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Windows Central
Windows Central
Technology
Rebecca Spear

SteamOS Legion Go S prices surged once again ahead of the gaming handheld's May launch — Tariffs are likely the cause

Angled look at the black Lenovo Legion Go S Powered by SteamOS. .

Lenovo Legion Go S SteamOS has seen yet another price increase ahead of its approaching May 25, 2025, release date (as listed at Best Buy). Currently, the starting price is 20% higher than what was initially revealed.

It's very likely this price increase is in relation to the tariff situation in the U.S., which will continue to affect the prices of various imported electronics.

How much does Legion Go S SteamOS sell for now?

We were able to go handson with the Legion Go S SteamOS at CES 2025. (Image credit: Windows Central | Zachary Boddy)
A Windows version of the Legion Go S already launched earlier this year. (Image credit: Windows Central / Lenovo)

I've been keeping an eye on gaming handheld prices over the last few weeks to see if they are affected by tariffs.

When Lenovo revealed the SteamOS Legion Go S at CES 2025, the starting MSRP for the configuration with an AMD Z2 Go chip, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD was listed as $499.99.

A few weeks later, I reported that the upcoming SteamOS version of the Legion Go S gaming handheld was listed as $50 higher, bringing the total starting price to $549.99.

But now, the starting price of the Legion Go S SteamOS has gone up another $50, bringing the total to $599.99 at Best Buy — that's $100 more expensive than initially revealed in January.

Current price

Handheld

$499.99 $549.99 $599.99

Lenovo Legion Go SteamOS (Z2 Go chip, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD)

$749.99 $829.99

Lenovo Legion Go SteamOS (Z1 Extreme chip, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD)

As you'd expect, the more expensive configuration for the Legion Go S SteamOS, which features an AMD Z1 Extreme chip, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD has also increased by $80, bringing it up from $749.99 to $829.99 at Best Buy.

Lenovo isn't the only with costlier handhelds. Since the tariffs were announced, the MSI Claw AI+ gaming handhelds' pricing also increased by $100, so it isn't too surprising to see Lenovo's handhelds do the same.

Will the Legion Go S SteamOS price go back down?

It's possible the Legion Go S SteamOS price could change in the future. (Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)

Just this morning, the US and China agreed to pause most tariffs for 90 days. "The agreement reduces U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, and China's tariffs on American goods from 125% to 10%, marking a significant de-escalation in the trade dispute."

So, does this mean Legion Go S SteamOS prices will go back down? It's possible, but not guaranteed.

When I previously reported Legion Go S price increases, I reached out to a Lenovo rep for comment and was told:

"As with many consumer tech products, pricing can vary slightly depending on the retail channel and launch timing. We announced a starting price of $499 to reflect the expected entry point for this product. Final pricing however may vary slightly depending on configuration, channel, and other factors. Retailers may set their own pricing based on their promotional strategies or offers."

Tariffs have certainly been affecting the "retail channel" of the Lenovo Legion Go, which is largely manufactured in and imported from China. That said, the China-US trade deal has been rather volatile, with wild fluctuations over the last few weeks.

It's possible the price of the Legion Go S SteamOS could go up or could go down in the next few months, but that could largely depend on the state of the tariff situation and how retailers decide to price the handheld.

What is the Legion Go S SteamOS?

The SteamOS version of the Legion Go S has a Steam button. (Image credit: Windows Central / Lenovo)

In case you didn't already know, the Legion Go S SteamOS stands out as the very first PC gaming handheld that will launch with SteamOS officially installed on it. This, of course, makes it the first true, direct-competitor to the Steam Deck.

My colleague, Zachary Boddy, and I were able to go hands-on with both the Windows and SteamOS versions of the Legion Go S in January. We both walked away feeling impressed by the physical feel and balance of the hardware.

Since then, the Windows version has launched. As you can see in Zachary's Legion Go S (Windows) review, we weren't really impressed by the Windows version, but believe that the SteamOS version could be a noteworthy gaming handheld.

Another thing to note here is that SteamOS will officially be made available to more devices soon.

I've previously written about the pros and possible cons of SteamOS coming to other gaming handhelds. One thing I couldn't have foreseen when writing that up was how costly the Legion Go S SteamOS would get by launch.

To be fair, the starting price of the Legion Go S SteamOS is cheaper than some Windows gaming handhelds, but it's no longer the budget option I initially saw it as.

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