Lenovo Legion Go Handheld vs. ASUS ROG Ally & Steam Deck Deep-Dive Review & Benchmarks
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Date: 2024-03-03
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Comments and reviews: 20
denvera1g1
I have a shoulder issue and the removable controllers allow me to hold my arms at my side.
But gosh darn it does this suffer from first model issues.
Some basic things i would change
24GB of RAM, ability to dedicate 512MB of VRAM(sometimes if you give the iGPU more than 1GB games assume it is a dGPU and handle RAM differently, trying its best to not go over the virtual VRAM, even though system RAM is the exact same bandwidth
Swap the start/select and legion buttons from factory:While you can swap this yourself, sometimes it will switch back, or even worse, you will have a normal startselect layout, but then opening one game or app switches it back to them being below the D-pad without telling you.
Allow AMD drivers with a toggle in the legion software:Yes i know you can forcefully install AMD drivers and its not that hard, but for people unlike myself(hardware admin who manages 1500 devices) hurdles that are simple for me and most of the commenters here, are just too much for the average person. Oh and for that same reason, make switching back to lenovo drivers as simple as flicking the AMD driver option off.
round off the controllers a bit more or offer an optional playstation/xbox shaped joycon and replacement carrying case: This suffers from the same problem i had with the steamdeck, its just slightly too small for my hands and i end up with a claw grip, though its not as bad as the steamdeck.
Fix whatever is wrong with integer scaling. I dont know about you, but to me, integer scaling should be like vector scaling, where one pixel at 800p becomes 4 pixels at 1600p, instead i see color shadows around objects that arent there if i hook up an external 10 inch 800p screen.
Why didnt you buy a switch
Why would i buy a 10 year old bargain basement SOC in a 7 year old tablet when its not under $100
why didnt you wait for a switch 2
If the rumors about 8nm are true, the performance per watt wont be that much better than the 2019 switch refresh to TSMC 16nm, which is why i said they would probably put it off till 2025 and wait for 4nm ADA based SOCs
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I have a shoulder issue and the removable controllers allow me to hold my arms at my side.
But gosh darn it does this suffer from first model issues.
Some basic things i would change
24GB of RAM, ability to dedicate 512MB of VRAM(sometimes if you give the iGPU more than 1GB games assume it is a dGPU and handle RAM differently, trying its best to not go over the virtual VRAM, even though system RAM is the exact same bandwidth
Swap the start/select and legion buttons from factory:While you can swap this yourself, sometimes it will switch back, or even worse, you will have a normal startselect layout, but then opening one game or app switches it back to them being below the D-pad without telling you.
Allow AMD drivers with a toggle in the legion software:Yes i know you can forcefully install AMD drivers and its not that hard, but for people unlike myself(hardware admin who manages 1500 devices) hurdles that are simple for me and most of the commenters here, are just too much for the average person. Oh and for that same reason, make switching back to lenovo drivers as simple as flicking the AMD driver option off.
round off the controllers a bit more or offer an optional playstation/xbox shaped joycon and replacement carrying case: This suffers from the same problem i had with the steamdeck, its just slightly too small for my hands and i end up with a claw grip, though its not as bad as the steamdeck.
Fix whatever is wrong with integer scaling. I dont know about you, but to me, integer scaling should be like vector scaling, where one pixel at 800p becomes 4 pixels at 1600p, instead i see color shadows around objects that arent there if i hook up an external 10 inch 800p screen.
Why didnt you buy a switch
Why would i buy a 10 year old bargain basement SOC in a 7 year old tablet when its not under $100
why didnt you wait for a switch 2
If the rumors about 8nm are true, the performance per watt wont be that much better than the 2019 switch refresh to TSMC 16nm, which is why i said they would probably put it off till 2025 and wait for 4nm ADA based SOCs
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Aston6Speed
Owner of a Legion Go here! Definitely need the current AMD adrenaline drivers for 7840U with 780m because the lenovo drivers are behind and that improves it a ton! Also the bios needs to be on stamp power adjustment instead of Stt because they are working on the tdp adjustments so right now stamp is the better option. That should fix 95% of the issues you are having here and i also enabled auto vram in the bios instead of the default 3gb. Some users say 6 or 8gb is best. 6gb seems safe to not run into lack of normal ram in games. I also disabled one of the gyro listings in hidden devices in device manager to fix the bug with the keyboard disappearing when moving the device around! Overall i really dont have any issues with battery or performance with these tweaks. What really sold me on this device was the forum with Ben, one of the product team leads for the LeGo being super responsive to users requesting features and improvements!! Every week he releases an update from his spare time on whats being developed or implemented.
Edit: also os power setting to efficiency or balanced seems to be best (no real benefit fps or frame wise using performance os mode). I tend to use the 1 profile with the tdp on balanced for light games, quiet for retro games and performance/30w custom for triple A titles.
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Owner of a Legion Go here! Definitely need the current AMD adrenaline drivers for 7840U with 780m because the lenovo drivers are behind and that improves it a ton! Also the bios needs to be on stamp power adjustment instead of Stt because they are working on the tdp adjustments so right now stamp is the better option. That should fix 95% of the issues you are having here and i also enabled auto vram in the bios instead of the default 3gb. Some users say 6 or 8gb is best. 6gb seems safe to not run into lack of normal ram in games. I also disabled one of the gyro listings in hidden devices in device manager to fix the bug with the keyboard disappearing when moving the device around! Overall i really dont have any issues with battery or performance with these tweaks. What really sold me on this device was the forum with Ben, one of the product team leads for the LeGo being super responsive to users requesting features and improvements!! Every week he releases an update from his spare time on whats being developed or implemented.
Edit: also os power setting to efficiency or balanced seems to be best (no real benefit fps or frame wise using performance os mode). I tend to use the 1 profile with the tdp on balanced for light games, quiet for retro games and performance/30w custom for triple A titles.
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clintk4691
Looking at the Ally in your B roll as you switch through power modes. Have you guys updated it recently While running mine on battery and AC, I have a Manual mode option where I can set all 3 power limits. In the last couple of Armoury Crate updates they gave users access to a manual mode for both where you can set it as low as 7 watts. Now that isn't really relevant to testing, however I also did notice some decent performance increases alongside the updates that enabled that feature.
Great review, always thorough and very in-depth. I'm loving where the handheld market is going and looking forward to the future of handheld gaming. I haven't even touched my desktop in a few months since getting my Ally.
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Looking at the Ally in your B roll as you switch through power modes. Have you guys updated it recently While running mine on battery and AC, I have a Manual mode option where I can set all 3 power limits. In the last couple of Armoury Crate updates they gave users access to a manual mode for both where you can set it as low as 7 watts. Now that isn't really relevant to testing, however I also did notice some decent performance increases alongside the updates that enabled that feature.
Great review, always thorough and very in-depth. I'm loving where the handheld market is going and looking forward to the future of handheld gaming. I haven't even touched my desktop in a few months since getting my Ally.
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ethanlieske9678
I love how competitive the handheld market is getting.
One thing that would be nice to add to these hand held reviews is the software features. Armory crate gets a lot of crap but it has genuinely useful features like controller button mapping , power profiles per game for booth AC and DC, and a dull but very functional game launcher. It would be interesting to see if other hand helds have these features and how well or not they work. One other thing to note is that you can add gyro support to basically any game through Armory crate which has been a killer feature for me as it works well and is braindead simple to setup, unlike say getting gryo to work with a dualsense controller in windows.
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I love how competitive the handheld market is getting.
One thing that would be nice to add to these hand held reviews is the software features. Armory crate gets a lot of crap but it has genuinely useful features like controller button mapping , power profiles per game for booth AC and DC, and a dull but very functional game launcher. It would be interesting to see if other hand helds have these features and how well or not they work. One other thing to note is that you can add gyro support to basically any game through Armory crate which has been a killer feature for me as it works well and is braindead simple to setup, unlike say getting gryo to work with a dualsense controller in windows.
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sethporter3145
As the proud owner of the Leigon Go since day 1, I can say for certain that it's a strong showing from Lenovo for their first handheld gaming PC. While the 1600p display doesn't make sense for most modern resource intensive titles, it makes for an excellent multimedia experience when paired with the large screen size. I will concede that the thermal management could be more nuanced, with the fan speeds ramping up and down depending on the mode and TDP settings. Overall, I'd consider the Leogon Go a great companion device for someone with a dedicated PC gaming setup in lieu of a traditional gaming laptop.
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As the proud owner of the Leigon Go since day 1, I can say for certain that it's a strong showing from Lenovo for their first handheld gaming PC. While the 1600p display doesn't make sense for most modern resource intensive titles, it makes for an excellent multimedia experience when paired with the large screen size. I will concede that the thermal management could be more nuanced, with the fan speeds ramping up and down depending on the mode and TDP settings. Overall, I'd consider the Leogon Go a great companion device for someone with a dedicated PC gaming setup in lieu of a traditional gaming laptop.
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thesenate1768
Better fps/ergonomics is what i'm waiting for. I bought a Deck but found it too weighty and cumbersome to relax and play some of the more 'switch' type games it seems to excel with. The newer, more intensive ones running at below 60fps kills it for me. Even for old shooters, the weight and trigger position made it feel pretty unwieldy. Holding a dualsense is comfortable, stretching my fingers to their end to hit the steam deck triggers is not. I'd like triggers on the underside. As it stands, didn't really suit any of my needs.
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Better fps/ergonomics is what i'm waiting for. I bought a Deck but found it too weighty and cumbersome to relax and play some of the more 'switch' type games it seems to excel with. The newer, more intensive ones running at below 60fps kills it for me. Even for old shooters, the weight and trigger position made it feel pretty unwieldy. Holding a dualsense is comfortable, stretching my fingers to their end to hit the steam deck triggers is not. I'd like triggers on the underside. As it stands, didn't really suit any of my needs.
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gvulture1277
Steam Deck will always win because of everything it stands for, openess by a company who cares about their product and consumers. Handheld PC's cannot rely on Windows because Microsoft does not give a flying floogy about third party hardware manufacturers. Valve's bet on Linux is paying off huge and in the future I have a very strong feeling that Linux is going to become the number 1 OS for customers who just want to play games for how light and uninvasive it is (as well as offering a powerful work space).
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Steam Deck will always win because of everything it stands for, openess by a company who cares about their product and consumers. Handheld PC's cannot rely on Windows because Microsoft does not give a flying floogy about third party hardware manufacturers. Valve's bet on Linux is paying off huge and in the future I have a very strong feeling that Linux is going to become the number 1 OS for customers who just want to play games for how light and uninvasive it is (as well as offering a powerful work space).
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SquintyGears
Honestly I kind of think the plugged in performance is the most relevant because I would very likely have 1 or 2 usb-PD 25000mAh battery banks to use this kind of computer for more than 2h. So from the computer's perspective it's always plugged in.
The performance profiles to extend battery life are great but there isn't really a distinction to me between being away from the wall or not.
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Honestly I kind of think the plugged in performance is the most relevant because I would very likely have 1 or 2 usb-PD 25000mAh battery banks to use this kind of computer for more than 2h. So from the computer's perspective it's always plugged in.
The performance profiles to extend battery life are great but there isn't really a distinction to me between being away from the wall or not.
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gamersnexus
be nice to see quality build on the controllers. imo the steam deck has some premium feel on the controllers from trigger stroke and angle when pulled. button, click(ness) of them. etc i have the OXP2 and the controllers are ass in my opinion. Its what keeps me coming back to steam deck because it feels better. honestly looking to sell off my oxp2 and get the OLED deck
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be nice to see quality build on the controllers. imo the steam deck has some premium feel on the controllers from trigger stroke and angle when pulled. button, click(ness) of them. etc i have the OXP2 and the controllers are ass in my opinion. Its what keeps me coming back to steam deck because it feels better. honestly looking to sell off my oxp2 and get the OLED deck
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mcduvall2000
I got one a couple months ago and love it. I wanted a tablet under 9 with premium specs and unfortunately none of that existed really, especially windows based. So I use it as a tablet 95% of the time without controllers. I know most say 1600 on 8.8 screen is dumb, but one of my only gifts is 20/13 vision, so I can tell and prefer high resolutions.
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I got one a couple months ago and love it. I wanted a tablet under 9 with premium specs and unfortunately none of that existed really, especially windows based. So I use it as a tablet 95% of the time without controllers. I know most say 1600 on 8.8 screen is dumb, but one of my only gifts is 20/13 vision, so I can tell and prefer high resolutions.
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HunterTracks
I gotta say, this is probably the review I've been waiting for the most. Legion Go has always struck me as the coolest concept on the handheld market, and I've been pretty tempted to grab one for that reason alone, at least after the initial issues have been addressed. Excited to see if the execution hold up.
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I gotta say, this is probably the review I've been waiting for the most. Legion Go has always struck me as the coolest concept on the handheld market, and I've been pretty tempted to grab one for that reason alone, at least after the initial issues have been addressed. Excited to see if the execution hold up.
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izidor
Steam Deck is the best Plug and Play with a bit outdated performance. The Legion is on paper the best but has many little things that doesnt seem to work very well, specially in terms of software. The ROG Ally has the best package. It has good performance and seems to be more polished than the Legion.
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Steam Deck is the best Plug and Play with a bit outdated performance. The Legion is on paper the best but has many little things that doesnt seem to work very well, specially in terms of software. The ROG Ally has the best package. It has good performance and seems to be more polished than the Legion.
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vxvicky
Have you ever tried with a fresh formatted unit Without windows auto driver update.
And btw.. You can select almost any resolution in windows settings, from 720 to the absurdly high res (made for a perfect 2:1 integer scaling), so I don't know why you say that.
1280x720 is perfectly usable
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Have you ever tried with a fresh formatted unit Without windows auto driver update.
And btw.. You can select almost any resolution in windows settings, from 720 to the absurdly high res (made for a perfect 2:1 integer scaling), so I don't know why you say that.
1280x720 is perfectly usable
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Meditations2024
37:10 Holy-smokes, you can really see the bloom on that IPS panel as it lamely attempts to do HDR.
Like, what could the cost difference between that dated technology and an OLED have been
People would have paid that difference, and they'd have sold a lot more units.
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37:10 Holy-smokes, you can really see the bloom on that IPS panel as it lamely attempts to do HDR.
Like, what could the cost difference between that dated technology and an OLED have been
People would have paid that difference, and they'd have sold a lot more units.
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MajesticBowler
I love my Asus ROG Ally - fastest handheld ever Game Pass support. More than 70 fps in Starfield on medium details at 1080p with FSR 3.0 Performance with frame generation. It is really nice that big companies like Asus, MSI and Lenovo created own Windows handhelds.
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I love my Asus ROG Ally - fastest handheld ever Game Pass support. More than 70 fps in Starfield on medium details at 1080p with FSR 3.0 Performance with frame generation. It is really nice that big companies like Asus, MSI and Lenovo created own Windows handhelds.
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spoots1234
The Legion GO seems like the best option for parents who want to wean their kids off roblox and into better games. It's a tablet, a pc, and a gaming system. The ROG Ally is basically a handheld only and it's smaller than a Fire tab 10 or an iPad.
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The Legion GO seems like the best option for parents who want to wean their kids off roblox and into better games. It's a tablet, a pc, and a gaming system. The ROG Ally is basically a handheld only and it's smaller than a Fire tab 10 or an iPad.
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meh78336
1280x800 is a great resolution as its the same as the Deck's, so games with deck optimised settings that are also dfesigned around that resolution, like in cyberpunk and and witcher 3, will work as intended or better on the LG.
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1280x800 is a great resolution as its the same as the Deck's, so games with deck optimised settings that are also dfesigned around that resolution, like in cyberpunk and and witcher 3, will work as intended or better on the LG.
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JayFlowie
It's pretty crazy to me how beastly the steam deck still is on lows comparatively. Have you tried chimeraos on the other handhelds by chance I'm really curious if that would increase their overall performance vs windows based.
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It's pretty crazy to me how beastly the steam deck still is on lows comparatively. Have you tried chimeraos on the other handhelds by chance I'm really curious if that would increase their overall performance vs windows based.
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olnnn
Do you re-test the other devices on these reviews, especially the steam deck has tended to get some improvenents to performance as ther graphics drivers, OS and compatability layers have improved. Most recently a few days ago
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Do you re-test the other devices on these reviews, especially the steam deck has tended to get some improvenents to performance as ther graphics drivers, OS and compatability layers have improved. Most recently a few days ago
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gamersnexus
IMO the ergonomics HAVE been perfected years ago already. The Steam Deck is just as comfortable as a modern game controller.
I really want them to make a new Steam Controller with all the inputs from the Deck.
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IMO the ergonomics HAVE been perfected years ago already. The Steam Deck is just as comfortable as a modern game controller.
I really want them to make a new Steam Controller with all the inputs from the Deck.
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