Lenovo just teased a big silly folding handheld concept, and it's far from the Steam Deck rival I keep begging for

I doubt we'll get any new best gaming handheld contenders during RAMageddon, but Lenovo just shared a new Lenovo Legion Go Fold concept. The peculiar portable uses a hinged POLED display that can help double up as a dual-screen device and even a laptop, but I can't see it ever serving as a reasonable Steam Deck OLED alternative.

In a new blog post, Lenovo describes the Legion Go Fold Concept as "designed for gamers who don’t have hours to sit in front of a TV or PC, or who don’t want to juggle both a laptop for work and a handheld for gaming when travelling." That boils down to the would-be portable boasting "four distinct modes" ranging from a vanilla 7.7-inch "traditional" setup to something that looks like a Microsoft Surface Pro rip-off.

If I'm being real, the only thing helping this concept look like a handheld is its detachable controllers. That's right, even future designs are set to use similar TrueStrike gamepads to the OG Lenovo Legion Go, and while some improvements have apparently been made with the sequel, I wish the gaming laptop maker would just stick to integrated buttons (the Legion Go S proves this point).

Buried under what I'd call some needless transforming tricks that are trying to cover too many bases are some promising elements. For example, while the "Vertical Split-Screen Mode" is pitched as a way to stream or look at a walkthrough, I could see it becoming a really elaborate retro handheld for playing Nintendo 3DS games, just like the Ayaneo Flip DS or the much cheaper MagicX Zero 40 Android portable.

The analogue clock on the right gamepad also immediately caught my eye, but Lenovo avoids explaining what it actually is. I'm guessing that it's a tiny OLED screen that can display widgets and performance stats, and it could even serve as a touchpad alternative. I've yet to enjoy the latter on a handheld that isn't the Steam Deck, but this is hopefully a sign that Lenovo is looking for a way to resolve that.

I also enjoy the idea of using the Legion Go Fold on a tabletop just like a Switch 2, as its ability to morph would help it squeeze into tight situations, like those daft train tables, while expanding to 11.6 inches when the need arises, like when trying to play multiplayer. What I can't really get my head around is this concept's insistence that it should also be a gaming laptop, as the whole point of modern handhelds was to provide PC library access on something that feels like a portable console.

Okay, let's talk about the specs, as they're not the pipedream I was expecting. Lenovo's concept Legion Go S handheld would allegedly squeeze in an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and 32GB RAM, which just so happens to be the APU and memory combo as the MSI Claw 8 AI+. That does beg the question of whether we're talking about a sleek bendy device, or something that'll feel like you're snapping a chonky handheld in half, though, and the latter does upset me to my core.

Normally, I'd be open to believing concepts like the Legion Go Fold would eventually see the light of day. However, Lenovo's idea honestly feels like a hallucinatory dream you'd have while trying to find a handheld during RAMageddon for under $1,000. Yes, the allure of an oasis while we're all thirsty for new portables is tempting, but what we arguably need more now is the safety of a performant rival that can provide a next-gen portable punch while the Steam Deck is AWOL, especially since sub $500 options right now aren't carrying the baton of their successors.

If the ROG Xbox Ally X's cheaper white sibling and the Legion Go S used a chip that outpaces the Steam Deck and older competitors like the OG Asus ROG Ally, I'd be telling you to buy those. Unfortunately, that's not the case, and the landscape features either Ryzen Z2 options that feel pretty last gen or premium powerhouses that are continually rising in price.

That is to say that while Lenovo's new concept sounds fun, it's the last thing we need when the realm of handhelds in general is under threat. It sounds sad, but the sexiest thing any portable PC maker could do right now is just show us that the idea of affordably playing Steam games on the go is still a thing. Ooh la la.

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