It has been two years since Lenovo launched the Legion Go gaming handheld. It was big and heavy, certain, however it additionally had poor battery life, actually loud followers and was saddled with Home windows 11. To be truthful, it was one of many first of the latest crop of Home windows gaming handhelds, and the competitors hasn’t precisely been exceedingly higher. We could also be turning a nook, although, with the Legion Go S earlier this yr, the upcoming Asus ROG Xbox Ally and now, the Legion Go 2. 

Anticipated to reach in October, with an eye-watering beginning value of $1,049, the Legion Go 2 is larger and higher than the unique — at the least primarily based on specs and the couple of minutes I spent taking part in with one. And after I say larger, I imply it is truly bigger in all instructions and suggestions the scales at 2 kilos. 

The design may not look too totally different from the unique, however Lenovo truly made various modifications. For instance, the bottoms of the removable controllers have been rounded, so that they’re extra comfy. They now have Hall Effect sticks to assist with drift. There are three user-programmable buttons, a bigger D-pad and a greater total button structure. And there is nonetheless an FPS mode that permits you to use the proper controller like a vertical mouse. 

The hand-held continues to be constructed round an 8.8-inch touchscreen, however this time it is a great-looking OLED panel with a 30-144Hz variable refresh charge. Disappointingly, the decision dropped from 2,560×1,600 pixels to 1,920×1,200. Maybe that is for the perfect, although: Even with its new AMD processor and graphics chip, you may not be capable to make the most of a 2.5K decision, however 1080p ought to be simply high-quality, particularly in case your tastes lean extra towards less-demanding indie and retro titles. 

Lenovo additionally bumped up the battery measurement to a 74-watt-hour capability — greater than 50% larger than the Legion Go’s battery. It additionally has speedy charging with Energy Supply 3.0 help via its high or backside USB-C ports. A 65-watt energy adapter is included. 

Each USB-C ports help DisplayPort 2.0, so you may simply hook up with an exterior show, with or with out Lenovo’s optionally available dock, or to a pleasant pair of display glasses. (Lenovo up to date its Legion Glasses, too, making them “slimmer, lighter and brighter.”) Lenovo even made it simpler to securely unlock the system by placing a fingerprint reader within the energy button on high. 

Will all of the updates repay? Perhaps. However at $1,049 — and that is simply the beginning value — the Legion Go 2 is in budget gaming laptop territory. Since it’s working Home windows 11, you may at all times use it like a desktop PC that additionally simply occurs to play video games fairly nicely on the go, too.