Lenovo kicked off IFA 2023, which starts today in Berlin, by introducing the Legion Go portable console and the Legion glasses, which will be the perfect complement to it, even though it can work independently with other consoles or smartphones.

We’ve been waiting for it and it’s official. As we expected, Legion Go will be another drag for the pocket slot market, which is experiencing a new youth. If the versatility of smartphones put down large portable consoles like the Nintendo DS and brought down Sony’s PlayStation Vita, today there are a dozen machines that are highly attractive to any gamer.

Sure, it all started with the Nintendo Switch’s mobile gaming capabilities, but it was Valve’s Steam Deck that led the way for this new generation. Then came the ROG Ally from ASUS as the most prominent and, in between, an offer for all tastes from Chinese specialists such as ONE or AYANEO, who have been in this segment for a long time, but appeared now that the technological giants gave the format in the eyes of consumers.

Legion Go

We can tell you a little bit of news that we haven’t told you yet because there have been a lot of leaks over the past month. To get into the situation quickly, say it Legion Go is a combination of the best in the business: Steam Deck concept, but with Windows; Ally’s advanced hardware and switch-like design. We will review its main features.

Screen

It is much larger than its competitors and has a screen 8.8 inches. Also better in native resolution up to QHD+ (2560 x 1600 pixels) with a 16:10 aspect ratio, as well as variable refresh rates from 60Hz to 144Hz and maximum brightness of up to 500 nits. It supports 97% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

SoC

Lenovo opted for AMD to power its machine and specifically the same chipset as the ROG Ally, i.e. powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme with RNDA graphics, complemented by up to 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM at 7,500 Mhz and storage based on PCIe 4.0 SSD in the amount of 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB. The machine has a fan for cooling and according to Lenovo, it can keep below 25dB of noise in “Quiet Mode”.

drivers

Similar to joy-cons The Nintendo Switch features side buttons and triggers, triggers on the back, and a wheel on the side of the right controller, which also includes a small touchpad. The controllers feature Hall-effect joysticks, which are said to be less prone to drift due to wear and tear than traditional designs. They are removable from the screen, and the customizable RGB rings around them ensure an aesthetic point of view. The console offers 6-axis gyro support, so it should support tilt control in compatible (or emulated) PC games.

connectivity

Completely complete for its size, it supports the latest wireless standards Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 and has two USB Type-C ports They support USB4, DisplayPort 1.4 and Power Delivery 3.0. It includes a 3.5 mm jack as a combined connector for audio, stereo speakers and a slot for a microSD card with a capacity of up to 2 TB.

Battery and autonomy

Lenovo used the larger dimensions of its machine to increase the battery capacity of its rivals (20%) up to 49.2 Wh and highlighted the “Super Rapid” charging feature, which promises a 30% charge in just 10 minutes, 70% in 30 minutes and 100% in 80 minutes. The device also has a “a bypass mode that protects the battery from further degradation while removing the heat normally generated during charging”. There is no autonomy data and it is an important issue in all portable devices.

“FPS mode”

To increase the versatility of use beyond mobile gaming, Lenovo has announced a special switchable mode that allows the controllers to be detached and used on a magnetic dock for desktop gaming. The manufacturer says that “the optical eye at the bottom of the controller allows for more precise control as required by competitive first-person shooters”, comparable to using a mouse. Well, we’ll have to try.

Price

Legion Go price starts from 699 dollars, much higher than what the Steam Deck costs. But we have to mention again its high-end hardware and the possibilities of its platform with Windows 11 preinstalled and with it access to thousands of games and subscription and/or streaming services such as Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which comes with the console as a gift. within three months.

Legion Glasses

Also expected and also filtered Lenovo introduced some smart glasses. Although it will arrive in the same console announcement, it is not an exclusive device for it, and in fact the idea of ​​using it with a portable console is a little strange. Not to mention, the Legion Go has detachable controllers so you can connect it to your TV without having to set up gamepad from third parties or other accessories.

But there you have it. It’s not the first time a Chinese firm has developed an augmented reality device, and the ThinkReality A3 is a case in point. However, they are intended for corporate workspaces, while these glasses qualify “advanced portable virtual monitor” for fun. And the point is that it can be used with the console, but also with Android smartphones, iPhone and iPad with an adapter or for watching movies or simulating a computer monitor.

It is not a standalone device and must be connected to a video source via Alt Display Port USB-C mode. The centerpiece is the micro-LED display units, each offering the equivalent of Full HD resolution per eye. The refresh rate is limited to 60 Hz. don’t look for AR/VR experiences because it has none of these and aims to offer an “in-your-face monitor”. Aimed at mass consumption and beyond the Legion Go concept, they would be available for 329 dollars. Like the console, it will be available on Lenovo’s web portal and international retail channel.