If you are excited by the arrival of the following Battlefield installment, you then had been in all probability battling for “C” proper alongside me on the previous beta weekend. I used to be there, primarily on my desktop, but additionally, briefly, on the machine I imagine to be the perfect buy I’ve made for the reason that pandemic: my Lenovo Legion Go S. While sitting in mattress and taking part in Call of Duty multiplayer on the Legion Go S is certainly one of my new favourite issues to do, I assumed (wrongly) that it could be nice for Battlefield, too. Here’s what occurred.Read extra: Best Handheld Gaming for 2025Which handheld ought to I select? The Steam Deck OLED (proper) seems compact subsequent to the Legion Go S. Scott Stein/CNETWhen I used to be on the lookout for a handheld, I had solely tried a handful of them earlier than. I’ve used the ROG machine and each Switches (and I personal the unique), however have nonetheless not performed the OG: the Steam Deck. I’ve additionally envied associates’ Decks, however they’ve at all times appeared kinda janky, and you may’t play the most recent Call of Duty or Battlefield video games on SteamOS attributable to their respective antipiracy restrictions.I used to be just a little tempted by the prospect of the $450 Nintendo Switch 2, however having to construct up a brand-new library — and pay an eye-popping $80 a recreation — put me off. With the Legion S, I had the power to get pleasure from each PC recreation I’ve ever performed, and simply for an additional $50 over the Switch.Yes, I’ve learn Scott Stein’s evaluation of this Lenovo handheld, however I come at this machine from 30 years of taking part in FPS video games on PC. I do know lots about Windows’ shortcomings, and its… longcomings? Strengths? Strengths! Even so, I feel this PC/gaming hybrid is precisely what I’ve dreamed about since taking part in Doom on my first 486.A PC, however in your arms My canine was much less impressed than me concerning the Legion Go S. Ty Pendlebury/CNETThe Legion Go S I purchased has an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip with 32GB of RAM and a roomy 1TB of drive house. It price $500, and that worth continues to be accessible. You should purchase the Legion Go S with Steam OS for $100 extra proper now, but it surely has decrease specs.I’ve seen lots of people on Reddit who both purchased the SteamOS model or purchased the Windows model and put in Steam excessive — the latter is what I deliberate to do, too. However, I had the console in my arms for lower than 5 minutes and determined it did not make sense to swap the OS. Keeping Windows not solely provides me entry to Steam and Xbox Games Pass, but additionally Blizzard and all the different gaming apps I take advantage of. There is the choice to dual-boot into each Windows and Steam OS, however I have never seen the necessity to date. I’ve seen individuals complain about having to attend for Windows as well, however I simply go away it in standby with a click on of the ability button. Click once more. It’s virtually instantaneous.I’ve simply come again from a stroll to the park, to eat some lunch and play just a little of the brand new Battlefield beta on the Legion Go S (Windows). While my canine wasn’t impressed by the shortage of strolling we had been doing, I had an actual blast simply killing time (and dangerous guys). It’s price noting right here that, as a beta, Battlefield 6 isn’t in any method optimized for specialised gadgets just like the Legion Go S. For occasion, I wanted to calibrate the Legion’s joysticks to make them extra responsive — they had been very gradual — and so within the meantime, Call of Duty is a way more streamlined expertise. This 8BitGo controller is compact and nice for enjoying hot-seat video games. Ty Pendlebury/CNETOn that time, Call of Duty on the Legion Go S is tremendous clean, and it is enjoyable to select up a fast spherical of Gun Game. It’s the extra informal video games that work finest on this machine, and I can plug in for a couple of minutes, get some frags and get on with my day. If I’m seeking to play one thing extra concerned, like Battlefield Conquest, then a PC is healthier. However, I do suppose Stein’s CNET evaluation of the machine is correct on the cash with lots of his factors. Particularly when it comes to loading occasions of video games — the hand-held can simply seem like it is stopped working — and it takes a few minute for Call of Duty to load each time. Not nice for the “casual” vibe, however meh, I can dwell with it. In addition, you will positively want to show a number of the settings in FPS video games proper down. Pewpewpew!! ActivisionBridging the hole The Legion Go S with the Ty Pendlebury/CNETUntil now, all of my PC gaming was accomplished on an Intel desktop — which I did purchase in the course of the pandemic — and so it is getting just a little lengthy within the tooth now. I do high it up with extra storage and RAM when it is wanted. My major recreation machine for the previous few years has truly been the Xbox Series X, however now the Lenovo helps bridge the hole between lean-forward and lean-back gaming on the sofa.While my PC and Xbox are nonetheless nice, it isn’t at all times handy to recreation within the methods I need. For occasion, along with a great deal of Call of Duty and Battlefield, I additionally play Steam library occasion video games like Pummel Party and Jackbox Games. Until now, I’d stream them from my PC into the lounge utilizing Steam Link. But this methodology does introduce some lag and the occasional picture defect, and to not point out that it is clunky — typically I’ll must duck again into the opposite room to repair one thing. Now, with the addition of a $30-plus dock, I can plug the Legion straight into my TV.As a longtime Windows consumer, it is the power to do something on the Legion {that a} PC can do that’s most attractive. I even used its on-screen keyboard to jot down this sentence. But I simply discovered that extra awkward than a bodily keyboard, and the textual content was crammed with errors — it could be OK to make use of in a pinch, however a bodily keyboard continues to be king. The lack of a keyboard has one other draw back: It’s not attainable to do shortcuts as simply. It’s a matter of studying a bunch of latest buttons, and overlook about navigating with the onboard “pointer” — it is awkward and fairly imprecise.Final ideasWhile I’m going to have to attend a number of extra months to attempt once more with Battlefield, I’m going to persevere with Call of Duty within the meantime. Do I high the CoD leaderboards utilizing a handheld? I did… as soon as. But largely, I’m horrible. The Go is just a little too heavy and hulking to be totally agile with the appropriate joystick, specifically, as you are normally supporting the machine’s weight. You can put it on a desk, and once I did that with the natty 8BitDo Lite controller, it was lots simpler to regulate. I nonetheless died lots, although. I’m higher with a mouse and keyboard. Mostly, although, I play on the Legion Go S as a result of I can get my CoD repair with out the effort of sitting at a desk or turning on the lounge TV and Xbox. Dead Kennedys stated it finest after they named their album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. Ideally, these deaths would contain these of the opposing staff, however actually, I’m simply completely happy to be concerned.
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