Rumour has it that Lenovo plans to develop a successor to its popular Legion Go handheld console, released just months ago in October 2023, with work confirmed to be underway on the unofficially named Lenovo Legion Go 2. Rivals like the Asus ROG Ally are also speculated to have successors in development, which proves that handheld PC gaming might not be a fad after all.
Some of the best gaming consoles are beginning to embrace portability, with brands like PlayStation now entering the handheld market with the mixed-reviewed PlayStation Portal. While none of the latest models have been able to snatch the crown from Valve's popular Steam Deck console, could we see a version 2.0 of these handhelds ranking better?
At the Lenovo Innovate 2024 conference in Thailand, Lenovo revealed to journalists that the company is very focused on making improvements to the current Legion Go console, with future updates and features pending.
Lenovo's APAC Gaming Category Manager, Clifford Chong, confirmed in conversation with Australian journalist, Chris Stead, that a lot of resources are being spent on improving the current Legion Go handheld, with engineering efforts being made to bring the next wave of features to the console.
"We are still spending a lot of resources improving on the current Legion Go over the span of the last 6 months since launch. We have unlocked from day one until now a lot more experiences and there are still engineering efforts to try to bring the next wave of features to the product. Definitely, it's a product category that we do see potential in and that we will continue to invest in, and we are looking towards when the time is right to have a next-generation to provide even more features."
Despite the improvements and updates being made to the current console, Clifford confirmed that a next-generation console is being considered for "when the time is right", but when could this be? Clifford's full response and statement on the Legion Go can be seen in the YouTube video below, uploaded by Chris Stead.
ASUS confirmed earlier this year that a ROG Ally 2 is already in development, and Asus India's VP of Consumer and Gaming PCs, Arnold Su, verified that it would be launching as early as this year. The ASUS ROG Ally has seen an uptake in popularity thanks to generous seasonal discounts, and by entering more budget-friendly and affordable territory, dropping to as low as $399 at retailers.
This makes the ASUS ROG Ally not only a worthy Steam Deck rival, but more affordable than the Lenovo Legion Go handheld too at this time (retailing for $699). If Lenovo hopes to stay ahead of the game, it might want to hurry along with those updates or think about releasing a successor before ASUS does.
Clifford said he was heartened by the response to the Legion Go in Asian-specific markets, and it's true that the larger 8.8-inch 2.5K resolution display helped the console to stand out in a gaming market with primarily smaller screens. Lenovo's controversially large display and detachable controllers were well-received amongst gamers, and we hope the company will keep these features for a version 2.0 console.
Will we see a Legion Go 2 in 2024?
While we can never say never, the takeaway from this roundtable interview should highlight that Lenovo is well aware of the handheld gaming category's potential and that the company is looking forward to sharing the news about a device successor when the time is right.
This could be years from now, or some speculate it could be in October 2024 – the same month that the Legion Go was released last year. Our sister site, Laptop Mag, has a theory that Lenovo could plan to release on a biennial pattern, launching one new gaming handheld every two years. Or it could even alternate seasons with a year and six months between each release.
Not all competitors have to follow a similar release pattern, though, so even if we do see an Asus ROG Ally 2 this year, there's no guarantee Lenovo will retaliate. Valve waited just under two years until it released the OLED successor to its flagship Steam Deck, with a few improvements, so only time will tell.
