Steam Deck Vs Legion Go

[Mr Jt (Gog is king)]

What is the ^^better^^ device in your opinion?
since i own both i can clearly say:
Steam Deck pros: Great battery life, its a bit lighter and steam os, decky loader.
Legion go pros: The screen is fantastic.2k 144 hz, The performance on every game is pretty impressive thats the biggest downside for the deck i think. Also steam os will soon be supported as well if you want to. Windows works pretty flawless i must say especially with their own integrated app

[Mahjik]

Im not sure what's expected by a post like this on the Steam forums. It bound to not provide useful discussion.

[invision2212]

I’ve used both extensively for hundreds of hours………

The deck - it has much nicer ergonomics, the back buttons feel better. The dual track pads are great, and the plastic on them are superior to any touch pad. The screen is fine for what it is (LCD) and the analogs are in the right place (both up top)

The performance is fine for less intensive games. Even then it can struggle and not achieve 60fps. I’ve played and completed at least 100 games on the deck and performance can be all over the place.
It excels at emulation, and can play PS2 and gamecube games to at least 1440p

The CPU is weak. Like really weak, and will be pinned with any game that relies on a lot of cpu power (CIV games for example)

The GPU is okay. It can’t handle new games without being pegged to nearly 100% and coupled with a weak cpu it makes you an unpleasant experience.

The shoulder buttons are okay, the triggers are very small and don’t have a lot of travel.

Legion go - the ergonomic can be quite discomforting to some people. This is due to flat edges around the controller that offers no contours and can dig into the hands if held at certain angles. ( like laying down)

The track pad sucks. Its fine for navigation windows, but playing mouse only games can become annoying.

The analog sticks are awesome. They are slightly shorter with a tad less range but has software to configure them to be perfect. These are way better than the steam deck sticks, and are Hall effect. I’ve used these for hundreds of hours and they return to zero every time.

Buttons are good, shoulder buttons are meh, they are very clicky and the right side button is larger and doubles for fps games when detached. This is annoying because you can and will accidentally press this button and whatever games your playing could mess you up. The triggers are really good, much larger, and more travel. The dpad I am not a fan of. It’s too big, and makes it weird to use.

The screen is really good. It’s a high quality IPS screen that offers up to 1600p 144hz. You obviously are not playing new games at this resolution but there are hundreds of games that can. If you include 2D games than you are into the thousands.

Performance - this is here this handheld leaves the steam deck in the dust. At the same wattage the legion go will win every time. I’ve shown this on video many times I this forum. At 20 watts it’s a significant gain over the steam deck and at its full 30 watts I have doubled the frame rate that the deck can do.

People will say “ oh but you need to play at 30 watts to beat the deck” But you don’t, and unlike the steam deck, legion go users have the option to go to 30 watts and the deck doesn’t.

Here’s a good example………

https://youtu.be/GaWqDHlZCkc?si=-NQvpkAQJ4dM3o1h


https://youtu.be/HYlxkJk2_Ps?si=hXHQDLeSjYsgMYZX

[Mr Jt (Gog is king)]

@ Invasion thanks this was a very good review. There are pros ad cons for both systems. The big screen is beautiful and its not that much heavier than the deck. Surely because of that screen its not that ergonomic like the deck. The legion go is an alrounder meanwhile the deck is good for old games and casual play. The legion feels more like a pc in your hands. Steam os is great and it only gets better from here.

[Jakob Fel]

I only just got myself a Deck and don't have a Legion Go, but I'll give you my reasons for why I chose a Deck over a competitor (outside of the common arguments usually made by content creators).

First off, by buying it, you're supporting an American business, which might not be important to you but it is to me. Plus, Valve is one of the most consumer-friendly companies in the games industry, which meant I knew I wanted to go that route.

Second, the Deck is extremely friendly to your right to own and repair, which isn't always the case with the competitors (especially ASUS, which has been known to be hostile toward such). If my Deck breaks, I can fix it myself, I don't have to buy a whole new device or send it to some specialized repair shop.

Third, everyone I've talked to says that while the Legion Go's detachable "mouse" is really helpful, the device itself doesn't feel good in your hands but the Deck is said to be extremely ergonomic and, having used it now, I can agree: it feels great in the hands. I've held it up, without support, extensively and never felt muscle fatigue. The design is also intuitive, feeling "natural", and it gives you a lot of choice on how you control your games.

Fourth, Valve has remarked that they aren't making a sequel until a significant advancement in hardware comes around. They also seem to imply that software support will continue for previous models, far into the future. They haven't designed these with planned obsolescence. This means that your Steam Deck isn't going to be obsolete a few years after you get it, you'll still be 100% able to use it. In a world where new, incrementally upgraded devices seem to come out every 2-4 years, that's insanely refreshing.

Fifth, the software on the Deck is Linux-based. Not only does this mean that the Deck handles things better (as Linux usually does) but it also means that Linux, as a whole, has benefited MASSIVELY from Valve's work with it. I mean, without Valve and Steam Decks, Linux gaming wouldn't be even remotely close to as amazing as it is now. These days, unless you play games with kernel-level anticheat (something I am fundamentally opposed to) or use proprietary slopware by hostile corporations like Adobe, you can almost certainly switch 100% to Linux without issues, and a huge part of that is thanks to Valve's work with Proton, which they got working to support their hardware. What's more is that Valve has total control over how their software works, whereas they'd have to work with Microsoft (aka one of the worst corporations in the world today) to get the slopware that is Windows 11 onto their devices, costing them money and putting them more at the mercy of a company that once planned a hostile buyout over Valve.

Sixth, because of this basis on their own Linux distro, Steam Decks are absurdly customizable, inside and out. You can get third-party shells, skins, even buttons if you want. The desktop mode gives you full desktop control and it's quite extensive, due to the usage of the KDE Plasma desktop environment. Not only this, though: you can install tools like Decky on your system and fully customize themes on game mode, add power user tools, throw in plugins such as a SteamGridDB plugin to customize your library art, and ProtonDB plugins to give you more detailed information on how "Playable" games can be tweaked for better performance.

That leads me to my seventh point, which basically summarizes them all: a Steam Deck exemplifies PC gaming. It's designed to give the users total freedom, control and ownership over the device they purchased. When you buy your Steam Deck and set it up, you're free to do whatever you want with it. You don't have to jailbreak it to customize it beyond basic wallpapers. You don't have to play only Steam games, as its support for Linux means you can easily install third-party titles and then have them integrate into the game mode menus. It's all about freedom, and that's why PC gaming is so great. Nobody tells you what you can and can't do with your device, you don't need permission. While competitors like the Legion Go and ROG Ally are technically portable PCs, they just don't have all of these benefits and traits that represent what PC gaming is all about. I'd much rather buy a device from a company that isn't just in this market to make a quick buck; they're in this market because this is where they can make their impact. Sure, maybe it's not altruism, but it certainly isn't a bunch of suits seeing a market to milk dry, as the others mostly are.

At the end of the day, from what I've heard, all three are fantastic. However, I chose a Steam Deck for those reasons, as well as a lot of the reasons listed in the video I linked, and I'm beyond satisfied with my purchase. It's ultimately your decision but I would certainly recommend going for a Deck over anything else.

[Bradly]

If you have a lcd Deck an oled is pointless. Upgrading to a lenovo Go or Asus Rog is the only rational thing you can do.

[S.O.B]

Originally posted by Bradly:

If you have a lcd Deck an oled is pointless. Upgrading to a lenovo Go or Asus Rog is the only rational thing you can do.

Selling a lcd deck to upgrade to an oled isn’t pointless at all in my opinion, in the end all comes down to individual preferences, priorities and usecases.

[invision2212]

Originally posted by Bradly:

If you have a lcd Deck an oled is pointless. Upgrading to a lenovo Go or Asus Rog is the only rational thing you can do.

I do have to 100% agree with this. Most people don’t realize that Oled panels are dirt cheap on handhelds. There are 200.00 android devices that use oled panels that are just as good as the decks.

Otherwise, both decks can play the same exact games, at the same exact settings. There no ration reason to spend another 600.00 because of an oled panel and some slightly modified parts and motherboard.

But in the end, it’s your money, and if that what’s makes you happy than go for it.

I make poor money choices too as I have a steam deck, lenovo legion go, retroid pocket Mini, retroid pocket 5, and soon to be an AYN Odin 2 portal. Not to mention the dozens of other android and Linux handhelds I’ve bought and sold over the years.

But the best part of buying android handhelds are, you can, and will make 100% of your money back, unlike selling pc handhelds. I’ve never lost money selling these, and almost always sell them for more than what I paid due to custom software and included goodies when I am done with them

[Jcee]

The deck itself should have been 1080p @60 It would work fine for 90% of the games already on steam, new AAA games are in-fact the minority, and you can always down-scale to bump the framerates.

[Mr Jt (Gog is king)]

Originally posted by Bradly:

If you have a lcd Deck an oled is pointless. Upgrading to a lenovo Go or Asus Rog is the only rational thing you can do.

Yeah. definetly thats why i bought a Legion. It can handle way more Games in General. I tried Silent hill 2 on deck and it was aful

[invision2212]

Originally posted by Jcee:

The deck itself should have been 1080p @60 It would work fine for 90% of the games already on steam, new AAA games are in-fact the minority, and you can always down-scale to bump the framerates.

This isn’t true tho. Sure you can downscale, but the steam deck has trouble playing games at 800p as it stands, and doubling the amount of pixels only makes it worse.

Steam deck was old tech when it was released and still charging upwards of 600.00 is thievery.

[Jakob Fel]

Originally posted by Jcee:

The deck itself should have been 1080p @60 It would work fine for 90% of the games already on steam, new AAA games are in-fact the minority, and you can always down-scale to bump the framerates.

I don't see a reason for this. The screen, particularly on the OLED model, is gorgeous. I have to get really close to notice the pixels, I don't see a need for a 1080p screen on it. Plus, the OLED screen is a 90hz screen, meaning that even at lower framerates, the games generally look like they're playing smoother than they would on a 60hz screen.

Originally posted by invision2212:

Originally posted by Jcee:

The deck itself should have been 1080p @60 It would work fine for 90% of the games already on steam, new AAA games are in-fact the minority, and you can always down-scale to bump the framerates.

This isn’t true tho. Sure you can downscale, but the steam deck has trouble playing games at 800p as it stands, and doubling the amount of pixels only makes it worse.

Steam deck was old tech when it was released and still charging upwards of 600.00 is thievery.

What's thievery is that the competitors tend to start at $600. You can get the lowest model (which was the medium tier in the LCD line) for $400 and upgrade things as you go. I'm tight on cash at the moment myself, but I was more than happy to spend that $650 on my Deck. I've gotten nothing but awesome value and more game time thanks to it, and that's just over the past week of having it.

[[?]legit]

Originally posted by Jakob Fel:

Originally posted by Jcee:

The deck itself should have been 1080p @60 It would work fine for 90% of the games already on steam, new AAA games are in-fact the minority, and you can always down-scale to bump the framerates.

I don't see a reason for this. The screen, particularly on the OLED model, is gorgeous. I have to get really close to notice the pixels, I don't see a need for a 1080p screen on it. Plus, the OLED screen is a 90hz screen, meaning that even at lower framerates, the games generally look like they're playing smoother than they would on a 60hz screen.

Originally posted by invision2212:

This isn’t true tho. Sure you can downscale, but the steam deck has trouble playing games at 800p as it stands, and doubling the amount of pixels only makes it worse.

Steam deck was old tech when it was released and still charging upwards of 600.00 is thievery.

What's thievery is that the competitors tend to start at $600. You can get the lowest model (which was the medium tier in the LCD line) for $400 and upgrade things as you go. I'm tight on cash at the moment myself, but I was more than happy to spend that $650 on my Deck. I've gotten nothing but awesome value and more game time thanks to it, and that's just over the past week of having it.

Yeah 60hz screen for $400, no thank you.

[[?]legit]

Originally posted by Jakob Fel:

Fifth, the software on the Deck is Linux-based. Not only does this mean that the Deck handles things better (as Linux usually does) but it also means that Linux, as a whole, has benefited MASSIVELY from Valve's work with it. I mean, without Valve and Steam Decks, Linux gaming wouldn't be even remotely close to as amazing as it is now. These days, unless you play games with kernel-level anticheat (something I am fundamentally opposed to) or use proprietary slopware by hostile corporations like Adobe, you can almost certainly switch 100% to Linux without issues, and a huge part of that is thanks to Valve's work with Proton, which they got working to support their hardware. What's more is that Valve has total control over how their software works, whereas they'd have to work with Microsoft (aka one of the worst corporations in the world today) to get the slopware that is Windows 11 onto their devices, costing them money and putting them more at the mercy of a company that once planned a hostile buyout over Valve.

Sixth, because of this basis on their own Linux distro, Steam Decks are absurdly customizable, inside and out. You can get third-party shells, skins, even buttons if you want. The desktop mode gives you full desktop control and it's quite extensive, due to the usage of the KDE Plasma desktop environment. Not only this, though: you can install tools like Decky on your system and fully customize themes on game mode, add power user tools, throw in plugins such as a SteamGridDB plugin to customize your library art, and ProtonDB plugins to give you more detailed information on how "Playable" games can be tweaked for better performance.

That leads me to my seventh point, which basically summarizes them all: a Steam Deck exemplifies PC gaming. It's designed to give the users total freedom, control and ownership over the device they purchased. When you buy your Steam Deck and set it up, you're free to do whatever you want with it. You don't have to jailbreak it to customize it beyond basic wallpapers. You don't have to play only Steam games, as its support for Linux means you can easily install third-party titles and then have them integrate into the game mode menus. It's all about freedom, and that's why PC gaming is so great. Nobody tells you what you can and can't do with your device, you don't need permission. While competitors like the Legion Go and ROG Ally are technically portable PCs, they just don't have all of these benefits and traits that represent what PC gaming is all about. I'd much rather buy a device from a company that isn't just in this market to make a quick buck; they're in this market because this is where they can make their impact. Sure, maybe it's not altruism, but it certainly isn't a bunch of suits seeing a market to milk dry, as the others mostly are.

Valve is completely fine locking down games behind 3rd party launchers and accounts, so the "freedom" you are talking about doesn't even exist and has never been a thing on steam.

The best part is when you purchased a game, which then gets updated and locked behind a launcher, and then gets borked on the steam deck.

Can you chose to opt out from forced updates on the steam deck? No you can't. What's the point? There is literally no benefit when Valve allows these anti consumer parctices.

It's always amusing when people simp for steamos, while completly ignoring that their market practices are as ethical as from other big corps. Valve is literally the most anti linux thing and still gets celebrated by people.

[TheKrapfcat]

Originally posted by ?legit:

Valve is completely fine locking down games behind 3rd party launchers and accounts, so the "freedom" you are talking about doesn't even exist and has never been a thing on steam.

The best part is when you purchased a game, which then gets updated and locked behind a launcher, and then gets borked on the steam deck.

Can you chose to opt out from forced updates on the steam deck? No you can't. What's the point? There is literally no benefit when Valve allows these anti consumer parctices.

It's always amusing when people simp for steamos, while completly ignoring that their market practices are as ethical as from other big corps. Valve is literally the most anti linux thing and still gets celebrated by people. :lunar2019crylaughingpig:

Who knew that being the most anti-Linux company you only need to develop a new Distro, Proton and Gamescope, and sponsor the rest of the devs that help it work (Wine, DXVK, vkd3d, etc) and throw money at other things cause why not like KDE, and bunch more.
Surely Valve is the worst enemy of Linux in a long time

on a serious note, Valve has no business telling other devs to make sure that their games Work on Linux, also I have yet to find a 3rd party launcher that won't work on Linux, the only issue is Kernel level AC that is fundamentally incompatible with Linux without modifications, but hey I really can't fault those devs for refusing to have 2 separate AC one for the 96%ish and the other for the 3%

[Jakob Fel]

Originally posted by ?legit:

Valve is completely fine locking down games behind 3rd party launchers and accounts, so the "freedom" you are talking about doesn't even exist and has never been a thing on steam.

The best part is when you purchased a game, which then gets updated and locked behind a launcher, and then gets borked on the steam deck.

Can you chose to opt out from forced updates on the steam deck? No you can't. What's the point? There is literally no benefit when Valve allows these anti consumer parctices.

It's always amusing when people simp for steamos, while completly ignoring that their market practices are as ethical as from other big corps. Valve is literally the most anti linux thing and still gets celebrated by people. :lunar2019crylaughingpig:

What are you talking about? If anyone's to blame for the third-party launcher issue, it's these moronic companies trying to force people to use them. I have no idea where you got the idea that Valve was the problem in that case.

Moreover, I don't quite see where auto updates are inherently anti-consumer. Virtually all software with auto-updaters now will force them on you at some point or another. Sure, Linux technically doesn't force you to do so but at some point, there will be too much breakage to not update anyways.

I'm not simping for it, I have no plans to use SteamOS outside of my Deck (browsing distros at the moment) but the fact that we have the largest PC games store heavily using Linux and supporting its development (thus benefiting all Linux users) while also entering what is effectively an arm of the console market and giving it the freedom of PC gaming, that's pretty huge and worth supporting.