This landmark Steam OS handheld shows just how much that Windows license costs

Valve made a real splash with its release. Steam deck back in 2022, and this was largely due to the Steam OS platform. The Arch Linux-based operating system is officially limited to Steam Deck, although unofficial versions and forks exist. That’s changing today, however, as Lenovo has announced the world’s first officially licensed portable PC powered by Steam OS.

Lenovo Legion Go S – based on Steam OS (to use its full name) actually runs Valve’s operating system. This means you have built-in cloud save functionality, Steam Remote Play support, and deep integration with the Steam Store. But the platform is more than just a store.

Firstly, Steam OS is easier to use with a gamepad than Windows. This has long been a criticism of portable Windows devices such as ASUS ROG allyoriginal Legion of Goand other cars. The Steam Deck and its platform also have a reputation for being more efficient than Microsoft’s laptops, resulting in longer battery life. Over the years, Valve has also introduced various features through software updates, such as a screen recording feature, a notes app, and the ability to adjust the machine’s TDP for more granular power control.

However, there are a few disadvantages to using the Valve platform, such as a more complex sideloading process and lack of support for some online games (due to anti-cheat software). But I would say that the positives of using my Steam Deck far outweigh the negatives. So I’m glad to see more manufacturers joining the Steam OS movement.

Lenovo also announced a Windows 11 version of Legion Go S, which is otherwise identical to the Steam OS variant. That means you’re choosing an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go or Z1 Extreme chip, Radeon 700M graphics, a 55.5Wh battery, and 65W charging speeds. As for the latter, Lenovo says you can expect to charge up to 85% in an hour thanks to the company’s Rapid Charge Express feature.

The laptop also features an 8-inch LCD touchscreen with 1920 x 1200 resolution (16:10, 500 nits), up to 32GB of RAM, and up to 1TB SSD (supports M.2 2242 and 2280 storage). Other notable features include Bluetooth 5.3, Hall effect joysticks, a microSD card slot, a tiny trackpad on the right side, Wi-Fi 6E, two USB-C (USB 4) ports, and a 3.5mm port. There are also a pair of triggers on the back of the device, as we’ve seen on other PC-based laptops.

The Steam OS-powered Legion Go S will be available in May for a rather tempting $499 for the base 16GB/512GB model with the Ryzen Z2 Go chip. Meanwhile, the first Windows option will cost you $729 this month. However, Lenovo has confirmed that this initial Windows variant is a more premium offering thanks to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage.

Want a cheaper Windows model? Then you’ll have to wait until May to get the 16GB/512GB variant, which will cost $599.99. However, that’s still $100 more than the 16GB/512GB Steam OS option. In fact, you can also purchase the 16GB/1TB Steam OS model for $599.99. So you’ll pay $100 more for the cheapest Legion Go S with Windows compared to the cheapest Steam OS option.