The Lenovo Legion Go handheld gaming PC is now on sale, with its price falling to $499 (was $699) at Amazon for the first time amidst rumors of AMD’s Ryzen Z2 handheld gaming chips – and this could be positive news for a potential successor.
Lenovo remains the only brand among recent handheld manufacturers that is yet to build a successor or upgrade to its original handheld device; Asus released the improved ROG Ally X earlier this year and Valve launched the Steam Deck OLED in November 2023. There have been reports of a Lenovo Legion Go ‘Lite’ ‘leak’, which might have a smaller screen and an HDMI output, but would reportedly stick with the Ryzen Z1 chip.
The rumors surrounding the purported Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip suggest it could feature RDNA 3.5 for better gaming performance and battery life. Since Asus ROG Ally prices fell drastically before the launch of the improved Ally X, the timing here could mean Lenovo may be about to follow in the same direction.
Z2 Extreme means better battery life for gaming handhelds? Yes please
Valve’s Steam Deck is a prime example of a gaming handheld device that prioritizes battery life (even if it could still be much better). Compared to the ROG Ally and Legion Go, it is currently the best at allowing gamers to get the most time out of their gaming sessions on the go. While the recent Ally X offered a significant bump in battery life, this was achieved thanks to a much larger battery than the one seen in the original Ally.
While there is no official confirmation yet, the Z2 Extreme promises to enhance gaming performance and battery life – this could be highly beneficial for a Legion Go successor, which we noted in our review was in dire need of stronger battery performance.
Asus’ next Ally is also rumored to come with three variants, if the ‘Z2G’ chip reports are true – this could support the Legion Go Lite leak mentioned earlier, potentially leading to stronger competition in the gaming handheld market. In other words, things are starting to get interesting…