If you’re anything like me, you love pushing your devices to their limits. Recently, I decided to take my Legion Go to the next level by installing Bazzite OS on it, and let me tell you—it was quite the adventure. Between downloading the ISO, swapping out my SSD, and getting things like Epic Games and Xbox Cloud Gaming running smoothly, I learned a lot along the way. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how it all went down and whether I think Bazzite OS is a good fit for the Legion Go. Check out my Youtube video on this install herehttps://youtu.be/OTnDA_EfmL8

The First Step: Downloading Bazzite OS

Before we get into the fun stuff, I had to start by grabbing the Bazzite OS ISO. Nothing too complicated—just a quick trip to the Bazzite website. What’s nice is that Bazzite tailors the download to your device, so I selected Legion Go as my system and picked the KDE desktop environment. I figured it would feel familiar since it’s kind of like Steam OS.

One thing Bazzite mentioned that caught my attention was the need to keep the BIOS updated on the Legion Go. Normally, this would mean setting up a dual boot with Windows, which I wasn’t too keen on doing. Fortunately, there’s a workaround that lets you skip the whole dual boot hassle, so I was relieved I wouldn’t need to juggle two operating systems.

Creating a Bootable USB (Rufus to the Rescue!)

Once I had the ISO, I needed to create a bootable USB. For that, I used Rufus—you can find it in the Microsoft Store. Honestly, Rufus made this part super easy. It recognized my USB drive right away, and after selecting the Bazzite ISO, I hit start. The whole process was smooth, and before I knew it, I had a bootable USB ready to go.

The SSD Swap (Yes, Again)

Now, here’s where things get interesting. I didn’t want to use the SSD that was already in my Legion Go, so I decided to swap it out. If you’ve been following my channel, you probably know that I’ve already upgraded the internal storage to 4 TB. But for this project, I swapped back to the original 2 TB SSD I installed from Inland.

Swapping SSDs on the Legion Go is actually pretty straightforward. The design of this device makes it one of the easier handhelds to open up—just remove the detachable controllers, lay it flat, and unscrew the six screws on the back. The trickiest part was prying it open, but with a little patience and a decent pry tool, I got it done. My dbrand skin took a bit of a hit during the process, but hey, better the skin than the device, right?

Once I had the case open, I unplugged the battery and replaced the SSD, adding a little thermal tape for good measure. After screwing everything back together (without fully securing the back until I knew it worked), it was time to move on to the main event—installing Bazzite.

The Moment of Truth: Installing Bazzite OS

With my shiny new bootable USB in hand, I was ready to install Bazzite. I held down the volume up and power button to bring up the boot menu, selected my USB flash drive, and chose the Install Bazzite OS option. Everything was going smoothly—until I hit a roadblock. Apparently, I didn’t have enough space. Oops.

Luckily, it was an easy fix. I clicked reclaim space, deleted all the previous data, and hit reclaim again. Crisis averted. I set up a user account and started the installation process. It did take a while, so I used the downtime to grab a snack (side note: snacking has been my downfall since starting YouTube).

Before I knew it, the install was done. After a quick reboot (or two), I found myself staring at the Bazzite desktop.

Setting Up Gaming Mode and Controls

Once I got Bazzite installed, it was time to really dig in. The setup utility was straightforward, though I kept getting pop-ups asking me to install the KDE wallet. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I needed it, so I just X’d out and moved on.

Switching to gaming mode was exciting—it took me right to Steam, where I logged into my account and started downloading games. As for the controls, I was already pretty familiar with Steam’s setup, so navigating wasn’t an issue. I did discover some cool features though, like using the right back button to access the TDP controls, and the left back button for the on-screen keyboard, which came in handy when browsing the store.

Adding Epic Games, YouTube, and Xbox Cloud Gaming

Of course, I couldn’t stop at just Steam. I had to get Epic Games and some other apps up and running. First, I installed the Heroic Games Launcher to play my Epic Games. It was super easy—I just found Heroic in the Discover app, installed it, and logged into my Epic account. Not every game worked (some had anti-cheat issues), but most of them ran without any hiccups.

Adding a YouTube shortcut was surprisingly simple. Using an app called Web Apps, I typed in the YouTube URL and added it to Steam as a non-Steam game. It wasn’t perfect—the fullscreen button didn’t work, but Theater mode did the job well enough.

Setting up Xbox Cloud Gaming, on the other hand, was a bit more involved. I had to install Microsoft Edge and follow a guide to create a shortcut that works in Steam. After some copy-pasting of scripts into the Bazzite terminal and changing the name to Xbox Cloud Gaming, I was good to go. I can now access my Game Pass Ultimate games directly from my Legion Go, which is awesome for cloud gaming on the go.

Battery Life: How Long Can You Game?

Now, let’s talk about battery life—something that’s always on my mind when I’m gaming. With 6 GB of RAMdedicated to the GPU and running at 20 watts, I tracked my playtime. I started with 98% battery at 10:27 AM, played a few games like Warframe and Helldivers 2, and finished at 11:44 AM with 11% battery remaining. So, I got around 1 hour and 17 minutes of gaming time with those settings.

Final Thoughts: Should You Install Bazzite OS?

So, is Bazzite OS worth installing on the Legion Go? Honestly, it depends. If you’re into customizing your devices and want to get away from Windows for a more streamlined gaming experience, Bazzite is an awesome choice. It’s perfect if you love tinkering with your setup and don’t mind troubleshooting a bit here and there.

But, if you’re more of a plug-and-play type of person who doesn’t want to deal with potential bugs or compatibility issues, it might not be for you. Some games won’t work, and there’s a learning curve with Bazzite’s interface.

For me? I’m loving Bazzite on my Legion Go, and I plan to keep it installed for a while. I’ve had fun learning the ins and outs of the system, and it’s nice to have such a customizable OS running on my handheld device.