I've had the opportunity to conduct both a Legion Go review and, more recently, a Legion Go 2 review here at Windows Central.
Before getting my hands on the newer handheld gaming PC, I was curious to see the physical design differences that it offers over the original device.
This page will only look at physical differences. If you want to see how Legion Go 2 performs compared to the previous model, you can check out my Legion Go 2 vs Legion Go comparison.
A more ergonomic casing and layout
- The overall shape of the Legion Go 2 is more rounded and offers a better ergonomic experience.
- Buttons, controls, and joysticks have been repositioned slightly on Legion Go 2, making them easier to reach without having to stretch fingers as far.
- The Legion Go 2 kickstand isn't as tall, but it still props the Legion Go 2 back to a similar degree.
- The Legion Go 2 display and controllers are thicker than the original handheld.
- The Legion Go 2 display is also wider on top and narrower on bottom to help tilt the screen toward the viewer without straining hands as much.
Rearranged ports and buttons, plus a new one
- The microSD card reader and headphone jack are on the bottom of the Legion Go 2, but on top of the Legion Go.
- The Legion Go 2's power button is much larger and now doubles as a fingerprint reader for fast login.
- The two volume buttons on the Legion Go 2 are now thin and oval instead of circular. They are also on the other side of the handheld.
- The top vents are larger and positioned differently to help the system cool more efficiently.
- The original handheld had a forward-facing camera, but the Legion Go 2 does not have a camera at all.
Controllers with better grips and positioning
- The Legion Go 2 controllers are larger and more rounded to fit hands better.
- Back button placement has been repositioned on Legion Go 2 and some of the buttons are smaller, which not only makes it easier to hold the device, but also reduces the chances of pressing these buttons by accident.
- The new bumpers are more triangularly shaped — larger on the side closer to the screen and narrower on the outside.
- The Legion Go 2 triggers are more pronounced and have more space for players to push down on them.
- These new controllers are larger at the top and narrower at the bottom. Despite this, the FPS mode switch and sensor are about the same size.
- The menu buttons located on the bottom half of the original Legion Go's left controller are now located under the Legion Space buttons on the top of either Legion Go 2 controller.
- There are two new buttons, located on the bottom half of the Legion Go 2's left TrueStrike controllers, these allow users to toggle between open windows or swap between a game and the desktop.
- The new thumb grips are larger with a wider joystick base for better control. Don't worry, these are still Hall effect joysticks.
- The D-pad has been changed and improves upon the original pressing experience.
- The RGB lighting area below the joysticks take up more space on the Legion Go 2.
- The ABXY buttons are larger and easier to access on the Legion Go 2.
- The touchpad on the Legion Go 2's right controller is slightly smaller.
Lenovo told me that the Legion Go 2 is backwards compatible with the original Legion Go controllers, so I swapped their controllers and tested to make sure it was true.
After playing a couple of games on either handheld with the other handheld's controllers, I can say that all of the buttons and controls work beautifully, but the devices do look a little silly with the other handheld's controllers in place.
As you can see, the Legion Go 2 controllers are taller than the Legion Go screen, which means the Legion Go 2's controllers on the original handheld makes it look like Dumbo. Meanwhile, the Legion Go controllers look too small for the larger Legion Go 2.
Games look so much better on an OLED display
- The Legion Go 2's display doesn't have as high a resolution, but it's still plenty crisp enough to show game details well (it also supports VRR and native landscape, which the Legion Go screen does not).
- The Legion Go 2's OLED panel produces a wider range of colors and thus more accurate colors than the Legion Go's IPS screen.
- Since the Legion Go 2's display is an OLED, it produces true black, which means darker scenes actually allow subtle colors to pop out against black instead of glowing grey and looking more muddled.
The Legion Go 2 has a much nicer layout and design than the original handheld
I've loved being able to use the Legion Go 2 to play my various games on Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and more. The new case design is far more comfortable for me to hold, while the buttons are easier to reach.
Since the buttons on the back have been minimized slightly and repositioned, I don't find myself accidentally pressing them in like I sometimes did on the original.
Additionally, being able to use a fingerprint reader has made logging in on the Legion Go 2 more convenient.
Of course, I could gush forever about the new OLED display. Game scenes look so much better on this new screen, with accurate coloring and vibrant details that pop against true black contrast.
All in all, Lenovo did an awesome job improving upon this next-gen gaming handheld's design.
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