Lol, it'll run windows 11 to kill your battery with all the spyware it runs.
if it isn't running Linux I'm not very interested but it's cool hardware
If it’s not running Linux could one not just… install Linux? I wouldn’t be surprised if drivers were out before long.
Power management on laptop-like devices is a problem for Linux because of lazy manufacturers. ACPI often reports broken values and h/w vendors patch it up using Windows driver overrides, rather than a real fix. Suspend/resume is a delicately choreographed set of steps given to the OS by ACPI so if that's wrong, you'll get awful battery life or worse, crashes. Linux devs will emulate the Windows driver patches but that comes later, if at all.
I mean, hopefully it would work but Lenovo would need to not take the easy way out. They've been slipping, even with their Thinkpads lately.
Most likely. Official support is nice though, as with Steam Deck.
Hopefully they dont make the same mistake ASUS did. The fanciest hardware in the world won't help if the software doesn't work out of the box.
Steam Deck got so much right, straight out of the gate. The suspend-resume is nothing short of amazing. The UI is 100% muscle, 0% fat.
IMO, starting with Windows as a base is an automatic setback. There's a strong chance that it'll interrupt your game to ask you if you want to set Edge to be your default browser or some stupid shit.
IMO, starting with Windows as a base is an automatic setback. There's a strong chance that it'll interrupt your game to ask you if you want to set Edge to be your default browser or some stupid shit.
Ugh I can imagine that thing rebooting for an update the second you pause a game to go do something
I don't really like the design of those joy-cons clones. From the images it feels they could snap out from the screen if you put too much pressure. Maybe I am wrong though, I should test it.
Mostly I'm just enjoying all the competition in this sector - it's good for consumers
For sure. I just wish someone would make a device that has control parity with the steam deck.
I’m excited for this new PC/Console hybrid market to start becoming something big. Hardware competition will drive progress up and prices down while openiNg access to games to many. I do really hone the market lands on Linux as their main OS instead of Windows11.
Why are they choosing to run Windows on these things
Valve has the resources to hack Proton to make things work, others just want an OS they know will already run Windows games without much fuss. Valve specifically wants to move away from Windows because of fears of anticompetitive behavior from Microsoft. They're not just doing it from the goodness of their hearts. Microsoft would like nothing more than the Steam store crushed and all its games moved to their own walled garden.
Lenovo has fucktons of resources to do this sort of thing. Probably more than Valve!
Not only that but I guarantee that Lenovo probably has 10x more Linux engineers and developers than Valve working for them full-time, right now.
They should just work together to get steamos on this thing. After getting used to my deck, I never want to game on windows again.
A big reason to move away from Microsoft is also lack of licensing fees, which the other companies can definitely get behind. They'd have to make their own store and front end most likely, but proton is basically all done for them and is already in a shippable state that "just works" for users.
Because it's much easier than making their own Linux version.
Valve learned their lesson from the steam machines and isn't just working with 3rd parties with steamos.
It looks sick. I actually have no problem that it's thicker if that means that the battery life is longer (although weight is a concern over thickness, of course). Lenovo hardware is hit and miss though (and I say this having used a Legion laptop for the past few years).
Also, Steam Deck will still remain king until the other companies can make a good track record of consistent software improvements which are needed on a device like this. I see all of these other clones - the Ally, the 50000 Aya devices - and I still am not tempted until I know that they will be supported long term. I really think that this support sets the tone for these devices - is this market going to be a 'it's a year old and already outdated so I'll just buy a new one' kind of thing? Or will it be 'this is good for a quite a few years and I'm happy with my purchase and not immediately getting fomo'? I really hope it's the latter.
Another thing is that, and maybe I'm misremembering, but didn't Nintendo patent some part of the detachable controller design that scared companies from doing anything similar for a long time? I could have sworn that was happening for quite a while...
Support, community and quick resume will keep me from straying from my Steam deck for a while. I don't see any competitors beating Steam deck in anything but hardware for a while.
I work in a datacenter and even enterprise grade Lenovo hardware is trash. Hard pass
My wallet would support Steam if it had any sort of bills in it. Lenovo is a lousy company in the gadgets market. I own a marvelous Yoga Tab 3 Pro with an Intel Atom CPU and a built-in projector. An expensive device that received the one clunky Android upgrade and no source code. I modded the firmware enough to make it still usable, but God, do I hate their "support" service. Good riddance!
The product designer for this needs to be fired. Anyone who’s held a controller for an extended period of time knows these hard corners will kill your hands.
Will say it's an interesting idea to put a scroll wheel on the back of the right grip. On the deck and steam controller I'd sometimes use track pads to just be scroll wheels, but sometimes I wish there was just a physical tactile scroll wheel instead.
Once again the consumer electronics industry proving that it has essentially zero imagination.
Those who want a Steam Deck can probably just buy a Steam Deck. Or a Switch. 13.2% faster processor, 8.3% more colors, 9% faster refresh... all those endless specs don't speak to me, which is all any company can do if they are just copying some existing design.
How about different form factors? I think the idea of a Steam Deck is great, but I hate how bulky it is. I am willing to sacrifice CPU power and even screen size for something a little more pocketable. Something in a portrait orientation rather landscape, maybe.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Based on the images, Lenovo’s take on a PC gaming handheld looks a lot like devices such as the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally, but it also has a lot in common with the Nintendo Switch.
According to Windows Report, the Legion Go has an eight-inch screen, images show two Joy-Con-like controllers that can be removed, and it even appears to have a wide Switch OLED-like kickstand that you can pop out for tabletop gaming.
The Legion Go’s controllers appear to be a blend of the Switch’s flat but removable Joy-Cons and the Steam Deck’s contoured but attached grips.
Perhaps the most important takeaway from these apparent images of the device (there are more, and you can see them all at Windows Report) is that Lenovo isn’t shying away from making the Legion Go thick.
Asus steered away from thickness and heft with the ROG Ally, which wound up with middling battery life, but we’re beginning to see portables like the upcoming Ayaneo Kun pointed towards beefier batteries.
Lenovo has dabbled with handheld gaming devices in the past, showing the “LaVie Mini” concept in partnership with NEC at CES 2021 and building an unreleased Android-based device called the Legion Play.
I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Do you remember Lenovo getting into the smartphone business ? I bet they are going for a redo this time again. they are known for having commitment issues
Em... Lenovo is still big in the smartphone business, they are just all Motorola branded now.
Interesting. I thought Nintendo had a patent on the detachable controller thing?
Maybe they had a patent on their mechanism. This looks like the controllers may magnetically lock in rather than be slid on.
That's...worrying. Considering they're going to be the main holding points for a handheld games console.
Like seeing the competition. I got the Rog Ally right now and loving it. Not sure I would want the joy cons type form factor though that might make portability easier.
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