2 both have controllers that come off, and an FPS mode in which the right controller sits in an included base and works like a mouse.