Lenovo surprised few and pleased many at CES 2026 by announcing a SteamOS-flavored edition of its flagship handheld, the Legion Go 2. The hardware you already know — the big 8.8‑inch OLED, detachable controllers, kickstand and AMD silicon — remains unchanged. What’s different is the software out of the box: SteamOS instead of Windows 11, with Lenovo saying the device will ship in June and start at $1,199.
That price caught attention. It’s roughly $100 more than the entry-level Windows model that launched last year, even though SteamOS doesn’t carry the Windows licensing fees. Lenovo hasn’t detailed exact SKUs or pricing for the top-tier Z2 Extreme / 32 GB / 2 TB builds yet, so we’ll want to see final configurations before passing judgment on value.
Why SteamOS matters here
SteamOS is more than a branding swap for handhelds. On devices like the Legion Go S, the OS has regularly squeezed better battery life and more consistent controller-focused navigation out of the same hardware compared with Windows. Lenovo says it optimized SteamOS for the Legion Go 2 hardware, and plenty of owners who prefer a console‑like, gamepad-first interface will appreciate avoiding the Windows desktop entirely. If you’ve been experimenting with community distros like Bazzite, you already know a taste of that experience is possible today — the official variant just makes it plug-and-play.
There are trade-offs. SteamOS remains Linux-based, and a handful of modern multiplayer titles with aggressive anti‑cheat systems (think certain Call of Duty builds, Destiny 2, Fortnite and others) still don’t run on Linux. So the hands‑on experience will depend on your library. Still, for many Steam-first players the polished suspend/resume, integrated Steam features and controller-first menus make a meaningful difference.
The hardware — familiar, but still noteworthy
Lenovo left the Legion Go 2’s best bits untouched:
- 8.8‑inch OLED, 1920 x 1200, 144 Hz with variable refresh
- Up to AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme (Z2 on base models), RDNA 3.5 integrated graphics
- Up to 32 GB LPDDR5x and 2 TB PCIe storage, plus a microSD slot
- Dual USB‑C (USB4), 74 Wh battery, 2 x 2 W speakers, Hall‑effect joysticks
- Detachable Switch‑style controllers (one includes an FPS‑style mouse puck)
That big, high‑refresh OLED is a standout — it’s larger than the Steam Deck OLED and benefits VRR for smoother frame pacing in supported games. It also remains a relatively heavy handheld at about 2.2 pounds, so portability trade-offs are still in play for long commutes or one‑handed sessions.
Timing and context
Lenovo first shipped the Windows Legion Go 2 in the fall of 2025; the SteamOS edition won’t arrive until June 2026. That gap means the hardware will already be several months old on launch day, and Intel’s newer Panther Lake chips are already starting to show up in other handhelds. Still, switching to SteamOS can itself unlock extra practical performance and battery improvements without a chipset change.
The move also reflects a broader handheld ecosystem shift: manufacturers are increasingly weighing whether Windows or Valve’s Linux‑based approach better serves a handheld audience. Valve has continued to tune SteamOS for portable life (recent Steam Deck software improvements even added low‑power conveniences for background tasks), and third‑party devices are following suit. For a sense of how Valve’s updates change the handheld equation, see recent improvements to the Steam Deck’s download and power handling here. Meanwhile, the market for handheld streaming and console‑style devices keeps growing — Sony’s PlayStation Portal and similar experiments show the appetite for portable play beyond raw native performance here.
Who this is for
If you already own a Legion Go 2 and don’t mind tinkering, you can install SteamOS variants yourself today. But if you want the out‑of‑box Steam experience — quicker boot to your Steam library, controller‑first menus, and Lenovo’s official optimizations — the SteamOS version removes that extra setup step.
For buyers deciding between a Steam Deck, a lighter handheld, or this big‑screen Lenovo, the Legion Go 2 with SteamOS will appeal to anyone who prioritizes screen real estate and versatility over featherweight portability. Just remember the price: $1,199 is premium territory, and you should weigh whether the extra display size, detachable controllers and the convenience of SteamOS justify that premium for your usage.
Lenovo says the Legion Go 2 Powered by SteamOS will be available in June 2026. Keep an eye on configuration details closer to launch — the company hasn’t fully mapped out the pricing ladder for the highest‑end Z2 Extreme models yet — and expect more comparisons as reviewers get hands on with Valve’s OS running on AMD’s Z2 Extreme silicon in this large‑format handheld.