Lenovo's Legion Go 2 pricing is exorbitant, leading us to pin our hopes on the Steam Deck 2 instead

Lenovo has made a splash at IFA 2025 in Berlin with the unveiling of their latest handheld gaming PC, the Lenovo Legion Go 2. This device, powered by AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor (for some models) or AMD Ryzen Z2, is set to challenge the dominance of Valve's Steam Deck in the handheld gaming PC market.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2 boasts a 74Wh battery, a 1920 x 1200 resolution, and an OLED display. It comes in four price variants, with the starting price for the Ryzen Z2 model at $1,099.99, offering 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. For those seeking more memory, a $1,199.99 version with the same CPU but 32GB RAM is available. For the ultimate experience, the Ryzen Z2 Extreme model with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD is priced at $1,349.99, and the top-tier variant with 32GB RAM and 2TB storage costs $1,479.99.

While these prices may make the market niche again, Lenovo is entering a market previously dominated by niche handheld gaming PC manufacturers like Ayaneo and GPD. The MSI Claw 8 AI+, priced at $899 ($999 now with tariffs) / £899 / AU$1,799, offers a more affordable alternative, using the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V chip to deliver performance that's on par (and better in some games) with the Ryzen Z2 Extreme.

However, the Lenovo Legion Go 2's high prices may put it at odds with the precedent set by Valve's Steam Deck. The original Lenovo Legion Go (512GB) starts at a more accessible $699, making it a more attractive option for many gamers.

Interestingly, leaked images suggest that SteamOS could be offered as a Windows 11 alternative for the Lenovo Legion Go 2. This could potentially attract a larger audience of PC gamers who prefer the SteamOS ecosystem.

Valve's new Steam Hardware survey also suggests that 32GB of RAM may be more important for gaming than previously thought. With the Lenovo Legion Go 2 offering up to 32GB of RAM, it seems Lenovo is catering to this growing demand.

The Lenovo Legion Go 2's powerful specs make it a formidable contender in the handheld gaming PC market, but its high price point may limit its appeal to a niche market. Only time will tell if Lenovo's latest offering can dethrone the Steam Deck OLED, which is currently considered the king of handheld gaming PCs, despite its performance not being up to the standards set by other handhelds using more powerful processors.

Meanwhile, Gigabyte's new RTX 5090 AI external GPU is a powerful addition to the gaming market, but it's not necessary for most gamers, especially given the high price point and the growing popularity of handheld gaming PCs.

Asus is also rumoured to join the high-priced handheld gaming PC market with the ROG Xbox Ally X, expected to cost around $1,000. This further expands the niche market of high-priced handheld gaming PCs, but whether it will be able to challenge the dominance of the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and the Steam Deck remains to be seen.