5 Lenovo Legion Go tips and tricks to up your game

The Lenovo Legion Go is one of the best Steam Deck alternatives. It's powered by Windows, so it is immediately familiar to most PC users, and the large, high-refresh-rate screen is gorgeous to use. Adding to the versatility are removable controllers that hide a unique FPS mode where one controller turns into a gun-grip mouse. It could do with some improvements for the second version, but it's a great first attempt from Lenovo in the handheld gaming space. Like any other handheld console, your experience can be improved by changing some of the default settings.

These tips will get you better acquainted with your new console and improve your experience as you navigate the quirks of Windows on a smaller screen.

5 Use Legion Space to your advantage

Tweak a few settings

Finally, I want to touch on the software that's running on top of Windows called Legion Space. This is Lenovo's way to manage your Legion Go settings. There are more than a few things you'll want to tweak here to get a better experience on your Legion Go.

1. Open the Legion Space app. It will typically launch automatically. If an update is available, Legion Space will grab the latest version. Keep the app updated, as you'll also get controller firmware updates from here.
   
2. When gaming in handheld mode, visit Performance and then Thermal Mode. Choose the Custom option and set it to 30W. Also, change the OS Power Mode to Performance. Changing this will drain your battery quicker, and you'll hear the fans kick up to high speed, but it also gets you better frames in most games.
   
3. Under Menu, click the Settings cog and choose General. Disable the option to Boot automatically into Legion Space. By disabling Legion Space when not needed, you'll have more system resources available for your games. I usually only boot the app when I need it.
   

4 Set your triggers to left-click and right-click, joysticks to navigate Windows

Better navigation on Windows

If you're planning to use the Lenovo Legion Go as a Windows tablet, you should tweak your settings in Steam to use the joystick as a mouse or the shoulder buttons to right-click and left-click instead of having to rely on the touchscreen or trackpad. This feature is natively available on the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, but not on the Legion Go. However, you can enable it using Steam and keep the app running in the background to maintain it.

1. Download and install Steam.
2. Launch the Steam app.
3. Click Steam at the top of the app.
   
4. Choose Settings.
5. Choose Controller.
   
6. Choose Enable input for Xbox Controller and make sure it's on.
7. Scroll down to Desktop Layout.
   
8. Click Edit and pay attention to the controls you see on the screen.
9. Press B to exit.
   
10. Make sure to adjust the Right Joystick controller down to 130%.

For this adjustment to work, you have to keep Steam running in the background, but it's worth it to be able to navigate Windows using the controllers. I found that the built-in trackpad on the controller was way too slow for my liking, and tapping it for right-clicks and left-clicks was too slow. With these options, everything feels smoother when web browsing and using Windows daily.

3 Customize the audio to your liking

Realtek Audio Console to the rescue

One of the biggest complaints about the Lenovo Legion Go is the audio quality. Reviewers (and myself) noticed that the speakers sounded too soft, sometimes muffled, even compared to the Steam Deck and other handheld devices. Well, the good news is that an app that's already pre-installed on your handheld can improve the audio experience. It's the Realtek Audio Console.

1. Open the Start Menu.
2. Search for Realtek.
   
3. Launch the Realtek Audio Console.
4. Choose Speakers.
   
5. Set Omni Speaker to On.
6. Choose one of the presets, like Powerful.
   

Once you finish the setup, close the app. The next time you boot into a game, you should really hear the difference. You can go back and modify this to your heart's content, too.

2 Change the available VRAM in the BIOS

Unlocking better performance in games

One of the first things I did when I received my Legion Go was to change the available VRAM in settings. The AMD Z1 Extreme CPU inside the Legion Go is still powerful, but many modern games can be pretty demanding regarding performance. I found that games like Forza Motorsport didn't have enough VRAM for adequate gameplay, since the default is 3GB. Other gaming handhelds like the ROG Ally have a higher amount allocated out of the box. That's why it is essential to tweak the available VRAM in the settings so that games can perform better, and you can play at higher resolution and refresh rates.

1. Turn off your Legion Go.
2. Then press the volume down, volume up, and power button simultaneously.
3. When the Novo Button Menu appears, use your fingers and tap on BIOS Setup.
   
4. Choose More Settings from the bottom of the screen.
   
5. Tap Configuration.
6. Tap UMA Buffer Size and choose an amount. The higher, the better. Try 8GB to start, and if you notice any issues with your games, dial it back down to 6GB.
   
7. Tap Exit.
8. Tap Exit saving changes.
   
9. Tap Yes.

Once you change the setting, your Legion Go should feel snappier while playing games, since more system resources are allocated. I found that this increased Forza Motorsport performance and framerates instantly - on low settings it went from 20 to 30 frames per second.

Doing this has one major drawback though; it doesn't just pull VRAM from thin air. Instead, it uses your available RAM to provide more VRAM to the GPU. In other words, you may need to tweak this setting a bit to make it work for the games that you play and it might even hinder your Windows experience, too.

1 Update your graphics drivers

This enables you to play newer games without issues

The Lenovo Legion Go ships with outdated AMD graphics drivers. Before downloading your games, I highly suggest updating your graphics drivers. When I tried playing games like Starfield and Forza Motorsport, I got many notifications that my graphics drivers were out of date. I checked for driver updates on Windows Update, but none were available. I had to update the drivers manually.

1. Visit the support page for the Legion Go.
   
2. Choose Drivers and Software.
3. Choose Manual Update.
   
4. Choose Select Drivers.
5. Choose Graphics Processing Units.
   
6. Download the latest AMD Graphics Driver.

Once the graphics drivers are downloaded, launch the installer and follow the steps. Your games shouldn't be complaining about out-of-date drivers then, and you'll have access to more customizability in the AMD Radeon software.

There's so much more you can do!

One more quick tip before we go. You can press the Legion and L buttons to see all available shortcuts. I also suggest downloading the AMD Software Adrenalin Edition app and playing with the display and other settings. These can help you get better performance in games. Also, while the Legion Go comes with a hard shell case, it has no space for accessories like chargers. If you need more carrying capacity, check out our list of the best cases for the Legion Go.