Image: Mattias Inghe
Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- PCWorld confirmed that Lenovo will continue supporting the Legion Go handheld gaming device with driver and BIOS updates until October 2029.
- Recent rumors about discontinued driver support stemmed from a miscommunicated regional statement that was potentially mistranslated or outdated.
- Lenovo is actively collaborating with AMD to deliver thoroughly tested driver updates, ensuring long-term viability for first-generation Legion Go owners.
For the last week, owners of the original Legion Go, Lenovo’s big, complex answer to the Steam Deck, have been worried. Rumors spread that Lenovo had ended driver updates for the device just over two years after it was released. PCWorld can report Lenovo’s official response, revealed on the debut of the Expedition: Handheld podcast. Reports of the Legion Go’s demise are greatly exaggerated.
When Adam Patrick Murray reached out to Lenovo to comment on the situation, here’s what he got in response:
Support for the Lenovo Legion Go (8.8”, 1) has not been discontinued. Lenovo is actively continuing to support the Legion Go (8.8”, 1) with necessary driver and BIOS updates and will continue to do so through October 2029. Lenovo is working in concert with AMD on driver update cadence, and new updates will be released once they have passed Lenovo’s rigorous review protocols.
The mention of AMD is crucial, as the rumors began to spread that the Ryzen Z1 and Z1 Extreme CPU-GPU combo was the primary culprit here. Lenovo’s Korean branch gave a statement that said there are “no further driver update plans” for the original Legion Go, though that statement was machine translated. The news spread quickly, and users worried that other handheld gaming PCs that also use a Ryzen Z1 setup, like the original Asus ROG Ally, might already be nearing end-of-life.
That does not appear to be the case. Which is good, because the Legion Go is a premium device, costing a lot more than some of the alternatives — customers would be justifiably upset if they got only a couple years of support out of it. In Lenovo’s defense, it’s the largest PC manufacturer on the planet. Statements given by regional workers don’t always line up with home base, so this could simply be a case of missing or outdated information given to users too hastily.
If you want more on the latest and greatest handheld gaming devices, be sure to subscribe to Expedition: Handheld on your favorite podcast platform.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 15-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he’s the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop “battlestation” in his off hours. Michael’s previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he’s covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he’s always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.