Evaluating the High Price of Lenovo Legion Go 2: Is Steam Deck 2 the Awaited Alternative in the Handheld Market?

Lenovo recently launched its eagerly awaited new handheld device, the Lenovo Legion Go 2, during IFA 2025 in Berlin. This launch follows a prototype showcase at CES 2025 earlier in the year, which generated significant anticipation among mobile gaming enthusiasts.

According to expectations based on the prototypes, the Legion Go 2 device relies on the powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, with another version available equipped with the AMD Ryzen Z2 processor. To enhance performance and gaming experience, Lenovo replaced the original 2560 x 1600 screen resolution with 1920 x 1200, similar to the Lenovo Legion Go S. The device also features a stunning OLED display and a large 74 Wh battery, providing an improved visual experience and long battery life.

Despite these attractive specifications, the Legion Go 2 device faces a significant challenge in its high price. The initial price for the Lenovo Legion Go 2 model with the AMD Ryzen Z2 processor starts at $1,099.99 USD, which is approximately £800 or A$1,680. This price is for the configuration with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Lenovo offers four different configurations, with the upgrade to 32GB of RAM in the Z2 model reaching $1,199.99 USD.

Prices increase significantly when choosing the Ryzen Z2 Extreme model, starting at $1,349.99 USD (approximately £1,000 or A$2,050) for the 1TB version, and reaching $1,479.99 USD for the 2TB version. Both models come with 32GB of RAM. Quite frankly, these prices seem greatly exaggerated.

I have no doubt that Lenovo needs to re-evaluate this pricing strategy immediately, otherwise the Legion Go 2 device may face extreme difficulty in succeeding in the competitive market of handheld gaming devices.

Although we were previously lenient with leading manufacturers in the handheld sector, such as MSI, which offered expensive devices like MSI Claw 8 AI+ and MSI Claw A8, Lenovo has exceeded acceptable limits in this regard. Some might argue that US customs duties contribute to the high prices, but this does not justify the exorbitant cost of a gaming handheld. Frankly, gamers are unlikely to accept this justification.

The device was expected to be expensive due to added features like the premium OLED screen and a 74 Wh battery (although I personally don't see the need for a larger battery). When prices were announced, I initially accepted the $1,049 price, believing it would be for the Z2 Extreme model, but it turned out this assumption was incorrect.

After my experience with the MSI Claw 8 AI+, which I consider among the best gaming handheld PCs I've used, I realized that the gaming handheld PC sector is gradually moving away from the approach established by Valve with the Steam Deck as an affordable option. Although the MSI Claw 8 AI+ offers impressive battery life and performance, its $899 price does not justify upgrading from devices like the Asus ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme).

I fully recognize that Valve's strategy of offering affordable prices is possible thanks to its significant profits from the Steam store. However, this does not justify major handheld manufacturers raising prices to such an exaggerated level, especially considering that the original Lenovo Legion Go (512GB version) started at just $699.

Aside from the addition of a 74 Wh battery and a superb OLED screen, I find no sufficient justification for a gaming handheld PC that offers a slight performance improvement over older versions to be sold at $1,349.99. For the same amount, users could start building a more powerful gaming desktop PC or buy a gaming laptop with higher specifications and better performance.

AMD Ryzen Processor Specifications and Performance

Regarding processor performance, the differences between the AMD Ryzen Z1 and Z2 series are significant. The basic model, the AMD Ryzen Z2 processor (also known as Z2 Go), is based on Zen 3+ architecture and RDNA 2 graphics, featuring 4 cores and 8 threads with a boost frequency of up to 4.3 GHz. In contrast, the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor, available in devices like the original Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally at more competitive prices, is more powerful, using Zen 4 architecture and RDNA 3 graphics, with 8 cores and 16 threads at a boost frequency of up to 5.1 GHz. Tests have shown that Z2 Go's performance is 9% to 10% lower compared to Z1 Extreme in gaming, making it a good economical option but not the best in terms of raw power (TechPowerUp, January 16, 2025).

As for the more powerful models, the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, which powers the Legion Go 2 device, features 3 Zen 5 cores and 5 Zen 5c cores (a total of 8 cores and 16 threads), with 16 compute units for the RDNA 3.5 GPU. This represents an improvement over the Z1 Extreme processor, which has 12 compute units for the RDNA 3 GPU (PC Gamer, August 1, 2025). However, tests indicate that the performance increase between Z2 Extreme and Z1 Extreme is not as significant as expected, ranging between 12% and 22% in games like Cyberpunk 2077, partly due to memory bandwidth potentially being a limiting factor for Z2 Extreme's full performance (Windows Central, July 29, 2025). It was also noted that initial driver support might affect performance, and there is room for future improvements.

Market Comparison and Value Assessment

In light of these prices, I began to view the MSI Claw 8 AI+ device with greater appreciation. This handheld, which sells for $899 (or $999 currently with customs duties) / £899 / A$1,799, relies on the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chip. This chip offers performance comparable to (and in some games, superior to) the Z2 Extreme processor. Therefore, a direct transition from the MSI Claw 8 AI+ to the Legion Go 2 (Z2 Extreme) means investing an additional $350 just for an OLED screen. Is this justified? Absolutely not, and it's not just my opinion.

Due to these exorbitant prices, gaming handheld PCs have reverted to being a niche market targeting a specific category of users. Companies like Ayaneo and GPD have long specialized in this sector for good reason. And now, Lenovo appears to be entering this field with high prices, and Asus is expected to follow suit with the ROG Xbox Ally X, which is rumored to be priced at around $1,000.

Undoubtedly, the Steam Deck OLED remains the best device in the handheld gaming devices category. Despite the excellent performance of the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and similar devices like the Lenovo Legion Go S (with the Z1 Extreme processor), Valve's handheld succeeds in delivering an excellent gaming experience, with a vast game library and an immersive OLED screen.

Certainly, the performance of the Steam Deck OLED may not reach the level of other handhelds equipped with more powerful processors, but it is still capable of running modern and demanding Triple-A games with optimized graphics settings. Personally, I tend to recommend the Asus ROG Ally (Z1 Extreme) as an alternative to the Steam Deck OLED, although this means sacrificing the superior OLED screen feature.

If I told you that upgrading from a Steam Deck OLED device, which starts at $649.99 USD, to a system offering superior performance would require you to spend an additional $700, it's natural to assume I'm referring to a full-fledged gaming desktop PC or a high-spec gaming laptop. I don't deny that the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is a powerful and outstanding device, but pricing becomes a crucial point affecting purchasing decisions, and this is the current situation.

Why is Valve Hesitant to Launch Steam Deck 2?

From this perspective, it has become completely clear to me why Valve is not rushing to launch a successor to the Steam Deck. The processors currently available in the gaming handhelds market have not seen sufficient development to justify these significant price jumps. When we reach a stage where graphics performance comparable to dedicated laptop GPUs is available in handheld devices, then there will be an acceptable justification for pricing strategies like those adopted for the Lenovo Legion Go 2. As for now, this justification is entirely absent.