Legion Go S: Lenovo's new gaming handheld shown to perform better running Bazzite than Windows

Lenovo will not be releasing the Steam OS version of the Legion Go S for a while yet. Although the company has not shared specifics just yet, it outlined during last month's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that the Linux-based edition of its new gaming handheld would not be ready to purchase until sometime during May.

By contrast, the Windows version has been available to pre-order globally for almost a month now with the same underlying hardware as its SteamOS counterpart. Bazzite, a popular SteamOS alternative, offers support for Lenovo's latest gaming handheld, which YouTuber ETA Prime has put through its paces in a recent video.

Based on Bazzite's install page, it seems that the Legion Go S runs the same version of Bazzite as the existing Legion Go (curr. $549.99 on Amazon). As a result, full TDP control is already offered, as are RGB controls. ETA Prime has observed noticeable performance gains when running Bazzite on the Legion Go S too, compared to the stock Windows 11 installation.

On top of that, the Legion Go S is said to provide a smoother gaming experience than the Steam Deck OLED, which will be in part down to its newer AMD Ryzen Z2 APU and optional 32 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, the $729.99 price of the Legion Go S (Windows) in the US makes it an expensive option for a Bazzite handheld, particularly given that its SteamOS counterpart will be arriving in a few months for $499.99 with almost identical hardware.