Lenovo Legion Go: Bazzite OS Review

[@Invid72]

1280x720 is a 16:9 resolution. The Legion Go is a 16:10 panel so if you want a lower resolution for increased performance and you want it without distortion or black bars you should be setting your resolution to 1280x800.

[@MarkLangdahl]

I gotta admit that I'm considering doing a dual boot too. Mainly because of Lenovo's horrible driver support on Windows. The last graphics driver is from May. So any game requiring newer drivers requires sideloading Adrenalin, whereas Linux keeps that in check more or less automatically. If the console-like experience of the operating system is your main concern I'd probably just install Playnite, have it automatically start in fullscreen mode with Windows and get a similar experience. Personally I find the experience of running Windows on it slightly annoying but in no way a deal breaker.

[@molsen7549]

Rumour has it the Legion Go 2 will have an OLED screen and a 100wh battery. That with Bazzite would be a dream.

[@HikariKnight]

Pretty good review! Small note about games like Atomic Heart and other games that forces steamdeck specific settings/features. You can bypass that in the majority of cases by launching the game with the environment variable SteamDeck=0 so if you go into the games launch options and add SteamDeck=0 %command% then all steamdeck specific functions/settings will be disabled as long as the game is not named warframe :) This is outlined in the bazzite gamemode overview documentation on the website. if you use any other arguments like lets say --vulkan --nointro --skip-launcher you add these after (on the right side of) the %command% part

[@lightgas522]

Weight for legion go seems to be a big issue, but I bought a Gibitlee controller connector so I'll be able to take off the controller to use it.

[@thediddlefiddler5569]

ES-DE serves the same purpose w/o needing an additional OS. Just put it in your startup folder and ES-DE loads on windows boot making it seem like a unique console experience

[@dakunclear]

I had so many issues with sideloading drivers that I ended up going this route to play FF16 on my legion go and ya it has been nothing but amazing. Tempted at upgrading the M.2 in my legion go just so I have more space for both OS's.

[@rahulrao3568]

Do it. I did that and never had to boot into windows once, save for updates. I actually think the windows partition is a waste of space 😅

[@70094kid]

​@rahulrao3568 it is that's why I will clone the original(windows) on a 1 or 2tb for later dual boot egpu etc. and just put bazzite os the original ssd only and now I have a legion go steam machine when you just want to play games steam deck/bazzite os is the way to go

[@AJailani]

So, FF16 works with no issue on Bazzite without manually updating the drivers?

[@dakunclear]

@ that’s correct

[@moana_skellington]

Steam big picture mode is good enough for me

[@badboy250984]

I had Steam auto open in big picture mode and the boot time on the legion go is not too bad. I had Steam Deck oled and i normally turned it off when not playing and is not as fast as some people claims. Of course if you just press the power button to put it to sleep, steam deck is good for that.

[@srfeger]

Nice review. I think Bazzite is a really interesting OS to use when you just don't want to deal with Windows. But the idea of Bazzite alone on a handheld designed for Windows like the LeGo or the Ally or AllyX is that it misses the point. Sometimes you need Windows. That's why I think your review is good. A dual boot like you suggest makes sense. The idea that any of these are a SteamDeck killer is silly. There are a bunch of things you should not bother to play on a SteamDeck (or Bazzite for that matter). It's just not a good experience. But Windows on a handheld? You'll be fighting Windows as much as the hardware limitations.

[@rahulrao3568]

Bazzite is a boon for any non competitive game. Any solo adventure/ rpgs/ turnbased/ emulation is a breeze. Ih actually been playing elden ring at 1200 p, 21 W and 30 fps fixed. Its beautiful and runs like butter. Honestly it looks cinematic at 30 fps ... I have no need for higher frame rates. (ou can get 60 fps with the right settings but I dont fancy that)

[@MrWhis-fe5hs]

2 days ago I switched back to windows and damn update deleted bazzite the like a dummy I deleted windows on accident 🙄 luckily I still had bazzite on the USB stick so I was able to install it again phew I asked lenovo for the recovery key for windows but honestly I think at this point I'll just leave bazzite as the only os on the device for anyone wondering the performance and ui is just so much easier on bazzite and the sleep mode is just so game changing like I leave my device on sleep for 5 days sometimes and when I pick it up it goes right back to the game exactly where I paused it meaning if I paused in the middle of a match in street fighter 6 it picks up at that same spot F windows tbh

[@Mr.NiceGuy1986]

Download the recovery from the lenovo site, where you enter your serial number, and make a USB key. Boot from that key, install that way, and it will transfer your license properly - plus install all the related lenovo drivers, and software (there is almost no bloat).

[@ricarmig]

I don’t understand all the fuss about W11: after logging in, you can boot straight to Steam Big Picture mode and have the same feeling as on SteamOS, without seeing windows whatsoever. Besides, it’s compatible with the latest AMD drivers (by sideloading which is not a big issue, people can do it each couple of months and that’s it. Of course it would be better if Lenovo had a guy releasing an official version as they are practically untouched).

[@JalapenoPrime]

Is there any way to cap frequencies on this CPU? Maybe with power tools? I found the biggest issue with a lot of games as they ramp up to CPU to max clocks without needing it and that would kill battery.

[@edwardlashley3572]

I swear there are settings you can tweak in the AMD software menu that will allow you to run games at 2k, at 1600p, natively on a legion go. Not just by up scaling. But you can actually run the resolution yourself by altering a couple of those menu settings. I doubt running steamOS will get you to that resolution. It’s a trick resolution to run with a 7,000 or 8,000 series chip or a Z1, which is a 7,000 series chip hybrid. Plus, you lose out on AMD “vivid gaming” color mode if you install Linux, which is a shame. Let alone losing access to Lossless Scaling & motion frames.

[@RAWKINGCOMEDY]

Question how much space do I need for bazite dual boot because I only have a250gig sd card in my 1TB legion go that only has 215gigs of space left because I want Bazite to be on my sd card if possible and I thought I was the only ones who’s system would crash when playing master duel

[@Reviews2Go]

For just the OS, not a lot. The Disc Image file for Bazzite’s Legion Go version is only about 9-10 GB in size. And I was able to format the install onto a 32GB SD Card.

[@rahulrao3568]

Its risky to use an sd card to dual boot imo. If you have smaller/slower paced games installed currently on your 1 tb windows, I recommend you uninstall and make space and give atleast 400 gigs to bazzite. Playing those games on bazzite are a blast with the lower tdp and sleep/wake function

[@MrWhis-fe5hs]

I gave bazzite 700gb the first time and left the rest for windows but once I realized how much better it was I wanted to add more if I was you I would like 125gb for windows and l3ave the rest for bazzite

[@nepaliprayasgurung2594]

​@@Reviews2Go Is there not a way where can download some version of Steam Operating System permanently. And get better performance and battery life. Speaking of battery life how much battery life do you get on bazzite, 10W TDP, 720p, locked 30 - 40hz gameplay can you let me know. I am. Thinking about buying Rog Ally or Lenovo Legion Go this Black Friday since their getting discount. If not I might get Steam Deck LCD!

[@gcforreal]

​@@nepaliprayasgurung2594 I just scored a open box ally for 400$ at Best buy buy bre it's down to 500$ ....the go is 550 brand new im enjoying the ally so much I'm ...I'm leaving towards keeping it rather than returning it and get the go

[@rykerlelo4659]

Tried installing a few times on my legion go, unfortunately while it looks good the top 2 buttons (legion space and the other one) will not work. Spent way to many hours reinstalling and messing around. Anyone ever come across this?

[@yorkyalmanzar8959]

On my mini pro i used a wifi keyboard. Just in case!

[@HumanoidBoogie]

I just set my Steam to start in Big Picture mode.

[@wandilemkhize9455]

Rather use Windows and Big Picture Steam, I haven't owned a console since PS4 and that was for a few months and reverted back to PC.

[@coffeeholic8278]

If you into quak games like I did… this is a pain in order to run the games.

[@macky10229]

why ? Can you please elaborate ?

[@coffeeholic8278]

@ finding the compatible runner version takes a lot of time. A lot of iteration and switching between new and older versions. (That was my experience) I spent more time tweaking to make my game work than actually playing the game. I switched back to windows 11. Found handheld companion and it gives a similar experience to bazzite since you can disable legion space and control amd configuration from a side panel to enable fluid motion frames. You can set steam to launch on full screen at start up or just use playnite. What matters is playing the game on my case at this point. But it was a nice experience.

[@coffeeholic8278]

Also the steam grid customization works. But you have to do it via browser but when you launch steam big picture the CSS Loader takes effect.

[@marekkedzierski8237]

Not worth it. Slightly better UI is not worth having to deal with Linux, problems with game compatibility, and fact that Lossless Scaling App does not work on Linux.

[@ESGamingCentral]

That’s subjective. If you don’t play destiny etc then this it’s valid

[@gamerboiiiiiii]

Copilot.

[@marekkedzierski8237]

@@gamerboiiiiiii Copilot what? Copilot doesn't work on Legion Go.

[@onyhow]

Bazzite do have Gamescope for scaling. No LS framegen, though.

[@JoeHoeDoesSomething]

Within Steam OS through Gamescope or under the TDP settings there's options for filters like Linear, Bilinear, FSR, and NIS