In my mind, its worst sin was its price.
At the top end, the old 7-inch Claw demanded $800.
Thats what you currently pay for our pick for the best Windows-based handheld, theAsus ROG Ally X.
© Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
So how does the all-new,bigger, pricier MSI Claw 8 AI+stack up?
First off, theClaw 8 AI+costs $900.
It now has to justify being one of the most expensive gaming handhelds from a major PC OEM.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
The difference will be more stark in some games compared to others.
At a point, theres a hard limit to what a reasonable price for a handheld PC is.
Unfortunately, the system keeps reverting to desktop controls and ignoring all the controllers buttons.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
Sometimes, it would require a quick restart before the machine remembered it was a handheld.
I have average-sized hands, but something about the Claws design lands too close to its namesake.
If I was getting a handheld for my fathers sausage fingers, I might consider the Claw 8 first.
From top to bottom: the Lenovo Legion Go, MSI Claw 8 AI+, and the Asus ROG Ally X© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
The Claw 8 AI+ is currently up for preorder and will ship on Jan. 15, 2025.
Youll want to work on your forearm muscles, as the Claw 8 weighs 795 grams or 1.75 pounds.
It doesnt sound like much until youre holding it up for minutes or hours at a time.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
Thats where the ridges on the back edge of the gear come into play.
The back buttons are also flatter, and each has a clicky-er feel than before.
The d-pad has also been made far more pronounced, which makes it far easier to use without looking.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
The controls are a mixed bag.
The controls werent the only thing to receive an overhaul.
Additionally, the new menus incorporate Xbox Game Bar and Xbox Social.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
Ive also encountered random glitches with Center M that made it unusable and required I restart the program.
Theres a reason the Steam Deck remains so popular.
MSI is almost there, but it still needs some more TLC.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
The Claw 8 hit 4,437.
Those benchmarks take a backseat to in-game performance.
Then comes true in-game performance, and thats where the lines between handhelds start to blur.
You will get solid performance in all your typical 2D action titles.
A game likeHades IIlooks incredibly vibrant on Claws large 8-inch display.
Modern 3D games are a mixed bag.
You may have to dial graphics back slightly to get playable framerates in the city of Act III.
Thats not much better than the Ally X.
Those framerates are always why I tell people to curb their expectations with handheld PCs.
Sometimes, that extra power makes a difference.
In other cases, you are still limited by the lack of discrete GPU.
The Claws $900 asking price is already way too close to a good, budget-end gaming laptop.
It may still play fine, but with those fans going youre going to lose out on battery.
The capacity is equivalent to the Ally X.
The Intel Lunar Lake chips have proved theyre relatively power efficient.
Thats already a relatively strong lifespan for a demanding game.
I can normally get around two hours of the same game at lower-detailed configs with Valves handheld.
Its plenty bright as well.
Whats more is you do get a fair amount of screen on the Claw 8.
What surprised me most about the Claw 8 AI+ was the sound quality.
The handheld blasted sound to a room-filling degree.
Is it what you want to listen to for $900?
Youll still hear some hollowness from high-frequency pitched sounds.
It wont be nearly as good as a pair of headphones paired with the visuals.
Still, the production is quite good for its size.
Its a big handheld, but its solid if big is what youre looking for.
The 7-inchers like the Ally X and Steam Deck feel more ergonomic in my hands.
Even better, the smaller handhelds are more portable, and I prefer to travel light.
Theres talk about the AMD Z2 APU launching next year.
We might guess that chips performance, but the real reveal requires some more patience from consumers.
Knowing the rumor mill going into 2025, that may not last.
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