Technologies

Lenovo Legion Go S Is My New Favorite Way to Play Call of Duty Anywhere

With Battlefield 6 on its way, its time to take the fight on the road with my new gaming handheld, the Lenovo Legion Go S.

As a tech enthusiast, I do buy a lot of stuff (you know, just doing my bit!), but I believe the Lenovo Legion Go S is the best purchase I’ve made since the pandemic. The reason why? Sitting in bed and playing Call of Duty multiplayer is one of my new favorite things to do. It does come with some compromises, but playing my favorite game without setting foot on the floor? Worth it.

I spent a lot of time trying to decide which handheld to buy, whether the Steam Deck, the Nintendo Switch 2 or any one of a number of Windows devices. Here’s why I chose the Legion Go S and why I’ll probably never install SteamOS on it.

Also read: Best Handheld Gaming for 2025

Which handheld should I choose?

When I was looking for a handheld, I had only tried a handful of them before. I have used the ROG device and both Switches (and I own the original) but have still not played the OG: the Steam Deck. I have also envied friends’ Decks, but they have always seemed kinda janky, and you can’t play the latest Call of Duty or Battlefield games on SteamOS due to their respective antipiracy restrictions.

I was a little tempted by the prospect of the $450 Nintendo Switch 2, but having to build up a brand new library — and pay an eye-popping $80 a game — put me off. With the Legion S, I had the ability to enjoy every PC game I’ve ever played, and just for an extra $50 over the Switch.

Yes, I have read Scott Stein’s review of this Lenovo handheld, but I come at this device from 30 years of playing FPS games on PC. I know a lot about Windows’ shortcomings, and its… longcomings? Strengths? Strengths! Even so, I think this PC/gaming hybrid is exactly what I have dreamed about since playing Doom on my first 486.

A PC, but for your hands

The Legion Go S I bought features an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip with 32GB of RAM and a roomy 1TB of drive space. It cost $500, and that price is still available. You can buy the Legion Go S with Steam OS for $100 more right now, but it has lower specs.

I’ve seen a lot of people on Reddit who either bought the SteamOS version or bought the Windows version and installed Steam over the top— the latter is what I planned to do, too. However, I had the console in my hands for less than 5 minutes and decided it didn’t make sense to swap the OS. Keeping Windows not only gives me access to Steam and Xbox Games Pass, but also Blizzard and all of the other gaming apps I use.

There is the option to dual-boot into both Windows and Steam OS, but I haven’t seen the need so far. I have seen people complain about having to wait for Windows to boot, but I just leave it in standby with a click of the power button. Click again. It’s almost instantaneous.

I’ve just come back from a walk to the park, to eat some lunch and play a little of the new Battlefield beta on the Legion Go S (Windows). While my dog wasn’t impressed by the lack of walking we were doing, I had a real blast just killing time (and bad guys). It’s worth noting here that, as a beta, Battlefield 6 is not in any way optimized for specialized devices like the Legion Go S. For instance, I needed to calibrate the Legion’s joysticks to make them more responsive — they were very slow — and so in the meantime, Call of Duty is a much more streamlined experience.

On that point, Call of Duty on the Legion Go S is super smooth, and it’s fun to pick up a quick round of Gun Game. It’s the more casual games that work best on this device, and I can plug in for a few minutes, get some frags and get on with my day. If I’m looking to play something more involved — like Battlefield Conquest, then a PC is better.

However, I do think Scott Stein’s review of the device is right on the money with many of his points. Particularly in terms of loading times of games — the handheld can just look like it’s stopped working — and it takes about a minute for Call of Duty to load every time. Not great for the «casual» vibe, but meh, I can live with it. In addition, you will definitely need to turn some of the settings in FPS games right down.

Bridging the gap

Until now, all of my PC gaming was done on an Intel desktop — which I did buy in the middle of the pandemic — and so it’s getting a little long in the tooth now. I do top it up with more storage and RAM when it’s needed. My main game machine for the past few years has actually been the Xbox Series X, but now the Lenovo is helping bridge the gap between lean-forward and lean-back gaming on the couch.

While my PC and Xbox are still great, it’s not always convenient to game in the ways I want. For instance, in addition to loads of Call of Duty and Battlefield, I also play Steam library party games like Pummel Party and Jackbox Games. Until now, I’d stream them from my PC into the living room using Steam Link. But this method does introduce some lag and the occasional image defect, and not to mention that it’s clunky — sometimes I’ll need to duck back into the other room to fix something. Now, with the addition of a $30-plus dock, I can plug the Legion straight into my TV.

As a longtime Windows user, it’s the ability to do anything on the Legion that a PC can do that is most enticing. I even used its on-screen keyboard to write this sentence. Though… I just found that more awkward than a physical keyboard, and the text was filled with errors — it would be OK to use in a pinch, but a physical keyboard is still king. The lack of a keyboard has another downside: It’s not possible to do shortcuts as easily. It’s a matter of learning a bunch of new buttons, and forget about navigating with the onboard «pointer» — it’s awkward and quite imprecise.

Final thoughts

Do I top the Call of Duty leaderboards using a handheld? I did… once. But mostly, I’m terrible. The Go is a little too heavy and bulky to be fully agile with the right joystick, in particular, as you’re usually supporting the device’s weight. You can put it on a table, and when I did that with the natty 8BitDo Lite controller, it was a lot easier to control. I still died a lot, though. I am better with a mouse and keyboard.

Mostly, though, I play on the Legion Go S because I can get my CoD fix without the hassle of sitting at a desk or turning on the living room TV and Xbox. Dead Kennedys said it best when it named its album «Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death.» Ideally, those deaths would involve those of the opposing team, but really, I’m just happy to be involved.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Nov. 15

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 15.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? The Saturday puzzle is always the longest of the week, so it’s not quite as easy as the other days. Today’s wasn’t too terrible. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Theatrical role
Answer: PART

5A clue: Capital of Vietnam
Answer: HANOI

6A clue: Father of a «fur baby»
Answer: CATDAD

7A clue: Words often accompanied by a ring
Answer: MARRYME

8A clue: Whirling currents
Answer: EDDIES

9A clue: Put up, as a statue
Answer: ERECT

10A clue: Race that’s about half the length of a half-marathon
Answer: TENK

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: SpongeBob’s starfish friend
Answer: PATRICK

2D clue: Despite it all …»
Answer: ANDYET

3D clue: Wanders here and there
Answer: ROAMS

4D clue: Company with a «To Go» stain remover
Answer: TIDE

5D clue: Become firm
Answer: HARDEN

6D clue: Small group of soldiers
Answer: CADRE

7D clue: What parallel lines never do
Answer: MEET

Technologies

Touchdown! Disney, ESPN and Other Channels Are Back on YouTube TV

YouTube TV subscribers no longer need another streaming service — or to visit a sports bar — to watch the NFL or college football.

YouTube TV subscribers, your channels — and your football — are back. Disney and YouTube said Friday night that the two companies had reached an agreement. YouTube TV subscribers lost all of Disney’s channels, including ESPN and ESPN2, on Oct. 30. Those who wanted to watch NFL or college football on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 or Disney family-friendly hits such as Bluey, had to find other alternatives.

«We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers,» a YouTube spokesperson said. «Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN and FX returning to their service over the course of the day, as well as any recordings that were previously in their Library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf. «

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

The companies said in a statement that they reached a multi-year deal and were already restoring the channels to YouTube TV.

According to YouTube, subscribers should see content and saved recordings restored over the next 24 hours. So if you don’t have them back yet, they should show up soon.

I’m a YouTube TV subscriber myself, and as of 5:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Disney, ESPN and other channels have been restored for me. As a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan (yes, I know), I added Fubo TV temporarily, but I won’t be keeping that subscription.

According to the statement, the deal will include the restoration of the channels, plus other items. The unlimited version of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service will now be made available at no additional cost to YouTube TV subscribers. Subscribers will also have access to a selection of live and on-demand programming from ESPN Unlimited inside YouTube TV. Also, select networks will be included in various genre-specific packages, and there will be the ability to include the Disney Plus Hulu Bundle as part of select YouTube offerings.

«This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch,» Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the statement. «It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice. We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.»

Disney-owned channels were pulled on Oct. 30 when the agreement between the two companies expired.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the resulting 25-day blackout was the longest in recent memory for Disney.

Here’s a full list of the channels that were removed due to the dispute:

ABC
ABC News Live
ACC Network
Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan)
Disney Channel
Disney Junior
Disney XD
ESPN
ESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan)
ESPNews
ESPNU
ESPN2
Freeform
FX
FXM
FXX
Localish
Nat Geo
Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan)
Nat Geo Wild
SEC Network

Technologies

How to Get the Most Out of Apple AirTags: A Comprehensive User Guide

Apple’s tiny trackers have become invaluable additions for travel as well as keeping tabs on everyday items. Here’s how to make them work best for you.

The last thing you want to deal with when traveling is lost luggage. In the past, you were at the mercy of the overburdened airlines to find a missing bag, but that’s all changed now. I consider Apple AirTags essential everyday items — small enough to stash in a bag or purse, battery life you can forget about for months and able to give you peace of mind when something goes missing, even if that’s just your keys inside the house.

Apple’s portable Bluetooth trackers are quickly becoming nearly ubiquitous. They’re so popular that major airports and airlines are now plugged in to Apple’s Find My service and can help you pinpoint a bag that could be wending its way through an airport’s luggage system or was left behind where you started your trip.

I already use Apple’s Find My service to keep tabs on devices, such as the iPad I frequently leave in my living room, as well as where family members are via their iPhones. For other items like my keys and everyday bag, I’ve come to rely on several Apple AirTags that fit into or onto almost anything I want to track. Apple’s tracker depends on the crowdsourced Find My network to help you pinpoint your items, from keys you’ve misplaced at home to a bag you may have left in the office.

Here’s all you want to know about AirTags. For more, learn about why you shouldn’t put an AirTag on a pet and discover five unexpected places to stash an AirTag.

What’s an Apple AirTag?

An AirTag is an individual tracking device that securely broadcasts its location using Bluetooth wireless networking. It’s a small glossy white puck not much larger than a US quarter and about the height of three stacked coins. A CR2032 coin cell battery keeps the AirTag powered for roughly a year.

Once the AirTag is paired with an iPhone or iPad, you can essentially forget about it. Hang it on a keychain or drop it into a bag —anything you want to be able to track or find later.

How much do AirTags cost and where can I buy them?

A single AirTag retails for $29 direct from Apple, and can be bought for around $24 from most outlets that sell electronics.

However, it’s always more economical to buy AirTags in packs of four — once you find a use for a solitary AirTag you’ll soon think of other things you want to track. Apple sells the set for $99 and some retailers, such as Amazon

, Best Buy and Walmart, have them for around $75, bringing the per-item cost down below $20. AirTags are also frequently reduced for big sales such as Black Friday and Prime Day.

If you do order from Apple, you can engrave initials, numbers and emoji for free, which can help you tell the AirTags apart (or just add a personal spin).

Is it difficult to set up a new AirTag?

In typical Apple fashion, activating a new AirTag is easy. Initially, a plastic tab slipped in between the electronics and battery keeps the AirTag inert. Once you pull that tab and the pieces make contact, the AirTag starts broadcasting its presence. When you bring it close to an iPhone or iPad, a dialog box appears, giving you the option to connect the AirTag.

When you tap Connect, choose a description of what the tag will be associated with, such as «Handbag» or «Luggage»; you can also enter a custom name. Choose an emoji to represent the AirTag in the Find My app and tap Continue. The AirTag is linked to your Apple ID.

How do I locate an AirTag?

In the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, tap the Items button to view the AirTags you’ve activated. On an Apple Watch, open the Find Items app.

Tap the item you want to locate. If you think it’s close by, the easy option is to tap the Play Sound button, which makes the AirTag emit a high-pitched trill. However, if you have an iPhone 11 or later (not counting the iPhone SE), tapping Find uses the iPhone’s Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip to locate the AirTag with more precision —not just estimating the distance, such as «1.5 ft nearby,» but also point you in the right direction as you move around.

If the item is not in your general vicinity, the Find button becomes a Directions button that will hand off the location to the Maps app for driving, walking, transit or cycling routes.

What if I forget items while I’m heading out?

Being able to find something I’ve lost is invaluable, but it would be better if I didn’t forget it in the first place. For every AirTag, you can enable Notify When Left Behind, an option that sends a notification if you and an AirTag that was with you are no longer together.

That could be as simple as forgetting a bag at a restaurant or — more alarming —if someone swiped the item and is making a getaway.

What’s the secret to how AirTags work?

You know how in many thrillers and spy movies someone plants a tracker on a person and is then able to pinpoint the target’s location no matter where they are? That always seemed far-fetched to me — what sort of range would a tiny piece of electronics have, really? — but an AirTag is essentially that.

The AirTag itself does not have that sort of range, but it has something better: millions of devices carried by Apple customers surrounding it. On a regular interval, the AirTag sends out a low-power Bluetooth signal containing an encrypted ID. Any nearby iPhone, iPad or Mac picks up the signal, adds its location coordinates (if it knows them) and sends that to Apple servers in a secure background transmission.

That’s how, when my luggage chose to spend an extra day in Europe without me, I knew it was still in the airport in France. Likely an iPhone owned by a traveler or employee picked up the ID of the AirTag in my bag and relayed that to Apple. When I opened the Find My app on my iPhone in Seattle, it queried the servers and presented the AirTag’s last known location.

All of this happens in the background — no personal information is sent, and the impact to the relaying device’s performance and battery is negligible.

What about privacy? Can a hidden AirTag track me?

Just as you can use an AirTag to track your personal objects, it is possible that someone could drop an AirTag into your bag or coat pocket to try to track your movements. Apple has put a few safeguards in place to try to prevent that type of situation.

If your iPhone or iPad detects an unknown AirTag in your vicinity that is persistently near you, a notification appears that says «AirTag Found Moving With You.» When you ransack your belongings and find it, open the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad, tap Items and then tap Identify Found Item. Place the AirTag against the back of the device at the top until you see a notification. When you tap that, you’re taken to a web page with the tag’s serial number and, optionally, contact information.

If it turns out a family member’s AirTag fell out of a bag, no worries. If it’s one that’s unfamiliar, you can follow instructions for how to disable the tag.

For more, see how to protect yourself from being tracked.

What if I suspect that my AirTag is stolen?

You’ve looked everywhere, used the Find feature to scan for it, but your item containing an AirTag is nowhere to be found. Now what?

In the AirTag’s details in the Find My app, scroll down to Lost AirTag and tap Show Contact Info. If someone finds the tag and checks it as described just above, you can have a phone number or email displayed, plus an optional message, when they look up its information.

The other option is to choose Share Item Location, which creates a link you can send to someone identifying where the tag is. The link is active for just one week, which is hopefully more than enough time to let someone track it down. For example, suppose your bag is swiped: You could give the shared link to the police so they can track it down. (For safety reasons, don’t confront someone who’s stolen your property.)

When the item and its AirTag are returned, a notification appears that you’ve been reunited. Or, you can make the tag’s whereabouts hidden at any point by tapping Stop Sharing Item Location in the same screen, which invalidates the shared link.

How can I share an AirTag with someone I trust?

An AirTag is linked to your Apple Account, but for years that presented a problem: AirTags assigned to other people in my household would trigger the «AirTag Found Moving With You» warning — not great on family trips when we’d take my wife’s car.

Now, fortunately, it’s possible to share an AirTag’s location with up to five people. Tap a tag in the Find My app and under Share AirTag tap Add Person. Tap Continue on the screen explaining what will happen, then select a contact and tap Share.

In that person’s Find My app, they can accept the shared item. Note that all people you add can track the location.

How long does the battery last and how do I replace it?

In my experience, the CR2032 coin battery in each AirTag lasts about a year. When the level dips below about 10% remaining, you’re alerted that the battery is low and a red indicator appears in the Find My app.

To replace the battery, turn the silver back counter-clockwise to release its latches. Lift the existing battery out and replace it with a new one, making sure the battery’s identifying markings are facing you. Then align the tabs of the metal portion with the slots in the plastic piece, press lightly and turn clockwise. The AirTag will chirp when the electronics and battery are securely in contact.

Can I use AirTags with an Android phone?

AirTags are not directly compatible with Android phones — there’s no app that ties into Apple’s Find My network. To get the same tracking functionality, look into the Chipolo One Point tracker that uses Google’s Find My Device network.

Apple once offered an Android app called Tracker Detect that would let you identify a found AirTag, but that’s not available for newer Android devices — an app with that name in the Google Play store is from a separate developer. However, for phones with NFC chips installed, you can place a found AirTag against the back of the device to view information about it.

For more, learn about this year’s best AirTag accessories and everything about Apple Intelligence.