The new Lenovo Legion Go S is a mainstream device, unlike its predecessor.

Since a few months we've been hearing about new Lenovo Legion Go portables, but up until now there was nothing official. Just the odd rumour and unofficial pictures of what appeared to be a new white chassis. We now have what appears to be official pictures of the new Legion Go S. They tell us quite a bit.

These renders are from Windows Central. They call them "official", and say that they have been "shared by our amazing and awesome source and confirmed to be genuine". They do look real. These renders seem to confirm that the previous unofficial shell images were legit. The new Legion Go appears to have a white casing with a design similar to the Asus ROG Ally.

The most noticeable changes, aside from the white body color, appear to be:

• Non-detachable Controllers
• The menu and view buttons have been moved to the top right.
• A nub instead of a trackpad
• One back-paddle per side
• The two USB Type-C ports are located on the top
• Front-facing speakers
• No rear kickstand

The design is noticeably shallower, and therefore more comfortable, than the ROG Ally. It's hard to achieve this with detachable controls like the first generation. But it makes sense that Lenovo would choose a step towards comfort with a version that has its controllers firmly and permanently fixed.

We can only assume the new Legion Go S has a smaller screen and lower resolution, and will be lighter (read: hopefully!) than the original. This would be a move in the direction of ROG Ally, which is lighter and more affordable.

I've used the original Lenovo Legion Go quite a bit and I can tell you that these changes will make a significant difference if they are all realized. This is not to say that they will make a significant positivedifference. The curvier controller, the front-facing speakers and the moved buttons will be very nice. I'm not sure about the lack of kickstands and detachable controls.

It's not just a handheld. That's one of the things I love most about the Legion Go. And it's what keeps it afloat, IMO, in a market that's becoming saturated. Its greatest draw is its versatility. You can remove the controllers and play from a distance (slightly). Of course, the big screen also helps.

What do you have left if you get rid of it? Another handheld just like the others. It's not a bad thing, per se. It's important to note that Lenovo is ditching the idea of being a jack-of all-trades and stepping more decisively into the mainstream handheld markets.

As with other large handheld players, the question will be whether it can follow through. Pricing will be key, and competition has been heating up for the affordable segment where the Legion Go S is aimed. The ROG Ally costs $484 on Amazon. If you want super cheap, the Steam Deck is only $399.

There are also other Legion Go models with which it may have to compete. The original is still available, but rumours suggest that two new models will be released in addition to the S version.

The S variant, however, is said to be equipped with a Rembrandt-based processor. Meanwhile the upcoming Legion Go handhelds will reportedly sample the entire generational range of AMD Z2 processors. We're expecting three different models: a Hawk Point (previous-gen, like the original Legion Go), Strix Point (current-gen), Rembrandt (two generations old). Strix Point is the one we're most interested in from a performance standpoint.

I could speculate until the calendar flips to summer, but we will have to wait. Lenovo is leaning toward "mainstream" for now.