It feels like the Lenovo Legion GO only just landed on the battlefield, but the company has signalled that it’s already working on a successor. However, it also sounds like it might not release until rivals like the Steam Deck 2 and next Asus ROG Ally charge onto the handheld scene, which could be a wise move when it comes to flaunting next generation features.
If you’ve already checked out my Lenovo Legion GO review, you’ll know that, while it's not my cup of tea, it takes to the best gaming handheld stage with an extra large 8.8-inch screen and detachable Joycon-inspired controllers. Both of those attributes help to stand out from what is becoming a pretty busy market, but rather than focusing on a revamp that’ll combat the Steam Deck OLED, Lenovo is waiting for the next generation to unleash a new wave of features.
During a roundtable interview at Lenovo Innovate 24, Gaming Category Manager Clifford Chong answered some questions relating to the Legion GO 2. Specifically, in a Youtube clip shared by journalist Chris Stead, the tech boss states that the company is “still spending a lot of resources” on the current model, but is looking to develop next gen features “when the time comes.”
Understandably, Chong’s Legion GO 2 comments are fairly vague, but they do at least confirm that Lenovo is planning another handheld. With the market moving faster than Sonic down the Autobahn, it also makes sense that the laptop maker is waiting for the right moment to unleash a completely new product, as it’ll allow time to come up with features that can combat rivals like the next Asus ROG Ally.
There are a few potential Lenovo Legion GO 2 specs that make for easy guesswork, like the fact it’ll likely come armed with a next gen AMD Zen 5 APU. It’s much harder to predict attributes like screen size, but Chong does say that the original’s chonky stature has been “received well,” meaning the successor could stick with that vibe.
Ultimately, it feels like the Lenovo Legion GO 2 will take a reactive approach to innovation, rather than trying to spark any trends like the Steam Deck. If the company plays its card right, that could enable it to cook up something that has an edge over other handhelds with a little extra time to throw in some new features.
If anything, the fact we're already talking about a Lenovo Legion GO testifies to the fact handheld gaming PCs aren't just a fad. I'd argue that key perks like the portable's TrueStrike mouse mode controllers are a bit of a flop, but this doesn't seem to have remotely put the company off participating in the handheld space. While I'm not entirely on board with gimmicks for the sake of it, I do think the companies approach could pay off when it comes to offering players something different and keeping things competitive on a market that mostly follows the same specs standards.
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