The Lenovo Legion Go is a great Windows-based gaming handheld that is in fierce competition with other popular handhelds like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally. But the Legion Go has one massive fault that has stopped users from picking up the device: the thumbstick dead zones. One of the most important factors to consider when gaming, especially if you are doing it professionally, is the sensitivity of your controller’s thumbsticks, which can make or break your gaming experience on any device.
Although the Lenovo Legion Go does have a big problem with thumbstick dead zones, there are a few settings you can change on the device to improve this, and hopefully help you have a better gaming experience.
What are thumbstick dead zones?
A thumbstick dead zone is best described as the amount of movement needed on the thumbstick to register movement in-game. This better translates to the sensitivity and registration of movement in the game, and can definitely be a dealbreaker for gamers, especially in fast-paced FPS games and other multiplayer experiences. The sensitivity of your joystick plays a vital role in gaming, as the player who can move and look faster will often win the match.
Thumbstick dead zones are programmed into games in a multitude of ways. For example, some developers program dead zone sensitivity into game settings to allow users to customize their input or set it to a standard. Controller manufacturers also program a dead zone range into the controllers themselves. Game application launchers allow you to customize your dead zone for games. So now that we know how important a controller’s thumbstick dead zone is, let’s look at a few ways to fix it.
How to adjust a thumbstick’s dead zone on the Lenovo Legion Go
Lenovo has heard their user’s complaints about the device’s thumbstick issues, and they have since released a dedicated controller dead zone and sensitivity settings menu in the V1.0.2.5 Legion Space firmware update.
1. Open the Legion Go’s settings menu (top right function button) and open the Controller menu.
2. Press the first option to Adjust dead zone.
3. You can change the Left Stick dead zone by moving the slider to the right.
4. Then change your Right Stick dead zone in the same way.
- It is recommended to change both settings to the same number. If you want to change them separately, you can, but they will then have to be changed on a game-to-game basis.
5. If the thumbstick still doesn’t feel right for you, you can open the Adjust sensitivity option in the Controller menu.
6. You can now use the sensitivity response curve to Adjust joystick sensitivity on both the Left Stick and Right Stick.
These dead zone and sensitivity settings will take effect across all of your games on the device. But these settings may not be registered by the game launcher you use or the individual game you are playing. If this is the case, then you can change these settings in your game launcher or in the game settings to get the effect that you want.
How to adjust a thumbstick dead zone in Steam
There are a plethora of game launchers available for you to use on the Lenovo Legion Go, but the most popular game launcher is Steam. Below we’ll cover the steps you’ll need to do to fix your thumbstick dead zone for games in your Steam library.
1. To start, open the Steam application, and then click on Steam in the top right corner.
2. Click on the Settings option.
3. A new window will open. From here, click on the Controller option.
- If you’re using a normal controller, you will need to plug it in before you can change its settings.
4. Next, open the Calibration & Advanced Settings option.
5. A new window will open on the controller’s thumbstick sensitivity. Click on the Left Joystick and change the sensitivity until you are happy with it.
6. Now, click on the Right Joystick and set it to the same sensitivity.
- You can set the joysticks to different sensitivities if you need them for your game, but this will then have to be changed on a game-to-game basis.
How to adjust a thumbstick dead zone in your game settings
If the Lenovo Legion Go controller settings don’t work in the game you are playing, or the game launcher settings don’t do anything in-game, then the game probably has its own dead zone and sensitivity settings that block external inputs. Not all games have these settings, but we’ve found that most FPS or multiplayer games will usually let you change the sensitivity in-game. For this example, we will use the game Sea Of Thieves as a reference.
1. Open the game that you want to change the controller settings for.
2. Once you’re in-game, open the Settings tab.
3. In the settings menu, you will find the controller dead zone and sensitivity settings under either the Controller or Input section. In this instance, it is under the Input settings.
4. Once you’re in the Input settings menu, scroll down until you find the Controller Dead Zone setting, and you can either raise it or lower it. If the controls still don’t feel right, then you can change the Sensitivity Response Curve to improve the feeling in-game.
- Every game has a different layout for their settings menu, so you may need to scroll through the different options to find the dead zone and sensitivity settings.
How meaningful is thumbstick dead zone and sensitivity?
Playing on any device or controller with dead zones or poor sensitivity will impede your gaming experience. It creates jagged movement, with difficulty looking around or registering inputs correctly. A bad dead zone setting on your controller will therefore make it much harder to compete in multiplayer games and will lead to frustration over commands that were not registered.
Hopefully, Lenovo will continue to update the Legion Space application with more advanced controller settings for their users to take advantage of. But for now, you can game peacefully knowing that your character in-game will always be following your input after optimizing these settings.
Lenovo Legion Go
The Lenovo Legion Go might be one of the most interesting gaming handhelds yet, boasting a giant 8.8-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It also has detachable controllers, including one that has a trackpad that you can use as a mouse.