SteamOS is slowly becoming an alternative to Windows for handheld gaming devices. After launching the Steam Deck with SteamOS, its own operating system, Valve is now partnering with third-party manufacturers so that they can release gaming handhelds with SteamOS support.

Lenovo's ordering page for the Windows 11 Legion Go S is currently hanging out with a "coming soon" banner, but having the page itself is a step in the right direction. More good news is that many models of the new Lenovo Legion Go S will be more affordable compared to the $749.99 price of the current Lenovo Legion Go.

Lenovo is trying an experiment. In May, it will officially become the very first company outside of Valve to ship a handheld gaming PC with the Steam Deck’s wonderfully pick-up-and-play SteamOS instead of Microsoft Windows. And at $499, it’ll be a true Steam Deck rival, joining it as one of the lower-priced PC handhelds you can buy.

The Windows version of the Legion Go S is up for preorder ahead of its imminent release, while the SteamOS version is expected to arrive in May.

The Lenovo Legion Go S with Windows or SteamOS also joins a prototype for the Lenovo Go 2, now with controllers you can comfortably hold.

It's official: Valve's SteamOS will be available on more platforms soon, and the first handheld PC gaming device to adopt the operating system will be the new Lenovo Legion Go S. At CES 2025, it was revealed that the slim Lenovo unit will run on the Linux-based OS--, the same one used on Valve's Steam Deck.

SteamOS is poised to make a significant move, expanding beyond the Steam Deck to third-party hardware, particularly gaming handhelds. This strategic partnership with Lenovo, a major player in the gaming industry,

The SteamOS Legion Go S model is the most interesting of the two since it's the first non-Steam Deck handheld that utilizes Valve’s operating system. If you’ve read any of our handheld reviews, then you know Windows 11 has been a major sore spot for these systems since Microsoft’s OS doesn’t work well on these systems.

Three new Lenovo Legion Go handhelds are inbound, including SteamOS model and a new OLED version armed with a Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU.

The Legion Go 2 feels like more than an iterative upgrade, with significant improvements to performance, battery capacity, and quality of life features.