Info Legion Go S - Z1 Extreme - Oversold @ Best Buy

[SyCoREAPER]

Today the Legion Go S, Z1 Extreme version, not the inferior Z2 Go should release.

Best Buy's site only very sporadically has had the preorder button available and is often "Coming Soon".

Well surprise. Instead of shipping out a day early to deliver on time, they are waiting until today for the scalpers. Tomorrow is a holiday so nothing will be going out. When confronted about this, I was informed that my pre-order is more or less a "paper pre-order", no warehouses have any.

This isn't so much an issue about the product itself but Best Buy as company as a whole. They have already been in decline for many years and they just screw up constantly.

Does anyone even still use or for that matter like using them these days? For me it's a last resort.

 

[Math Geek]

my local stores get worse and worse every time i stop in. nothing is on the shelf and asking someone about availability yields them going to the website to see what they have ???

i only go there if i need it now and can't wait for it to be delivered. that's assuming they even have what i want. their pc parts options are not very good and overpriced.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Unfortunately that's exactly it. Literally nobody else let you pre-order and most places don't have it listed (yet?). Not Amazon, not Microcenter. It was a no other choice.

As for them using the website they do the same except the regurgitate what I just said. Your website says you have 2...
Ok let me check.. alright the website says we have two, let me find someone for you from that department (15 minutes ago).

I really do hate them and like for you absolute last resort. I can't wait for them to tank. My use of them stopped when they screwed the high tier Platinum/Elite members and now no points altogether. Also their price match? Yeah, only in a threshold.

/Rant.

Just annoyed. Really wanted to not sit behind a desk again after work all the time.

 

[thestryker]

I wouldn't be particularly surprised if these were tariff victims. I noticed the prices on the MSI claws were up and nothing in stock.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I wouldn't be particularly surprised if these were tariff victims. I noticed the prices on the MSI claws were up and nothing in stock.

I did see that as well, though I dodged a bullet with even the newest 8AI+ Claw.

The only thing availble plentiful are the original LeGo and Ally/X, which would line up as surplus and the newest models being 'held up'.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Aaand confirmed.
Just got an email "In the unlikely (...mhmmm) event it doesn't ship by Sunday we will refund you". Oh gee you don't have something and will give me my money back, how novel.

No option to decline and hold out.

I smell (a second) price increase or there never was any inventory.

 

[thestryker]

I'm guessing you want this one over the Ally X due to the screen size?

I have an Ally and have liked it fine, but if I replace it I think I want an 8" screen in the same general size. I kicked around getting the new Claw once sales happened, but it doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. At this point I think I'll just wait for the rest of the Z2 stuff to ship at minimum and maybe even wait and see what Celestial in PTL performs like.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I'm guessing you want this one over the Ally X due to the screen size?

I have an Ally and have liked it fine, but if I replace it I think I want an 8" screen in the same general size. I kicked around getting the new Claw once sales happened, but it doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. At this point I think I'll just wait for the rest of the Z2 stuff to ship at minimum and maybe even wait and see what Celestial in PTL performs like.

Somehow I wasnt notified about your message.
There are a few reasons. First is Asus seems like a lottery. Everything ever sold will have a few products with issues but with the original Ally burning up SD-Cards and the AllyX having a fairly common trend of the same failure point is concerning.
Second, the screen is playing a role. I love the size of my original but maybe just a tad smaller, just not AllyX small. Too late to turn back now though for the original.
Lastly, the extra RAM. It's yet to be seen if it will be 6400MTs (Like the Z2 Go) or toggelable to 7500MTs (like the original) and the extra 8GB total. 16GB of VRAM while leaving 16GB for the OS is a good balance.
Actually, a final point. It's Steam Certified and can run Windows so I can choose what I want without the incredible work of unofficial Bazzite.

As for the Z2, everything that's been reported so far says the only significant difference is battery life. Performance is marginal. With that and the uncertainty of the political and electronic industry climate, I don't want to get taxed to death not to mention compete with those waiting for the Z2 not knowing the only minor improvements relying on that it's a 'next-gen chip' in name.

---

For the other two people (humor?) that pre-ordered, check your emails. Best Buy sent me a $50 gift card and extended the preorder window.

 

[thestryker]

Actually, a final point. It's Steam Certified and can run Windows so I can choose what I want without the incredible work of unofficial Bazzite.

FWIW with 3.7 going public SteamOS has improved support to the point where the only thing missing from the Ally is OS native TDP control (plugin gets around this).

 

[SyCoREAPER]

FWIW with 3.7 going public SteamOS has improved support to the point where the only thing missing from the Ally is OS native TDP control (plugin gets around this).

The QC of the hardware itself is still an issue for me. Especially with how they have handled Warranty in the past for myself and confirmed by other outlets.

The Ally(X) is a capable and nice machine, if the lottery is in your favor.

Same thing with my Strix Laptop, I got lucky not knowing there was a issue where the liquid metal wasn't applied properly. I had a batch # that was a later but not latest model that was among the best. The odds of winning twice are stacked against me.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Finally got mine. Love that Best Buy didn't ship it in any further protection... At least they didn't staple the display.

Haven't gotten to use it yet much as i was prepping it for Windows. I did play with SteamOS and it's buggy in it's current state. Same thing (don't care for him) ETAPrime observed.

Ergonomically great, screen is still good for the size reduction from the original LeGo.

The one thing that boggles my mind, they made the smart move to allow full size NVMe drives despite coming with a smaller one. Yet opening it while looking easy is a pain. Plastic clips that can (and do...) break everywhere to open it.

Doubtful but if anyone has questions feel free to ask

 

[LordVile]

Finally got mine. Love that Best Buy didn't ship it in any further protection... At least they didn't staple the display.

Haven't gotten to use it yet much as i was prepping it for Windows. I did play with SteamOS and it's buggy in it's current state. Same thing (don't care for him) ETAPrime observed.

Ergonomically great, screen is still good for the size reduction from the original LeGo.

The one thing that boggles my mind, they made the smart move to allow full size NVMe drives despite coming with a smaller one. Yet opening it while looking easy is a pain. Plastic clips that can (and do...) break everywhere to open it.

Doubtful but if anyone has questions feel free to ask

I don’t get the point over the original Go (which I have). I mainly use mine as a table top with an Xbox controller attached though so I might be missing something with the controllers.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I don’t get the point over the original Go (which I have). I mainly use mine as a table top with an Xbox controller attached though so I might be missing something with the controllers.

There are multiple upgrades but the biggest change isnt just enhancements but actually fix.

First, the display is a proper horizontal screen. That was for me and many others an issue. Be it scaling, drivers being able to be released among others with vertical panels.

Then there are pretty good enhancements. VRR, bigger battery, more VRAM, proper full-sized NVMe slot that doesn't get as hot, better speakers and placement, 100w Fast Charging.

Then the biggest negative and kick in the beans is no case included. Then the smaller screen but isn't as bad as it seems. Lower refresh and resolution but for those, it was so infrequent they could be achieved it want relevant to me.

It's more a mid-life upgrade like Nintendo does but it actually useful features. Is it worth switching over to from the original? Probably not, I only did because I sold mine to my brother to wait for this. If you are about to buy a handheld, this is absolutely the better choice over the original despite the higher price IMO.

 

[LordVile]

There are multiple upgrades but the biggest change isnt just enhancements but actually fix.

First, the display is a proper horizontal screen. That was for me and many others an issue. Be it scaling, drivers being able to be released among others with vertical panels.

Then there are pretty good enhancements. VRR, bigger battery, more VRAM, proper full-sized NVMe slot that doesn't get as hot, better speakers and placement, 100w Fast Charging.

Then the biggest negative and kick in the beans is no case included. Then the smaller screen but isn't as bad as it seems. Lower refresh and resolution but for those, it was so infrequent they could be achieved it want relevant to me.

It's more a mid-life upgrade like Nintendo does but it actually useful features. Is it worth switching over to from the original? Probably not, I only did because I sold mine to my brother to wait for this. If you are about to buy a handheld, this is absolutely the better choice over the original despite the higher price IMO.

I bought mine a while ago and yeah it seems like a mid cycle refresh rather than a full on two. I’ll probably wait to see what the Xbox ally X is like as a next device. I’m happy with the Go but no VRR is a little annoying sometimes

 

[thestryker]

I'm disappointed Asus isn't moving to an 8" screen so that immediately takes the forthcoming Ally off the table for me. MSI has the Z2E Claw coming which should be identical to the current LNL Claw 8" form factor. Of course these are all launching later in the year which means I'll be waiting to see what PTL performance looks like before getting any new handheld. Leaks saying 4/12 Xe3 core configurations for it so any handheld would be using 12 which is a 50% increase over LNL on top of being newer architecture.

ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds Revealed: Experience Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Gears of War: Reloaded and More - Wherever You Go - Xbox Wire

Announcing the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X— two new handhelds that combine the power of Xbox with the freedom of Windows.

news.xbox.com

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I'm disappointed Asus isn't moving to an 8" screen so that immediately takes the forthcoming Ally off the table for me. MSI has the Z2E Claw coming which should be identical to the current LNL Claw 8" form factor. Of course these are all launching later in the year which means I'll be waiting to see what PTL performance looks like before getting any new handheld. Leaks saying 4/12 Xe3 core configurations for it so any handheld would be using 12 which is a 50% increase over LNL on top of being newer architecture.

ROG Xbox Ally Handhelds Revealed: Experience Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Gears of War: Reloaded and More - Wherever You Go - Xbox Wire

Announcing the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X— two new handhelds that combine the power of Xbox with the freedom of Windows.

news.xbox.com

I didn't go with Asus because of the consistent issues with the original and X Ally models. Owners of the new Claw despite outstanding performance for what it is say don't buy it. Lenovo is far from innocent (like them purging the forum hiding all past issues).

Handhelds are either in their infancy or a fad like 3D. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

 

[thestryker]

Handhelds are either in their infancy or a fad like 3D. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

I think the biggest issue is that the margins are tight on the mass market ones. The LNL Claws both released at prices lower than that of any equivalent laptops at the time and the handheld market is undoubtedly smaller. That means any benefits from using less hardware is likely more than negated by lower volume.

I think if the hardware makers really want them to be successful they have to embrace longer time between models and also not be afraid of doing a refresh. They're completely beholden to whatever CPU design is on the market so I think 3-4 years between true updates might be the way to go. While refreshes probably won't get most people to upgrade they can appeal well to fence sitters.

I didn't go with Asus because of the consistent issues with the original and X Ally models.

I've had zero issues with mine (day one Z1E), but I also don't really use 25/30W modes at all and used a custom fan curve early on since the default one was bad. I'd also be surprised if the Ally didn't have the majority of the market which inherently means more complaints.

 

[SyCoREAPER]

I think the biggest issue is that the margins are tight on the mass market ones. The LNL Claws both released at prices lower than that of any equivalent laptops at the time and the handheld market is undoubtedly smaller. That means any benefits from using less hardware is likely more than negated by lower volume.

I think if the hardware makers really want them to be successful they have to embrace longer time between models and also not be afraid of doing a refresh. They're completely beholden to whatever CPU design is on the market so I think 3-4 years between true updates might be the way to go. While refreshes probably won't get most people to upgrade they can appeal well to fence sitters.

I've had zero issues with mine (day one Z1E), but I also don't really use 25/30W modes at all and used a custom fan curve early on since the default one was bad. I'd also be surprised if the Ally didn't have the majority of the market which inherently means more complaints.

What I saw for Ally was SD cards melting. For the AllyX its stricks and triggers. All devices have issues but with ROG it seems like their handhelds are a lottery. You get a perfect one or don't.

I just saw the commercial for the Xbox version, by accident from the post above by whoever it was. Looks like just a Xbox controller flavored Ally/X with maybe a (non)competitor interface from MS to Valve. Says Ryzen powered and focus| on streaming while passively mentioning Windows.
I wouldn't hold my breath.

The Claw just really fell flat with all but one one model the 8+AI whatever it was but it's out of stock and also seems hit or miss.

I certainly hope they don't lose interest. If MS continues on the games as a subscription model rather than hardware, I think they have a chance.