Lenovo says it's not considering SteamOS for the Legion Go 2

Alongside the Legion Go S which is available in Windows and SteamOS variants, Lenovo also showcased a prototype of the Legion Go 2, an upcoming gaming handheld that should launch later as the successor to the Legion Go released in 2023.

The Legion Go 2 prototype, like the Legion Go (curr. available on Amazon for $649), runs Windows 11, but unlike the Legion Go S, there most likely won't be a SteamOS version. This info comes from Alex Zhu, Legion Go product manager, in an interview with The Verge. According to Zhu, Lenovo doesn't have any specific plans to launch the Legion Go 2 with SteamOS.

That sounds like a bummer, considering a SteamOS-powered Legion Go 2 will be the perfect rival to the Steam Deck OLED. Among the features of the Legion Go 2 is a 144Hz OLED display, an upgrade over the LCD panel of the original Legion Go. It will also have up to 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and support for 65W fast charging.

Lenovo's decision to still make Windows handheld, despite acknowledging that SteamOS provides a better gaming experience out of the box, boils down to Lenovo's belief that there are customers that still want Windows for its ecosystem of gaming and productivity.

The Legion Go 2 doesn't have a release date yet, but when it does launch, owners should be able to install SteamOS on it since Valve plans to release a beta of SteamOS in March that may work on other gaming handhelds.