There Is A New SteamOS Handheld Coming From Lenovo

Not too long ago, we reported that Valve has updated its branding guidelines that includes the new “Powered by SteamOS” badge, likely designed to certify third-party handheld that runs on Valve’s own gaming-centric operating system. It looks like there’s already a manufacturer getting onboard, and that’s Lenovo.

SteamOS Handhelds Coming Soon?

There were a good amount of leaks pertaining to Lenovo’s handhelds in the past months, some pointing to the Legion Go S, and others suggesting the Legion Go successor is in the works. However, this black-colored handheld (as leaked by Evan Blass via The Verge) shares the same look as the white-colored Legion Go S we’ve seen in recent leaks, except for one crucial difference – the Steam button.

That suggests one thing: Lenovo may be releasing two variants of the Legion Go S handheld, one running on Windows 11, while the other runs on SteamOS (which is based on Linux). While Windows offers practically unmatched backwards compatibility for all games that exists today, Valve has been working hard behind-the-scenes to make these games work just as well on its operating system via the Proton compatibility layer – though it’s worth mentioning that certain anti-cheat software are still not playing ball with SteamOS, meaning some games are not playable for now.

It’s possible that the SteamOS version may be priced lower, especially as Windows licensing does account for a noticeable chunk of the overall cost of the device. Still, given that Valve’s operating system is designed entirely for handhelds, it may provide a better user experience overall, as Windows handheld makers often have to build custom software themselves to make full use of the handheld’s hardware.

Pokdepinion: Windows 11 to me has always been a hassle to operate on tiny screens, so an OS built from the ground up with handhelds in mind is certainly going to work better.