The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is here, and it’s not cheap.
My preferred gaming handheld over the past few years has been the Lenovo Legion Go. I’ve tried the ASUS ROG Ally range, I own the Steam Deck, and I’ve even tried esoteric options from GPD and other lesser-known brands. But I always come back to the Lenovo Legion Go.
The massive screen is ultimately what clinches it for me. The vast majority of games designed for PC and consoles are built with large screens in mind, not handhelds, meaning that UI elements are harder to parse on the 7-inch range displays found in the ASUS ROG Ally, Xbox Ally / X, and Steam Deck. At least for me and my terrible eyes, that is.
The VRR display on the ASUS ROG Ally and upcoming Xbox Ally has been something I’ve sorely missed, which is why I was grateful the Lenovo Legion Go 2 actually has it in tow. The Legion Go’s kickstand has also been a boon as someone who uses it frequently on trains, planes, and in hotel rooms — even as a productivity replacement laptop.
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 preorder cycle has been nothing short of a debacle, for a variety of reasons.
As such, I was excited when I saw the Lenovo Legion Go 2 emerge for preorders, although I was less excited when I saw the price.
Running all the way up to $1350, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 is making no attempt to hide its premium edge. VRR OLED, detachable sticks, trackpad, and a variety of other additional custom parts, and even tariffs are likely to blame for the sticker shock — but my birthday is coming up, so I figured I’d treat myself (and make bad financial decisions), and use it to bring you guys some comparison content vs. the Xbox Ally / X in the future.
Or at least … I would try to treat myself (and make bad financial decisions).
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 preorder cycle has been nothing short of a debacle, for a variety of reasons.
From sticker shock to shipping shock
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 went up for preorder in various territories last week, across the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and others. The 1TB Z2 Extreme option set me back £1099 GBP or $1500 USD, far in excess of what United States users are paying, despite the lack of tariffs.
But hey, the UK typically gets screwed on pricing, so I wasn’t entirely shocked.
What did shock me was how the shipping dates rapidly changed. When I preordered initially, Lenovo had listed the shipping date as today, September 16, 2025. However, that shipping date magically changed to October 24, 2025, over a month from the initial purchase. Lenovo initially set a hold on my payment in my account for the purchase, but has since released the hold, oddly.
It turns out I’m not alone.
The Legion Go subreddit and other communities on Facebook have been irritated by the lack of communication, as well as the apparent under-stocking of the device.
Canceled my Legion Go 2 preorder, disappointed by the communication from r/LegionGo
There are a variety of posts blasting Lenovo for the bait and switch, listing this week as the shipping date, only to change it up at the last minute, indicating that Lenovo completely misjudged how much stock they might need.
It’s probably not a surprise. Lenovo said in an interview not long ago that the Legion Go 2 was intended for premium users, and likely underestimated how much demand there might be, especially faced with competition from the similarly-specced Xbox Ally X, which is also expected to be a fair bit cheaper.
It probably hasn’t helped that Microsoft and ASUS have yet even to make the Xbox Ally available for preorder, and users who might have been saving their cash for the Xbox-branded competitor might have just decided to put their money into camp Lenovo instead. But it’s pretty clear that Lenovo jumped the gun here, and the communication so far has been nonexistent.
I spoke to a Lenovo customer service rep who told me that they’d “escalate” my request for a firm shipping date from the firm, but I have yet to hear back — a similar situation to many others on the Lenovo Legion Go subreddit and similar Facebook groups.
To be cynical, you must wonder if Lenovo just rushed out its preorder window to head off the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X, which has yet to see ASUS or Microsoft fully commit to a price tag.
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is now listed as “coming soon”
My order page still lists October 24, 2025, as the shipping date, alongside many others — but Lenovo has fully taken down the preorder page, likely in response to demand. Clearly, Lenovo wasn’t prepared for the number of users who might want this thing, and the lack of communication so far has been incredibly annoying.
Microsoft and ASUS are gearing up to launch the Xbox Ally and Xbox Ally X on October 16, and neither has been forthcoming with an Xbox Ally price or preorder date as of yet. Given the rush of interest in the Lenovo Legion Go 2, despite its absolutely enormous price tag, you’d have to wonder if Microsoft and ASUS might be underestimating demand on their end, too.
Microsoft, PlayStation, and other platform holders make money primarily on the software and services they sell attached to their console devices, but hardware OEMs like ASUS and Lenovo rely entirely on hardware sales. Overstocking their products is a big no-no, as unsold stock sitting in warehouses batters the thin margins they typically enjoy on devices like this.
Lenovo and ASUS are making little to no money on the software and services side with devices like these. Keeping tight tabs on stock levels is more crucial than it might be with a Microsoft or Sony, which sell their devices in an ongoing fashion through the entire generation.
Still, there’s no excuse for the lack of communication over the shipping date, nor the misjudgment of demand here. You’d have to wonder if Xbox and ASUS are similarly underestimating demand ahead of the Xbox Ally’s October 16, 2025, launch window. They are niche devices, without a doubt, but we’re also in the second generation of the hardware. People who held off are more keen to buy the second time around, and devices like the Xbox Ally and Steam Deck have undoubtedly raised the profile of the entire segment.
Hopefully, Microsoft and ASUS are watching Lenovo’s troubles unfold and are working to avoid similar frustration ahead of next month.
#hype #headache #Legion #Go2 #preorder #delays #hit #hard
