While the official Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS launch is still a couple of months away, one modder has taken things into their own hands, bringing the latest version of the Steam Deck operating system to the Windows version of the handheld gaming PC. If you’re not a big handheld gamer, this news might not sound like a massive deal, but it’s a significant development in the battle between Windows and Valve for software dominance, with the latter seemingly proving more popular with handheld gamers.
We’ve got YouTuber ETA Prime to thank for the video of the Lenovo Legion Go S, one of this year’s best handheld consoles in terms of performance, utilizing the latest version of SteamOS. Admittedly, he had to do a fair bit of tinkering to pull it off, using the Steam Deck Recovery Image to get things started before employing a mouse and keyboard to set up the control scheme. The results in the video speak for themselves, though, with ETA Prime claiming that there’s a noticeable boost to the console’s performance after installing Valve’s OS.
In the clip, ETA Prime explains how he installed SteamOS on the Lenovo Legion Go S, with some eager Redditors using a similar process and loading up some of the picks from our guide to the best Steam Deck games on the Lenovo handheld. Still, if you don’t think you’re up to modding your console, Lenovo Legion Go S with SteamOS pre-orders are now available from Best Buy. There are two different versions on offer, including the super-powered AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme model, which should wipe the floor with the Steam Deck when it comes to pure gaming performance.
It’s worth pointing out that the Lenovo Legion Go S isn’t the only Windows handheld we’ve seen modders load SteamOS onto in the last week. A couple of days ago, we reported on the news that one YouTuber had managed to get a version of Valve’s operating system working on the Asus ROG Ally. However, that project created a few drawbacks, such as limiting thermal draw power to 15W and stifling performance, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for this Lenovo Legion Go S mod.
While these recent developments don’t make for great news for Microsoft, it seems the PC giant has its own plans for 2025. Earlier this month, we learned that we should be getting an Xbox-branded handheld later this year, though Microsoft is entrusting its design to another manufacturer, and it could utilize a new Xbox-style operating system instead of the much-maligned Windows 11 software. Still, we don’t have many details yet, and we’re waiting for an official reveal from Microsoft.
If you’re looking for more great hardware while you’re here, be sure to check out our picks for the best gaming phones and the best gaming tablets. Or, if you want something a little different to run all your favorite retro games, see our guide to the best retro handhelds.