Using Steam OS as a Desktop: My Experience with Legion Go S as a Work PC

Sure, here’s the rewrite:

First off, I gotta admit, Linux and I? Yeah, we’re strangers. Grew up messing with IBM PC-DOS as a kid, then hopped on the Windows train from 3.11 all the way up to now (skipped ME though, dodged a bullet there). Oh, and Macs? Since 2009, baby—started with that Leopard charm.

Why’d I suddenly dive into Linux? Well, I’ve got this Legion Go S handheld from Lenovo. Thought it’d be fun to mess around, maybe write a review on the Asus ROG Strix G16. Kind of an experiment, if you will.

Now I’m not a Linux veteran, just a curious noob trying things out, kinda like wandering into a party you weren’t invited to but sticking around for the snacks.

Figuring Out KDE Plasma on the Legion Go S

So, the Legion Go S kicks off in SteamOS. Makes sense for a gaming gadget, right? But there’s this KDE Plasma environment you can switch to for non-gaming stuff. To get there, you hold the power button for, like, four seconds. Boom, menu pops up, and you’re there.

The idea was to do some web stuff, write-ups, edit some pics, and shuffle files using my USB drives. Only hitch? Two USB-C ports are all you get. You’ll see why that’s a thing later.

I’ll say this—KDE Plasma is doable without a mouse or keyboard, just not ideal. Tried using it just on the device, minimal, straightforward stuff like web browsing? Sure. But typing a novel? Pfft, nah.

Grabbed my trusty Logitech—cheap and cheerful from Target, gets the job done. But guess what? Needed an adapter ’cause, surprise, surprise, Logitech’s deal is USB-A. Thankfully, I’m a hoarder of adapters, so crisis averted.

Honestly, navigating KDE? Felt like Windows in a lot of ways. Weird, right? Everything just clicked in place—dock, settings, all that.

App Quest in KDE Plasma

Being online was set during the SteamOS setup. First task? Find a browser. I went with Edge ’cause, confession time, I’m hooked on its ecosystem. Everything synced, no fuss, no muss. Now installing it? Took forever. Internet speed’s usually solid, so this slow crawl was maddening.

Eventually got set up. Logged into Edge like reuniting with an old friend. Internal 8-inch screen’s good, but my eyes said no. So, I hooked up to an Espresso Displays 15 Pro. Only snag? The Legion couldn’t power it. What to do? Added a power adapter and voila! 4K KDE glory.

With that, I dove into Microsoft Word online, typing away on my review like I was on a regular setup.

Hurdles and Adaptations

Next trick up my sleeve was my FLIR C2 camera for heat checks. But, two ports, remember? Had to sacrifice the keyboard and mouse to connect it. It worked, but the device seemed to have beef with its own touchpad, rebooting every time I tried. Couldn’t win ’em all.

Switched around, rearranged connections, tinkered till I got those images. Google Photos made it easy to snag my phone snaps, so I grabbed GIMP for edits—my go-to when away from my beloved Pixelmator.

Reflecting on This Linux Tangent

Honestly, the whole ordeal was just me being curious about if a gaming handheld could double as a productivity station. Apart from the touchpad tantrum, it worked out. External devices played nice, online tools rolled smoothly—a different kind of fun.

Using KDE Plasma handheld-only felt like a no-go, but having those USB-C ports saved my experimental setup. No docking station around, for now, but I’m tempted to get one for these spontaneous missions.

All told, for a gadget meant for play, the Legion Go S held its own in the work world. Just don’t expect too much, and you’ll be fine.