As an owner of a Surface Pro 2, I can confirm that Microsoft has abandoned this product entirely. Windows 11 does not install on it without the workarounds to bypass the hardware checks, and there are no longer any drivers for the included WiFi module which were certified past Windows 8 compatibility. When Windows 10 updates end in 2025, my SP2 will become a doorstop.
You understood my comparison first person. Surface Pro 2 was a rather large risk for MS and certainly not a cheap tablet. However, that's just it right there...not even halfway into the life of the tablet and you've got issues with compatibility, drivers and keeping it up-to-date.
Surface Pro 2 was released in 2013. Thats a decade ago. Not sure what you mean by “not into half of the life of the device”. The MacBook Air 2013 doesn’t get OS or security updates either.
People defending the Windows handhelds really tell the tale about how browbeaten consumers have become.
"Who cares if the battery life is terrible or if the SD card slot is basically useless because of thermal problems which destroy it in a matter of days or weeks!"
"Who cares if the software is pure fucking garbage!"
"Who cares if I have to lower the resolution or run at a lower TDP, thus making any gains over the Steam Deck completely null and void!"
I owned the Ally for less than a week and sent it packing. I owned the Legion Go for two days and also sent it packing. These Windows handhelds are a disaster and will continue to be until Microsoft makes a custom version of Windows for them.
Microsoft or Windows isn’t why the Ally shipped with a relatively small battery for the SoC they used, or why the SD reader fried MicroSD cards. It’s not the reason why the launch versions of the Legion Go and Ally had bugs in Legion Space or Armory Crate. Or why AMDs drivers for the Z1 Extreme came in hot.
IIRC, SteamDeck launched in a buggy state too, and took updates to get into shape. Even when I finally received my waitlisted LCD Deck months after release, it killed two MicroSD cards while formatting and I had to wade into Desktop mode to fix using Konsole.
Running games at 800p on the Legion Go doesn’t negate every advantage it has over the LCD Deck. That just doesn’t make any sense since you’re getting better performance and a much better display.