CES 2026: Lenovo Just Quietly Announced the Most Powerful ‘Steam Deck’ Yet
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2025 has been a great year for handheld gaming, with the Nintendo Switch finally getting a sequel and older handhelds like the Nintendo DS receiving unofficial successors from companies like AYN and Ayaneo. Steam Deck fans were hit a bit hard towards the end of the year when Valve announced the discontinuation of the $400 Steam Deck LCD, but for gamers on the other side of the price spectrum, Lenovo just announced the most powerful SteamOS handheld yet.
Technically, this isn’t a new device, but rather a re-release of a handheld from last year. Called the Lenovo Legion Go 2, it packs an AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 2TB of storage. It also has detachable controllers like the Nintendo Switch and, uniquely, an 8.8-inch OLED screen. And now you can buy it with SteamOS officially installed (last year’s version only came with Windows).
If it’s anything like the Legion Go S with SteamOS preinstalled, that means booting it up and navigating your games will feel like you’re using a Steam Deck, which is great news for anyone who’s a fan of Valve’s lightweight, easy-to-use operating system but is starting to feel like it’s showing its age. Not only should it prove easier to use than last year’s Legion Go 2 with Windows installed, but the more powerful chip means the handheld will be able to play games much more easily and at higher resolutions than any other official SteamOS device to date. The hardware isn’t made by Valve, but in fact it’s now a super-powerful new sequel to Steam Deck, and should be able to boost your fps up to dozens of frames under the right circumstances. As a measure of how transformative this can be, when the Legion Go S got SteamOS, it went from one of my least favorite portable gaming PCs to my best choice for most people.
Even those who already have the Windows version might see an increase in performance, as SteamOS generally requires fewer resources than Windows, which can result in smoother gameplay. You can see my review of the Legion Go 2 with Windows for more, where I compare it to SteamOS devices. With this hardware combined with this operating system, this may be the most powerful portable gaming PC you can buy right now, period.
The only problem? It’s still a bulky device, and although the SteamOS version of the Legion Go S has seen a drop in price compared to the Windows version (probably because Valve doesn’t charge licensing fees like Microsoft), the SteamOS version of the Legion Go 2 actually starts more expensive than the Windows version, at $1,199 instead of $1,099. This could be due to shortages of key components like RAM, but it’s disappointing to see an already high price increase when the precedent for SteamOS versions of these devices is a price drop.
Still, the cheapest Windows model for the Legion Go 2 is actually a little hard to find anywhere other than Lenovo’s official store at the moment, so it’s possible that this model could face its own price hikes in the near future as supply dwindles. And above four figures, you could argue that quality matters more than $100 more on price.
What do you think of it so far?
Sure, you can get a version of Windows and install SteamOS on it yourself, but that’s a bit arduous and can result in unintuitive button mapping. The version with SteamOS installed from the start has a dedicated Steam button configured from the start. You’ll have fewer headaches and a more intuitive setup when you get started.
Aside from this button and the operating system, everything else about the device is the same as the Windows version, but that’s not a bad thing. I called it “overkill” in my review, but that big OLED screen is gorgeous and perfect for gamers who want the best possible graphics on the go. The original Legion Go 2 was my favorite premium gaming handheld of last year, and the model that has SteamOS installed on it only makes it better.
Valve players who think the Steam Deck OLED or Legion Go S aren’t fancy enough for them should stay tuned for the official release date, currently scheduled for June. This may be the premium portable gaming PC they’ve been waiting for, combining the convenience of SteamOS with modern specs that even the similarly priced Xbox handheld can’t match. Finally, there is a “Steam Deck” for the 1%.
