Costing just (coughing, spluttering) $1199

Image credit: Lenovo

That poll I posted the other day suggests that over half of you RPS reader types play games on Linux, either in part or exclusively. And if a poll says it, I’m in no position to argue, so boy do I have just the CES 2026 story for you: Lenovo are making a SteamOS version of their premium Legion Go 2 portable, joining the lower-end Legion Go S in spreading the Linux-based SteamOS beyond the confines of Valve’s own Steam Decks.

Vanquishing the evils of Windows on handheld PCs – with its nefarious bloatware and user interface designed by Beelzebub himself – is more vital than ever, given the cheapest LCD Decks’ recent discontinuation. The SteamOS Legion Go 2, mind, isn’t exactly a like for like alternative. It shares specs with 2025’s Windows version, meaning a honking 8.8in, 1200p, 144Hz OLED display, up to 2TB of SSD storage, up to 32GB of RAM, and up to the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU. Like the original Legion Go, it also gets all Switch-like with removable controllers, one of which transforms into a dinky upright mouse.

It’s also going to be rather un-Steam Deckish on price. I’m still waiting on its UK ticket but the SteamOS Legion Go 2 will apparently start at $1199/€1049, keeping it even costlier than the famously expensive Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. Also, roughly double that of the Legion Go S, Lenovo’s first crack at an official SteamOS handheld.

Image credit: Lenovo

All the same, I’m pretty keen to try out the big’un. Mainly because it appears to fix a lot of what held the first Legion Go back: the display rez is a far more sensible 1920x1200, reducing power draw versus the original’s pointlessly high 2560x1440 pixel plate, and the battery itself has ballooned from a 49Whr to 74Whr capacity. After the Steam Deck OLED, it’s also hard not to feel like OLED is just the outright superior panel tech for handhelds; it’s brighter, more colourful, more efficient, and physically thinner than IPS/LCD. All that, plus a better operating system, sounds like something that’s at least worth investigating.

Not that you can’t wrangle SteamOS onto an existing, Windows-fuelled Legion Go 2. This cheerful man surrounded by toys manages it in a trifle. There’s still plenty of technofaff involved, though, so waiting a few months for a fully preinstalled and certified SteamOS model will remain the simpler, potentially safer play.