When Lenovo's Legion Play appeared as a failed prototype at the beginning of the year, we thought all ideas for a Lenovo gaming handheld were over. But as it turns out, Lenovo's handheld dreams may be back in the form of the Legion Go portable gaming machine.

The Legion Go honestly sounds like a Pokémon game, but at least the name is easier to pronounce than, say, rival AOKZOE A1 Pro. Whether the specs can compete with it, as well as other competing handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally and Steam Deck, is another matter.

Indeed, something like Logitech's Android-based G Cloud didn't work out, which is probably why the Legion Go was scrapped altogether.

As for Lenovo's previous attempt to jump on the handheld bandwagon, the Legion Play was set to be an Android-based device, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G processor. sources at Windows Central say that the Legion Go will instead be a Windows 11-based gaming handheld and will be powered by one of AMD's portable hybrid Phoenix processors.

Therefore, several forms are possible with regard to core configuration. The most likely is an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U with 8 cores and 16 threads, similar to the AOKZOE A1, but it depends on whether Asus has exclusive rights to ROG's higher clocked Z1 Extreme.

That means that depending on the screen size and other specs, it could average 37 fps in cyberpunk 2077 if it's lucky; Windows Central expects it to have an 8-inch panel equivalent to the A1 Pro, though larger than the ROG Ally . There are no hints about resolution or refresh rate, however, but a bright 1200p panel at 120Hz would be very welcome.

Some time ago, we spotted a prototype of the Legion Play for sale in China.

With a codename like "Zelda," it's clear that Lenovo drew inspiration from Nintendo for the Play's design. That's especially evident in the curvy aesthetic, though the company may yet decide to move from a bubbly look to something a little sharper as it ramps up the specs. I do like the cutesy vibe, however.

I'd like to see at least 4GB of RAM increased from Play's 4GB and a slightly larger 1080p panel.