The first third-party gaming handheld to get SteamOS is now up for pre-order, with prices starting at $550. The Legion Go S was a big hit at CES thanks to its new OS option, giving users the freedom to choose between Windows and SteamOS (the Linux-based operating system that powers the Steam Deck.)
The battle between the Steam Deck and every other gaming handheld has been an interesting one — while the Steam Deck hardware isn’t powerful enough for some people, its OS is widely accepted to be the best around at the moment. Windows on gaming handhelds, on the other hand, is widely accepted to be wildly suboptimal. And while the company has expressed plans to start improving performance and usability, it looks like that’s still a while away.
So, why might a Windows user make the jump to the SteamOS version? Well, to start with, it’s more affordable. The Windows version of the Legion Go S (which is already available) costs $730 at Best Buy and has 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, while the new SteamOS version comes with 16GB RAM and 512GB configuration, bringing the price down to $550.
Why are the specs so different? Well, part of it is down to the operating system — SteamOS was developed specifically for playing games on gaming handhelds and it can do its job very efficiently. This means we should be able to get good results while using less RAM, hence the 16GB spec. As for the storage, it probably just made sense to go all in on a “budget model,” so the amount of storage was adjusted as well to bring the price down even further.
You can get a pumped-up SteamOS model with higher specs by choosing the Z1 Extreme configuration. Both the Windows and the SteamOS versions of this model are up for pre-order now with matching 32GB RAM and 1TB storage specs — and interestingly, even when the specs are the same, the price of the Steam OS version is still lower.
This model has a more powerful chipset (the same one found in the Legion Go and the ROG Ally X) that should boost performance. I’m a Steam Deck owner myself, and I urge any Windows handheld users to try out the magic that is SteamOS.
If you’ve only ever experienced handheld gaming on Windows, you might assume that the differences between the two systems are negligible — that the discourse is just enthusiasts squabbling about tiny performance and efficiency gains — but that’s not the case. The differences are noticeable, to say the least, and the user experience with SteamOS is significantly more pleasant.