SteamOS finally makes the leap from the Steam Deck to a new gaming handheld from Lenovo
It’s not like we didn’t know it was coming and it was just a a case of when, but that when is now, and as of a joint announcement from Valve and Lenovo we know that the first hardware to officially run Steam OS outside of the Steam Deck itself will be the sexily titled Lenovo Legion Go S (8”, 1) Powered by SteamOS
Now for us, you can never have too many brackets in your product name – they just ooze excitement, but the real story here is that Valve finally is ready to uinleash its gaming Operating System onto hardware from others that would traditionally pack a much bloatier Windows 11 install.
There will still be versions of the (Legion) (GO) from (Lenovo) that will come pre-packed with Windows as well but this is a huge warning shot across Microsoft’s bows that its days of only having to worry about a version of Linux that only nerds loved is well and truly over.
Lenovo says of its new Steam machine, “This new handheld combines the powerhouse features of the Lenovo Legion Go S (8”, 1) with the flexibility and console-like experience of SteamOS, Valve’s operating system that is optimized for gaming. Featuring cloud saves that mean a seamless transition between PC gaming and handheld, Remote Play that streams games to the device from a PC, full Steam Store, and Steam Library access, the Lenovo Legion Go S (8”, 1) Powered by SteamOS is a big step forward in freedom of choice for gamers who are looking for an OS that is optimized for handheld gaming.”
The interesting scenario is that Lenovo’s Windows and SteamOS machines will compete against each other, so the company still clearly thinks there is a market for a full Windows experience on a handheld device, at this stage at least.
Valve meanwhile stated in a blog post, “With Lenovo’s announcement at CES 2025 of the Lenovo Legion Go S, we are pleased to share that their “Powered by SteamOS” model is the first handheld officially licensed to ship with Valve’s SteamOS. We built this operating system to provide a seamless user experience optimized for gaming while retaining access to the power and flexibility of a PC. SteamOS is the same operating system we run on Steam Deck, and the team is making updates to ensure it fully supports the Lenovo Legion Go S and provides the same seamless experience customers expect.”
The Windows version of the machine will ship this month with the SteamOS version not expecting until May, which could cause extra consumer confusion as both are named identically apart from the “Powered by SteamOS” bit.
The Valvified version will start at $499 while the Windows version will set you back $729, although less tricked-out Windows models will follow later.
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