Lenovo has unveiled the Legion Go 2 with SteamOS at CES 2026, but its steep $1,119 starting price risks alienating gamers who expect more value from handhelds.
Lenovo has officially announced a SteamOS version of the Legion Go 2 at CES 2026, set to launch in June 2026. The handheld starts at $1,119 (£829 / AU$1,660), which is $100 more than the Windows 11 model released last year. This marks a surprising reversal from the Legion Go S, where the Windows variant carried the higher price tag.
The Legion Go 2 retains its premium hardware: an AMD Ryzen Z2 or Z2 Extreme SoC, up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and an 8.8-inch OLED PureSight display. Detachable controllers with Hall effect joysticks and a 74Wh battery round out the package.
Overall, its SteamOS integration promises a smoother, console-like experience, eliminating the need for manual Linux installs.
Pricing problem
While the specs impress, Lenovo faces the same criticism that dogged its Windows 11 models: pricing.
The Windows Legion Go 2 Z2 launched at $1,099, while the Z2 Extreme hit $1,349. With SteamOS, the base price climbs to $1,119, and the Extreme configuration is expected to reach $1,449. That figure edges close to the GPD Win 5, which packs AMD’s Ryzen AI Max+ 395 chip and delivers desktop-class performance for a similar cost.
The Ryzen Z2 Extreme offers incremental gains over the Z1 Extreme, but early benchmarks suggest performance improvements are modest, with memory bandwidth limiting its full potential. For many gamers, spending over $1,000 on a handheld feels unjustifiable when Valve’s Steam Deck OLED remains far cheaper, even amid RAM shortages.
SteamOS is a win, price is not
Lenovo’s embrace of SteamOS is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. It delivers a better, seamless gaming experience than Windows.
However, the pricing strategy risks pushing the Legion Go 2 back into niche territory, undoing the mainstream momentum handhelds gained with the Steam Deck. For gamers who are weighing their options, saving a little more for a Ryzen AI Max+ 395-powered device may prove to be the smarter move.
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