Handheld prices are still soaring, but at least the Lenovo Legion Go S is now cheaper than Steam Deck

Many of the best gaming handhelds have seen their prices shoot North in 2026 so far, and the Steam Deck is among the more egregious MSRP increases. Now sitting at $789 in its basic 512GB configuration, the Steam Deck OLED - like the rest of the market - has seen a considerable markup in recent months. That's why the few discounts we do see are so important. One of Valve's biggest competitors has just delivered. The Lenovo Legion Go S has dropped to $635.54 at the brand's own store this week (was $1,137.41). I'm normally checking back in on discounts of just a couple hundred bucks here, but we're down a full 44% right now - a hair over $500 in your pocket. The Steam OS version of the Lenovo Legion Go S has taken a $501 discount at the brand's store this week. We're still a little way off the original $499.99 launch price here, but considering the state of 2026's pricing we're making the best of a bad situation here. View Deal This is where I get the bad news out of the way. We didn't review the Lenovo Legion Go S particularly favorably - but I'll caveat that with the fact that Phil checked out the Windows version. A lot of their concerns stem from that finnicky handheld operating system - taking Microsoft out of the picture the handheld received "almost full marks for design" while its adjustable triggers and improved controls garnered praise as well. Join GamesRadar+ Deals on WhatsApp for our top daily discounts At launch, with last year's pricing landscape, the Legion Go S felt a little short with its AMD Ryzen Z2 GO processor. Today? Things look a little more favorable in light of that new $635 price tag. After all, this thing comfortably beat out the much older Steam Deck OLED in our benchmarks - all with a larger, faster display running at a higher resolution. No, you're not getting that OLED panel up top, but you are getting a more impressive screen overall. Here's how we benched the Windows version last year:https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/22049597/embed Ultimately, if you're looking for a mid-range handheld in the three-figure price range right now you've got three options; pay over the odds for a Steam Deck OLED, pay slightly over for the Lenovo Legion Go S, or opt for the $600 Xbox ROG Ally. If you're after a Windows experience, there's no problem. Ditch the deal, head to Amazon, and grab the $599 ROG Ally. You'll be dropping speed from the Z2 Go's additional GPU cores, but you'll have an easier time loading games from other storefronts. Otherwise, today's discount alleviates some of the pricing pressure we've been feeling in the mid-range handheld market for some time now. See all gaming handhelds at Best Buy We're also hunting down all the best retro handhelds to store your collection, or take a look at the best gaming laptops and best gaming tablets for more portable play. [/url]

Aug 4, 2026 - 13:00
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Handheld prices are still soaring, but at least the Lenovo Legion Go S is now cheaper than Steam Deck
Many of the best gaming handhelds have seen their prices shoot North in 2026 so far, and the Steam Deck is among the more egregious MSRP increases. Now sitting at $789 in its basic 512GB configuration, the Steam Deck OLED - like the rest of the market - has seen a considerable markup in recent months. That's why the few discounts we do see are so important.

One of Valve's biggest competitors has just delivered. The Lenovo Legion Go S has dropped to $635.54 at the brand's own store this week (was $1,137.41). I'm normally checking back in on discounts of just a couple hundred bucks here, but we're down a full 44% right now - a hair over $500 in your pocket.

The Steam OS version of the Lenovo Legion Go S has taken a $501 discount at the brand's store this week. We're still a little way off the original $499.99 launch price here, but considering the state of 2026's pricing we're making the best of a bad situation here. View Deal

This is where I get the bad news out of the way. We didn't review the Lenovo Legion Go S particularly favorably - but I'll caveat that with the fact that Phil checked out the Windows version. A lot of their concerns stem from that finnicky handheld operating system - taking Microsoft out of the picture the handheld received "almost full marks for design" while its adjustable triggers and improved controls garnered praise as well.

At launch, with last year's pricing landscape, the Legion Go S felt a little short with its AMD Ryzen Z2 GO processor. Today? Things look a little more favorable in light of that new $635 price tag.

After all, this thing comfortably beat out the much older Steam Deck OLED in our benchmarks - all with a larger, faster display running at a higher resolution. No, you're not getting that OLED panel up top, but you are getting a more impressive screen overall.

Here's how we benched the Windows version last year:

https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/22049597/embed Ultimately, if you're looking for a mid-range handheld in the three-figure price range right now you've got three options; pay over the odds for a Steam Deck OLED, pay slightly over for the Lenovo Legion Go S, or opt for the $600 Xbox ROG Ally.

If you're after a Windows experience, there's no problem. Ditch the deal, head to Amazon, and grab the $599 ROG Ally. You'll be dropping speed from the Z2 Go's additional GPU cores, but you'll have an easier time loading games from other storefronts. Otherwise, today's discount alleviates some of the pricing pressure we've been feeling in the mid-range handheld market for some time now.

We're also hunting down all the best retro handhelds to store your collection, or take a look at the best gaming laptops and best gaming tablets for more portable play.

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