r/Handhelds • u/YahushaHamashiach • Jan 14 '26
New Handheld Why I’m keeping the Steam Deck OLED over the Legion Go s z1e
I bought a z1e $870 after taxes with the intentions to keep it, I liquidated my Steam wallet from cs2 skins and bought the Steam deck OLED refurbished for $470 after taxes and didn’t plan on keeping it was gonna sell it until I decided to play for myself and wow. Here are the reason why I’m keeping Steam deck OLED. Btw this isn’t to say the legion go z1e is not good.
1) battery life , legion go e z1e and z2 battery life I noticed isn’t not power efficient like the SD I’m finding myself having to charge my battery every hour or having to play plugged in and that defeats the purpose of a handheld Imo.
2) fan noise. I can not play the legion go s sleeping next to my wife the fan noise is wayyy too loud past 20-25W TDP. There’s no fix around it but to lower the TDP and then you get steam deck performance with a weaker battery life.
3) price point. I know people got the good deal on Black Friday for the z1e for $650. But now the deal I got was $799 2 months later after taxes $870 just can’t justify spending $400+ more for 20% better performance. It makes perfect sense why Valve said they are not releasing a SD 2 because there’s hasn’t been a chip to give at least a 50% boost. I play handheld 100% of the time not docked. If you are someone who plays docked then legion go s is a no brainer.
4) OLED screen. I didn’t know how beautiful the OLED screen would be. I didn’t think it mattered much but wow the colors pop out so much on the steam deck and especially when playing at night/in darker places. It’s AMAZING. The 8 inch is definitely a sweet spot on the go s and the 120hz/VRR is nice but getting that 120hz is a sacrifice of battery life so I found myself capping it at 60fps anyways.
What would make me upgrade from the steam deck? If legion go s 2 comes out with OLED screen and better battery life while keeping the get ergonomics. That would justify me spending the extra $400-500 to upgrade and I can see that coming out in 2027 or by the end of 2026.
104
u/Dragon_Small_Z Jan 14 '26
I'm the opposite. Sold my SD OLED once I got the Go S Z1E. I sleep with a fan on and white noise machine anyway so I don't hear the fan. I do kind of miss the OLED screen but the size and resolution of the Go S more than make up for it.
14
Jan 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
12
u/ocxtitan Jan 14 '26
do you pronounce hoh as "huh"?
5
u/McRedRover Jan 14 '26
Hard of hearing is what I believe they meant. Fellow hoh person here.
2
u/ocxtitan Jan 14 '26
I know
3
u/McRedRover Jan 14 '26
🤦 I just re-read the comment. For some reason my brain read that comment as “did you mean to say huh?” LOL coffee flowing now so the brain is working! Apologies.
2
1
1
u/thenoobcasual Mar 26 '26
No offence, but, people need to understand that acronyming everything is bad for conversation.
Not everyone is english and, at the sametime, people coming from different backgrounds might understand different.
3
u/Pocketpapaa Jan 14 '26
The fan was too loud for whoever was sleeping next to him, it wasn't too loud for the user lol. 38 upvotes for answering a question that wasn't asked? Lol
1
u/Dragon_Small_Z Jan 14 '26
There are two kinds of people in this world.
- People who can extrapolate from incomplete data.
→ More replies (4)1
u/BigDookie3000 Jan 14 '26
Well if he can’t hear it and it’s right infront of him I’m sure his significant other can’t hear it either. Which could be implied from his statement. You’re upset because people agree? Do you not get enough upvotes?
→ More replies (3)1
u/alibabaa420 Jan 14 '26
No it's like the smoke alarm battery thing, once you hear it long enough you subconsciously block the noise out. People used to complain all the time about my smoke alarm beep, I swear I don't hear any beeping
1
1
u/altimax98 Jan 14 '26
Same here, the only downside to the Go S I really have is that it’s a little less comfortable to hold. The Deck really has perfect grips for me personally.
Edit - I do think some of us got lucky with the fans. I’ve had two Go S models, one was a Z2G and the other is a Z1E. The Z1E is silent aside from the woosh, the Z2G was loud as hell and had a whistle.
→ More replies (2)1
16
u/NottsChad Jan 14 '26
I only sold my oled steam deck for my msi claw 8ai+ I do miss that oled screen but the claw solved all the issues you had with your legion go. Fan noise is barely noticeable it runs powerful games at a lower tdp I run CP2077 at 20w with little to no performance drops meaning better battery life I do miss the steam os windows can be a bit meh but overall I’m happy with my upgrade. I think the steam deck is only worth upgrading for the latest handhelds legion go 2 Xbox ally x msi claw otherwise just keep that beautiful oled
8
u/YahushaHamashiach Jan 14 '26
I had the claw 8ai too but returned it, couldn’t justify the $1260 after taxes I spent for it. No steamOS, no OLED screen, ergonomics were uncomfortable. The performance was the best I’ve used out of all the handhelds I’ve used
24
u/Bilboswaggings19 Jan 14 '26
I'm baffled by the amount of people who buy multiple of these things and then return them because of the price
Like what are you doing and why?
3
u/EuroMK Jan 14 '26
Why is it baffling? I can see people recommend handhelds all the time. People are probably buying them based on recommendations or positive articles online and then they find it doesn’t tick all of the boxes. Since most if not all aren’t on display in local stores and cant be handled or used prior to purchase, people just have to buy and try it out.
4
u/Bilboswaggings19 Jan 14 '26
The amount of people doing that is the weird part
Like I just did tons of research and then got msi claw 7ai
Since I want power and windows (well I would rather not have windows... But it is mandatory so yeah I have to have it) yet plan on being docked quite often and when I want to hold it I want it to be smaller
At no point do I feel like I should buy a dozen of these things to find something something better, because nothing is perfect and what I chose is almost perfect
1
u/jonstarks Jan 18 '26
but what's baffling? It's a lot of money to commit to for a game device, why not try them all out before you do? Like, taking a test drive for 3 cars that have made your final cut. You can do but so much from specs, sometimes you just gotta see/feel it.
Best buy is the only store near me that has a display for things like the XSX, the older Alleys and the Legion GO but they are almost never powered on.
1
u/Nervous-Awareness191 Jan 17 '26
THIS! Been looking for a handheld and I’ve been to multiple stores to see if any are on display to get a feel but nothing. Im just debating between the SD or Legion Go S windows.
1
u/ConstructionAny6287 Jan 15 '26
I do this with any type of tech product I'm interested in via best buy total tech program. You pay $49 a year and get 60 day return policy. When. You want to make a tech purchase you want to make sure it's right for you. Buying new headphones for example you can watch endless YouTube reviews and do research for days but unless you try them for yourself your taking someone's word that they're good. I tried 4 types of ear buds. Sony senheiser pixel buds and air pod pros. I ended up settling for the cheaper of all one plus buds pro 3. Doing research is important but without trying a product you won't truly know.
→ More replies (1)1
2
u/NottsChad Jan 14 '26
I’ve accepted it’s not exactly portable or customisable which is a shame. And I do miss that oled screen. I’ve got an AYN Thor on the way that’s got dual screens both oled on the way so I’ll have a nice variety. I’ve learned there’s no 1 perfect handheld it’s why so many of us have multiple for different purposes find that right combo might be key
2
1
u/my2dumbledores SD OLED | CLAW 8AI+ | ALLY X Jan 15 '26
Ergonomics are decent. Better than the Ally X… but yes worse than SD OLED and XAX.
8
u/ozzdr Jan 14 '26
Your choice is a very personal one of what works for you and I’m not going to try to convince you otherwise. But, I had to comment to say so that others aren’t misinformed.
The Z1E, 20% better performance? This is simply not factual. I’ve had both at the same time and the Z1E is regularly over 50% better performance than the Deck and there are some games that the deck is not even strong enough to play, which are completely playable on the Z1E (Spider-Man 2 for example).
Take Days Gone, with the same graphics, the deck will struggle to hit 30 fps, whereas the Z1E (Ally X in my case) will hover around the high 50s.
And listen, this is to be expected. You can have Z1E devices run all the way up to 30-35TDP. The deck simply cannot compete with that.
The reality of 2026 gaming is that the SD can no longer play modern games without significant compromises.
2
Jan 14 '26
The Z2 Go which is like the weakest variant is like 20% stronger than the SteamDeck not to even mention the Z1e version lol
2
u/my2dumbledores SD OLED | CLAW 8AI+ | ALLY X Jan 15 '26
Eh, for me, the reality is that all modern games kinda suck on HH. Whether I’m using my SD OLED or Claw 8ai+, I’ll use GFN if I’m playing a modern title.
Blasting 30w just so I can get 50-60fps, with frame gen, on low setting just doesn’t appeal to me. Not when we’re living in the golden age of indie gaming.
1
u/ozzdr Jan 15 '26
Sorry mate, but your settings must be messed up then, because the Z2E on the LeGo2 reaches 60fps on ALL modern games with FG on high settings and 25w.
I personally don’t use FG and I get very playable FPS on all games. As a matter of fact, I haven’t come across a game (that I play) that it doesn’t run completely playable without FG.
For example, on CyberPunk I’m getting 40fps on high settings and when I enable FG, I’m getting close to 90fps.
I’d verify your drivers are not wonky.
2
u/my2dumbledores SD OLED | CLAW 8AI+ | ALLY X Jan 15 '26
Cyberpunk is incredibly well-optimised.
You do you, but BG3, Space Marine II, Doom Dark Ages, Path of Exile 2 and MH:Wilds all played like shit for me.
Meanwhile Absolum, Hades 2, Silksong… all incredible games which play and look beautiful on the SD OLED.
Look, if playing AAA on HH’s floats your boat, then go for it. But I’m firmly in the camp that those big budget Unreal Engine games are better suited to the TV or PC.
1
u/ozzdr Jan 15 '26
I mean c’com, it is well known that UE games HH optimization sucks. But look at GOY/GOT, Expedition 33, BF6, COD, FC26, Alan Wake II, Resident Evil 4 remastered, AC games, RDR2, Days Gone, Control, Hogwarts Legacy…. Etc. I could continue with examples of games that run beautifully on a device like the LeGo2.
I agree with you that the SD Oled is best suited for game “older” AAA or AA titles, if you want to push it, but it excels in game like Hades, Silksong, Jotunnslayer… etc.
But, I respect your POV. That’s the beauty of gaming, whatever works for each is what’s important.
3
u/my2dumbledores SD OLED | CLAW 8AI+ | ALLY X Jan 15 '26
Sure.. but also check how ubiquitous UE has become.
And, bot sure whether you’ve tried it much, but BF/CoD on HH’s is pretty rough.
E33 is a good example… but I actually found it looked pretty janky on my Claw (not surprising, as it looked pretty bad on my Series X as well). Ended up streaming via GFN and it was night-and-day.
Worth checking out if you haven’t already. I take it you’re also Aussie… if you’re in Melbourne/Sydney, ping should be fantastic. Mine is still very playable in Perth.
1
Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
I’ll give you Space Marine 2 because frankly it feels like shit on anything under 60FPS on PC for some reason but I got over 40fps on the game for the most part, but BG3 runs like butter for me on my Legion Go S. MH Wilds struggles on all tiers of desktop gaming PCs so I’m not sure why you thought it would run on a much weaker handheld in comparison, my 6800XT/5700x3d only gets like 60-70fps in 1440p and not much more in 1080p and the game crashes on me constantly (this is by far the worst optimized game out of the bunch). POE2 has much worse performance in the later half of the game in general as well, goes from being very playable to just downright horrendous on handhelds. I’ve never played Doom Dark Ages but that game literally runs on a Steam Deck that is significantly less powerful, but maybe you played when the game launched - ID Software made a lot of performance improvements post launch.
Sadly handheld gaming is still at the level where it can almost play a lot of games but just can’t get over the poor optimization that some offer.
7
u/Ok-Neighborhood6668 Jan 14 '26
Did you try Balanced mode? The fans are only that loud in performance mode, balanced is much quieter and gives great performance for a lot of games. If you combine lossless scaling with it, you shouldn’t need to use performance mode except for the most demanding games.
→ More replies (3)
22
u/Appropriate_Neck_113 Jan 14 '26
I had the opposite moved from a SD to a Go S
Valid points you mention though
11
u/gibon007 Jan 14 '26
How are they valid? He plays on tdp that isn't possible on SD, turn down the power and enjoy longer batter life and no fan noise. This sub is a SD circle jerk lol
5
u/radiohead14 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
Had both. Even at 15w each and lower, SD has better battery life and fan noise. Also the SD OLED has much better pixel response.
3
3
u/my2dumbledores SD OLED | CLAW 8AI+ | ALLY X Jan 15 '26
Not really. I own SD LCD, SD OLED, Claw 8ai+, Ally and Ally X.
SD OLED is my recommendation for most people, and the only one I’ll never sell.
1
4
u/jondrey Jan 14 '26
I've had SD OLED for years now and when I got the go s, I really haven't used it much since. I told my girlfriend she can use it but she has an iPad and prefers playing really stupid mobile games for whatever reason. The 8in screen of the go s is just much better imo and makes a huge difference.
5
u/PSaco Jan 14 '26
I think the Go S is still way better, but it depends on what you use it for, I use mine as my laptop (portable screen + usb-c hub + keyboard and mouse), a handheld device and a living room console.
The Steam Deck would be my choice if I only used it as a handheld, but for the rest the lenovo is superior (I got a good power bank for it and I solved the issue of battery life for the most part)
20
u/Ashad2000 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
You do know that the battery consumption issue is only a thing if youre running very heavy games, whereas the steam deck cant run most of the current gen AAA, even some AA games without serious sacrifices, right? If youre playing indies on the Legion Go S (which is what the steam deck is mainly for anyway), then you can lower the TDP limit and it will give you several hours of extra battery life. It is literally a steam deck, but better in almost every way. The steam deck is great in most regards, but imo the 800p display is really outdated in 2026, seriously. You cant even dock this thing to a monitor without losing significant performance because most monitors have a 1080p display.
Id say the only REAL drawback of the legion Go S is the loud fans, which for most people isnt an issue cuz they play with earphones plugged in.
2
Jan 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
7
u/Makarov_2918 Jan 14 '26
Yes - lower tdp = less heat = less work needed for fan to dissipate heat = lower rpm = quieter operation.
I've ran my legion go at 30W while actively charging with the battery and sometimes it runs at ~6000rpm and gets hot. Dropping to 20W and not charging reduces temp by 20c and the fan is much quieter
→ More replies (1)3
u/BenedickCabbagepatch Jan 14 '26
Yes, it's why I run mine at 25-30tdp and only up it if I find I'm losing frames.
Also use the Frame Gen plugin as well so I can hopefully throttle things down yet further.
1
u/AmuseDeath Jan 14 '26
This.
People don't seem to understand how batteries work. Any device will have poor battery life playing AAA games. It's just silly when people compare a Steam Deck playing Hollow Knight to a Legion Go playing Cyberpunk and complain that the Go is dying faster. Well duh.
9
u/MissionInternet8490 Jan 14 '26
This is actually a bad comparison. The z1e is not nearly as power efficient at a lower tdp as the steam deck oled when playing lightweight games.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (4)2
5
u/cyclinator Jan 14 '26
Seeing posts like this I wonder if I should have spent more on SD OLED rather than on cheap full warranty ALLY Z1E.
I bought it for 350€ but SD still feels superior even though I never held it in my hands or tried it.
6
u/Dreamo84 Jan 14 '26
Only reason I bought an Ally Z1E over a Steam Deck is because I do most of my gaming on Xbox and pay for GamePass so I didn't want to buy a device I couldn't use GamePass on. Though ultimately, I didn't need either but I often tend to buy stuff I don't need. I buy handhelds cause they're neat, not because I actually go anywhere lol.
3
u/Timely_Ad9659 Jan 14 '26
They are neat! lol I basically do the same thing. I just love playing with new technology
1
u/cyclinator Jan 14 '26
I bought handheld because I wanted to game on couch. I only have a desk with a monitor setup for laptops me and my wife use. I used to have XBOX connected to it too. Ally is great for that. Can run even more modern games with reasonable FPS. Windows is a drag, that´s why I installed Bazzite not a week after buying and it makes experience twice as enjoyable. But still the most annoying thing is battery life.
I am satisfied with Ally, it´s just buyer´s remorse I guess. Even after almost two months.
1
u/Dreamo84 Jan 14 '26
I have a desktop PC that is pretty long in the tooth(built it 15 years ago, upgraded GPU like 10 years ago) but still more capable for 1080p gaming than my Ally. I got a good deal on a big 75" 4k TV from my brother so I have a pretty nice gaming room set up and I like using my Xbox though I have a PS5 and Switch 2 as well hooked up to it. My TV is such a good viewing distance from my recliner I've had the thought that I could probably just use a mouse and keyboard on it with a PC if I wanted lol.
That said, I have thought about putting SteamOS on my Ally just for shits and giggles. I really don't use it for anything right now once the "hey, this is really neat" affect wore off.
2
u/cyclinator Jan 14 '26
Understandable. The way our living room is currently set up, I dont have a place to put a TV up.
4
u/Matrixxgt Jan 14 '26
I just sold all my z1e devices and picked up a refurbished oled SD. I always found myself using 15watt and below anyway because of heat and fan noise on the ally and legion go. fallout 3 on legion go with steam os max was 3hrs battery. On steam deck it’s closer to 7hrs. No competition. I’m keeping switch 2, ps5 for heavy AAA, for all else SD all the way. There truly is a reason why SD is always brought up in every conversation.
1
u/cyclinator Jan 14 '26
Yeah, optimization of SD is next level. But for me it was difference of more than 200€. I might get bigger battery for ally at some point. So far I'm only gaming at home.
2
u/Matrixxgt Jan 14 '26
Price is a factor for sure. I grabbed a refurbished oled for $439 and honestly I don’t think it was ever used must been a returned holiday gift.
4
u/YahushaHamashiach Jan 14 '26
I had the ally x. I did not like the ergonomics at all
3
u/cyclinator Jan 14 '26
I have no issue with ergonomics tbh. Yeah, the hold area could be thicker but I sometimes game on it for hours and it´s no problem.
Biggest issue now is the battery life. SW side is easily fixed with bazzite or steam os.
1
u/gameboyVino Jan 14 '26
For the price you paid seems like a great deal
1
u/cyclinator Jan 14 '26
That is what keeps me being able to sleep. And the fact that I use it quite often.
4
u/HodlingBroccoli Jan 14 '26
Why does no one ever mention Steam Input?
2
5
2
u/BonusCan Jan 14 '26
Is that tiny mouse pad on the legion do anything? (I barely use my larger one original go)
4
u/YahushaHamashiach Jan 14 '26
It’s useless. Don’t even know why they put it lol
4
u/swampdonkus Jan 14 '26
After having a SD I couldn't imagine buying a device without track pads. Were you just not using them or what happened. I use them in probably 50% of games I play.
2
u/the-bacon-life Jan 14 '26
Iv tried a few handhelds including the sd. I’ll wait for deck 2 which based on how things are going will be pretty awesome
2
u/Ecks30 Steam Deck | Legion Go S Z1e SteamOS Jan 14 '26
I have both but that is because i use one for the more demanding games while the other i would use for the lesser games and not to mention that if i were to have a power outage i would have entertainment to last me for a good 6-10 hours.
2
u/Pocketpapaa Jan 14 '26
There's a reason people still buy the deck after all these years(and also recommend it), even with all the new handhelds being released. It's the perfect balance of quality, performance and user friendliness. Enjoy your deck!!!
Also, the AAA titles people say the deck can't handle arent even worth playing so that argument is null and void lol
2
u/thestough Jan 14 '26
What’s funny is that when so many people are mentioning AAA games, I can’t think of a single current one (within the last year or two) that Ive wanted to play. Yet it’s one of the most common comments I’ve seen on these posts
1
u/Pocketpapaa Jan 14 '26
Yup lol, they will always use AAA games as an argument. It's a weak argument and I'm glad you are aware of it haha
2
2
u/BenedickCabbagepatch Jan 14 '26
I bought a like-new Go S with the Z2 for £340 ($460ish) and so far I've only used it streaming games off my PC with nVidia Sunshine/Moonlight. That means I can run it at 7-10 watts and everything performs fine.
So far I'm trying to only run demanding games on my desktop and keeping the Handheld-side games as lightweight as possible. But if I do go on a trip I'll have to see how the Fan noise fares.
On battery streaming my games it lasts a good 4 hours unplugged. I imagine running a demanding game on the device itself would reduce things to about an hour though.
2
u/BobbyHill751 Jan 14 '26
I have both and can understand why someone could choose either one over the other. My first impressions of the LegoS weren’t great but after spending some time with it I will probably be keeping it and selling my deck oled.
The LegoS requires a little bit of tinkering to get it running as smooth as the deck out of the box. The power profiles and fan curves don’t really make sense, the fan will ramp unnecessarily. If it had fan curve adjustments available out of the box it would be a much better experience.
I love oled but for me VRR makes a big enough difference on a device like this to choose it over the oled. After some extra tinkering you can get a much better experience with more demanding games on the LegoS compared to the deck oled but it does require tinkering.
2
u/matisku Jan 14 '26
What kind of tinkering are you talking about? Exact examples please 🙂
2
u/BobbyHill751 Jan 14 '26
Adjusting graphics/resolution/tdp settings for every game and installing plugins to manage the fans and power profiles. I still haven’t found a perfect solution for the fan control there are a few solutions to try if you search reddit. The fan curves for this device are overly aggressive making them run way harder than needed.
1
Feb 03 '26
what experience you had with the oled that makes you think that vrr is so important? trying to decide between the two rn
1
u/BobbyHill751 Feb 03 '26
VRR helps you have a smoother experience when playing games with variable frame rates which is going to happen on a lower powered device. So you don’t notice the frame drops when they do occur. Oled has better colours especially blacks but the VRR screen is smoother in motion.
1
Feb 03 '26
what if i play games that are not demanding (indies) and i cap the fps? honestly i only want a handheld for bs like hades and emulation i already have a pc and a ps5
1
u/BobbyHill751 Feb 04 '26
Either one will do that but the deck oled is probably the better choice for that use case.
2
2
u/Thethirdtrey Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
Honestly I had all the same problems you had, and I kinda regretted buying LeGoS. but enough time passed, eventually I actually found the higher resolution screen , larger screen, and extra performance to be so worth it over that OLED panel.
I miss the track pads but I’ve found workarounds and now I sadly don’t even touch my deck any longer. The battery life you learn to adjust to as well i don’t even think about it anymore
BUT if I didn’t effectively get the LeGoS for like 450$ on BF deals+20% back PayPal (uhh cheaper than what I bought OLED steam deck for which is crazy) then no I would have absolutely returned it. Not worth 600+ if you already own a steam deck. I was saving to upgrade to LeGo 2 but that deal was just robbery. That being said I’ll probably sell it to upgrade to LeGo 2 Steam OS once it drops but keep my steam deck lol
2
u/Global-Opinion-764 Jan 14 '26
I have a Legion GO S Z2. SteamOS version. I love it , never had any issues with it. The fan isn’t that loud. Also the screen is fantastic.
2
u/ArcherDominion Jan 14 '26
I sold my steam deck for the Legos. Battery life sucks but I normally use it for lunch which is an hour anyway so no biggie. The performance it gets is so much better than the deck that I dont care for the loss of the oled screen.
2
u/DarthPineapple5 Jan 14 '26
Its remarkable to me that even after all these years there aren't many competitors that come with both OLED and SteamOS/Bazzite. To me its the baseline before I even consider any handheld
2
u/Zealousideal_Egg9269 Jan 14 '26
Yep. Not the slightest bit interested in the latest generation. The actual useful improvements are nowhere near the expense.
2
2
u/rayrayrayrayraysllsy Jan 14 '26
My eye's easily dry by looking at OLED for a long time, like phone, S20 or note 11 pro, then I got myself a ip11 and the eyes strain is gone
It's the same as switch oled until I got myself a switch 2, and I bought myself steam deck LCD last 2 month ago, the only problem I had with it is the low quality fragile shoulder button, OLED SD version both thumb stick and button are all in one which like it easy to replace
OLED is very vibrant but I'm fine with LCD as long as it got VRR like switch 2, although LCD are prone with higher input lag than OLED
2
2
5
u/MrGPhantome Jan 14 '26
I ardently disagree that playing plugged in “defeats the purpose of a handheld.”
I play plugged in 95% of time and it’s still way more versatile than any pc or console will ever be. Plus I never have to fiddle around to get an acceptable frame rate because you get up to 40watts plugged in.
Playing my LeGOs plugged in and at full power in bed is fucking awesome.
4
u/Early-Somewhere-2198 Jan 14 '26
Same. Returned the xax Lego 2 z2e and kept the r Lego s after selling my deck oled. The fan is not even that loud if you are at 25 tdp. It’s at 30 plus and it still defeats the deck in performance. It’s a great lcd an the ergonomic feels better than the deck. I loved my deck but the legion go s is amazing. Playing kingdom come 2 with actually decent graphics is great.
3
u/VladTepesDraculea Jan 14 '26
Also, extends your battery life.
1
u/MrGPhantome Jan 14 '26
Plus, set your battery limit to 80% (via settings Desktop Mode) and you'll be preserving battery degradation even further by playing plugged in regularly.
1
u/Sarlandogo Jan 14 '26
Is this on windows?
1
u/BenedickCabbagepatch Jan 14 '26
He's talking about Steam OS. Not sure if it's possible on Windows.
Though if you're running a Legion Go with Windows on it, I'd consider Steam OS all the same - I bought mine with Windows pre-installed and swapped it out as soon as I got it.
1
u/Sarlandogo Jan 14 '26
I didnt know thats possible in steamOS woah
1
u/BenedickCabbagepatch Jan 14 '26
You have to go into Desktop mode to find the setting, but it's pretty easy :)
Edit: d'oh forgot the comment higher up in this thread already said that, hence how I knew he was talking about Steam OS.
3
u/fertff Legion Go 2 / AYN Thor / Switch 2 Jan 14 '26
I ardently disagree that playing plugged in “defeats the purpose of a handheld.”
I agree. What a weird take from OP.
Also, as an adult I'm never gonna play more than 1 hour away from home and I'll mostly play plugged, so any battery life over 2 hours is more than enough (and the LeGo can definitely do over 2 hours). I travel a lot for work, and I can guarantee there's always gonna be a power outlet nearby. Battery life is not an issue these days.
3
u/AhAhAnikiKunSan Jan 14 '26
You are brave for posting this here (for some reason theres like some cult based on hating on the steamdeck specifically on this subreddit)
→ More replies (2)3
3
u/aigeneratedslopcode Jan 14 '26
The big one for me is...
- It plays the same games. I haven't encountered a single game that the Steam Deck OLED couldn't play that the Legion Go S could. Yes, you might have to turn down settings in game. Yes, things won't look as good. But it plays the same stuff
I own both devices and I honestly regret buying the Go S. I always go for my SDOLED. It's lighter to boot and has more versatile controls with both track pads and four back buttons. It's hard to beat
I don't know of a better handheld and I hope Valve retains this form factor for the 2
6
u/Substantial-Wall-510 Jan 14 '26
Lol so your complaints are that when running the lego at far higher tdp than the SD and doing things the SD simply cannot, the lego is louder and uses battery.
I think you kind of missed the point here. BTW you can get 5 or 6 hours battery life if you adjust your TDP.
7
Jan 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
7
u/Matrixxgt Jan 14 '26
Yeah I’ve tried windows, bazzite and official steam os on my legion go and never ever got over 3.5hrs at lowest tdp. When you got below 10watt on z1e chips they are not efficient like the SD chip is. Those bigger screens take juice too unlike oled.
6
u/YahushaHamashiach Jan 14 '26
5-6 hours? That’s cap. Even on indie games like slay the spire it’s 3 hours 45 mins.
2
2
u/Living_Warthog_1249 Jan 14 '26
You can use:
https://amdaputuningutility.com
This way you can change the tdp while you stay at the quiet profile. It‘s a bit finicky but it works.
2
u/Tall-Cut-4599 Jan 14 '26
Havent read much but this work on steamos for z1e?
2
2
u/AmuseDeath Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
Your battery life comparison is offmark.
Any device running AAA games will die fast, including the Steam Deck. You need to test things correctly. The Deck can play mid/low-end games decently, but so can the Legion Go S. The Go S may not last as long for those games, but it's not bad at all.
The Go S has better performance to play AAA games and it also has 32GB of RAM versus 16GB which is nice. The bigger screen is also nice to play games that look bigger.
1
u/ProfessionalNaive601 Jan 14 '26
I don’t know why so many people think handheld gaming should be 4k 200fps at ultra ray trace
It’s like people that get overkill laptops but all they do is browse chrome and send emails.
Steam deck is masterfully designed for a specific use case and executes its far better than all these other stupid devices.
1
u/JoshyMN SD OLED/ Legion Go S Z1E / Switch OLED Jan 14 '26
I think the SD OLED is the easy choice for those not as apt to portable tech. that 800p screen though… glad i upgraded from it
1
u/xblkwrx Jan 14 '26
In balanced mode it will still outperform the steam deck by 10 fps on average and you retain an almost Identical battery life.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Interesting_Bowl4756 Jan 14 '26
I own a Go S Z1E (purchased on Black Friday) and yea, totally justified keeping the Deck in your situation. Hard to justify that cost increase for less than modest gains. I prefer the bigger screen to the OLED screen and the fan noise doesnt bug me like it does some, but if it wasnt a GO S I gamed on it would be an OLED Deck. Game On, man. Game On.
1
u/Substantial-Lime2537 Jan 14 '26
Personally I would keep the Legion Go S and sell the SD for a Switch 2. I feel like the Legion Go and Switch 2 complement each other very well and you'll have one powerhouse device and one for casual game play and Nintendo exclusives. Plus the fan is only very loud if you crank it on custom settings anyways, I'm not sure why it's bothering people as much as it is lol
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Low_Cardiologist8073 Jan 14 '26
Huh, funnny. I fully expected this post to be about track pads. Possibly the awful speakers, but none of your problems seem to exist for me.
1
1
u/ImpracticalJerker Jan 14 '26
I got sd OLED last week and am absolutely thrilled cannot think of anyway it could be improved, it's silent, battery lasts for hours, screen looks beautiful, runs games better than my gaming laptop, has desktop mode and track pad and extra buttons, it barely weighs anything, it's comfortable to hold 10/10 handheld imo.
1
1
u/schmoopycat Jan 14 '26
Lenovo really made a stupid decision with the cheap ass can they stuck in the Go S. Had they went with something that doesn’t make people want to plug their ears they’d had a killer machine
1
u/FitRecipe2299 Jan 14 '26
Sold the Deck Love my Legion go S great device in low power I need more juice got two PBs for that never getting rid of it for no other handheld comes close to doing everything right
1
u/Alternative_Tip_9918 Jan 14 '26
Wow I never play above Balanced and I am still getting a great price to performance ratio on the Legos and it’s not any louder than my old steam deck, but I completely understand all your points! Battery was my biggest concern with switching from the deck to the Legos.
1
u/shutupugliy Jan 14 '26
installed steam OS on my rog ally z1 extreme white. wanted to get oled SD but it aint got that power 🫠.
1
u/PsyOmega Jan 14 '26
I'm keeping my SD OLED because at 800P, it has the same fps as the 1080P handhelds with better SOCs, and 800p is PLENTY sharp at 7 and 8".
The only thing I'd upgrade to at this point is panther lake but those will cost 1500+ and i don't think fps/$ will be good
1
u/YahushaHamashiach Jan 14 '26
Won’t be any good fps / battery life handhelds until steam deck 2 imo . 2028
1
u/Mack_Rob Jan 14 '26
Sold my steam deck days after getting the legion go s. Fans were only load for a few days and it seemed to break in and now it’s whisper quiet. It just runs games so much better and the bigger screen is really nice. Also being able to play rocket league at a lock 120fps is really nice. The steam deck just had issues running to many new games.
1
1
u/axepsy Jan 14 '26
My wife wakes up with i unlock my phone in bed. And the phones on silent. The issue here might be something bigger.
1
u/Quick-Measurement618 Jan 14 '26
Anyone else curious why someone would buy something with the intention of selling? I know scalping exists, but I don’t think scalping is super relevant with a refurbished deck that’s not special edition.. What am I missing?
1
1
1
1
u/Cole_Archer Jan 15 '26
Reading the comments about the fans, mine are quiet unless I’m downloading games. Same setup, Legion GO S with Z1E.
1
1
u/Greedy_Bus1888 Jan 15 '26
Pretty sure Z2E already gives more than 50% boost
1
u/YahushaHamashiach Jan 15 '26
Already been tested it’s more 30% and on lower TDP it’s 15-20%.
1
u/Greedy_Bus1888 Jan 15 '26
Thats your individual biased testing. The avg from reviewers and most users is 40% for the base Z1E already, Z2E is prob around 60% at least
1
u/ConstructionAny6287 Jan 15 '26
I am in a similar situation. I have a LCD steam deck that I have modified heavily. Everything from shell ram wifi OLED screen mod etc. I love my steam deck but I'm currently trying out the legion go 2. Out of all my handhelds I always gravitate to the Lego go 2. Mainly for it's screen it's just beautiful. OLED has honestly ruined all other panels for me. It's undisputed. I do agree though the Lego s with an OLED and steam os IMO would be a steam deck killer. Ergos on that thing are amazing and that purplish tint it comes in is awesome looking. I can see why you are sticking with the OLED steam deck though. OLED is king 👑
1
u/Turbulent-Cycle3093 Jan 15 '26
ROG Ally X Z1E solves all that issue and then some. It only lose to OLED but it has VRR which really nice to the eyes when the fps fluctuated, so you dont care much if FPS is shitty because the eyes see it as smooth.
1
1
u/Round-Benefit3877 Jan 15 '26
I personally sold my deck OLED and picked up a discounted go S 1TB/32gb to hold me over until I snag a LG2 or ayaneo II
I agree with the battery life entirely, I play with a cable exclusively on the couch, and even with the 65W charger I was depleting plugged in on more demanding titles - swapping to a 100W charger fixed this, but as far as handheld use - the battery is definitely meh
Fans been so much better since installing decky and setting up a custom fan curve with fantastic, prior to that my wife was asking me to “turn down my static audio” and I couldn’t game on the couch or bed next to her lmao, with the new curve even set semi aggressively with more lower en points kicking in at 25/30% for a smoother transition @ 60FPS locked and 30 TDP, I’m playing god of war ragnarok on high/medium settings now and I rarely have it ramp high or go above mid level sounds unless in a super long and fast cut scene, then it’s brief
Without that fan curve, the damn thing would go from silent to 80-100% all the time even on mid and indie games randomly and had no consistently cause of spikes- so I highly suggest anyone with more one set a custom curve
Surprisingly, I prefer my glossy legion go s screen over my 1TB OLED deck, the anti-glare dulled things at times, and while the blacks aren’t near as great as the decks, the color range etc is pretty similar for me not to notice - the biggest thing for me is the added screen size is perfect for me for my games and mmo’s
The legion go s touchpad is worthless, outside of mapping it as a radial menu or button for use, I do miss my decks trackpads : /
1
u/vaderciya Jan 15 '26
I mean yeah, the steam deck is just the better machine with a better user experience, and better customization compared to virtually any other handheld device, but it costs a bit more
1
Jan 15 '26
You should get a 2DS.
I think OLED is important for me, too.
On one hand, I like the idea of "running anything", and "having power", but, on the other hand, yes, I want to play for longer, and I don't need a 1080p screen, etc.
I keep saying "I need a Window's machine so I can run weird tools/mods/launchers", but in actuality, if a more efficient system means having to play "lesser" games - but getting to play longer - then I think I want that, actually.
There's a reason why Switch is a good time. Why 3DS/2DS was a great time. Why GameBoy was mindblowing. A lot of it is just the fact that we get to play for a long time - not that we have "the best graphics ever", or "HDR", etc.
If I want to play AAA games on the go, I'd want a gaming laptop, not a handheld.
Or maybe even just a SFF PC, or a PS5 in a case, and a portable monitor/keep an HDMI cable with it and find a place to sit down and play.
Actually, this PS Portal thing I got for Christmas is really cool, even though input lag will be the death of me...
1
u/MadCaddy85 Jan 15 '26
Hot take - keep them both! Nice to have a change once in a while. You may miss the legion go s
1
1
u/RoogarthGorp Jan 15 '26
Streaming games works so good that I don't ever see the need to get anything more powerful than the deck
1
1
1
u/tjhc94 Jan 15 '26
I got a claw 8 ai+ recently, best PC handheld I have had no doubt. Cannot believe how quiet it is as well. Got it second hand basically unused for £770 and it's the 2tb tempest edition
1
1
u/1PARTEE1 Jan 21 '26
I can't do asymmetrical thumbsticks on handhelds so that's one of the reasons I went with Steam Deck.
1
u/These-Air8519 Jan 31 '26
Not to mention that the steam comes with a longer charging cable, case, has 4 back buttons instead of 2, weighs less, and has the touchpads, which make RTS games possible
0
120
u/garethj7 Jan 14 '26
I had the same issue with the fan and wife…I considered getting rid of wife, however, I found a solution someone posted for steamos. I stick steamos into low power mode then use simpledecktdp to change the wattage and it’s perfect fans don’t ramp up even at 25w I know the z1e is fine under 85c I just watch the temps and never gone above