Following on from the success of its Legion Go gaming handheld, tech giant Lenovo is expanding further on its Legion sub brand: and quite a few of the new toys are made specifically to make the Legion Go the centerpiece of your gaming setup.
If you’re interested in what we thought of the handheld, we liked it quite a bit (though it definitely has some room for improvement), and we’re interested to see how Lenovo’s new products push the Go even further into the realms of a portable PC replacement.
Firstly, Lenovo announced a dedicated USB-C dock for the Legion Go, which vastly expands the handheld’s functionality. Essentially, you plug the handheld into the docking station and immediately get access to a USB-C port, Ethernet port, two USB-A 3.0 Ports, and a HDMI 2.0 port which will support up to 4K resolutions at 60hz.
It’s worth noting that the dock doesn’t appear to have Thunderbolt 3 or 4 functionality, so don’t expect to be plugging an eGPU in to improve the Go’s graphical capabilities without resorting to a third-party solution. In our mind, this is a bit of a missed opportunity. It’ll be available in Australia in November, and will be priced at AU$99.
Pushing the device even further into desktop territory is the launch of the Lenovo Multi-Device Bluetooth Mini Keyboard: a 75% super lightweight keyboard that can connect to three devices simultaneously, across Windows, Android and iPadOS.
Together, these accessories could easily enable the Legion Go to function as a working desktop replacement: even more so with the launch of two new Legion-branded monitors.
RELATED: 7 Best Handheld Gaming Consoles You Can Buy Today
The Lenovo Legion R27qc-30 and R32qc-30 monitors (27’’ and 31.5’’ respectively) look pretty impressive on first blush, delivering up to 1440p resolutions at 144hz through HDMI or 180hz through display port. The monitors also feature a 0.5ms response time, clearly made with gamers in mind (if the design didn’t give it away).
The monitors will be available in September/October in Australia, with the 27’’ monitor priced at AU$499 and the 31.5’’ version priced at AU$549.
But don’t worry, Lenovo didn’t forget that the Legion Go is a handheld first, desktop second.
Lenovo is launching a new set of joysticks and joystick caps to cater to more selective gamers. The new joysticks feature a bigger contact area, and a ‘tactically textured’ surface which should provide an enhanced grip. The business is also launching a ‘charging connector’, which will essentially clip in between the Legion Go’s controllers and to function as a more traditional controller, while also keeping them charged.
Also coming soon is a dedicated ‘carry case’ that doubles as a stand for the device, should you want to play in tabletop mode. Compared to the relatively sparse case the Legion Go comes with, the carry case has room to carry the device’s power adapter, charging cable, portable keyboard, extra joysticks, and more. Essentially, it was built to carry the entire Legion Go ecosystem with you.
While Lenovo announced all of these new devices, only a few of them actually have prices and release dates announced. The monitors and dock will be released in Australia before November is finished, though everything else is still unknown.
The Legion Go is a fantastic handheld, but definitely had some design issues that we hope to see fixed in whatever Lenovo does next with the device. A smaller, slimmer Go would definitely be a welcome addition to the Legion brand (though it might not fit in the dock), as would some more ergonomic controller options.
We’ll have to wait and see, but with ASUS updating the ROG Ally X, the Steam Deck OLED improving the base unit in almost every way, and Nintendo’s Switch successor close to being announced (any day now, I swear), it’s not a wild thought to have that Lenovo has something new up its sleeve.
