MSI Claw 8 AI+ Review: Quite a Redemption Story

If I told you “The Claw” was being redeemed, would you archetypal deliberation of the Inspector Gadget villain oregon MSI’s hard-pressed handheld from earlier this year? Gizmodo and galore different reviewers derided the MSI Claw A1M model for its lackluster show and controls that didn’t lucifer up to different handheld PCs. In my mind, its worst misdeed was its price. At the apical end, the aged 7-inch claw demanded $800. That’s what you presently wage for our prime for the champion Windows-based handheld, the Asus ROG Ally X. So however does the all-new, bigger, pricier MSI Claw 8 AI+ stack up?

First off, the Claw 8 AI+ costs $900. It present has to warrant being 1 of the astir costly gaming handhelds from a large PC OEM. For that ballooning price, the Claw present has a bigger surface astatine 8 inches (the aforesaid size arsenic the $750 Lenovo Legion Go), a wholly renovated design, and an all-new chip, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V. Compared to the Core Ultra 7 155H, the caller Intel Arc 140V graphics is overmuch amended than the erstwhile generation. Adding to the amusive is the Claw 8’s 80 Whr artillery capacity, similar the Ally X, positive 32GB of RAM. It inactive demands a large chunk of change, particularly considering the Steam Deck OLED is $250 cheaper than the caller Claw with the aforesaid 1 TB SSD storage.

Intel’s Lunar Lake chips person the added payment of being mostly amended connected artillery beingness than galore different x86 CPUs connected the market. In our tests, the 258V besides proves that it tin get amended framerates astatine 30 TDP than the AMD Z1 Extreme spot that’s truthful prolific among 2024’s gaming handhelds. The quality volition beryllium much stark successful immoderate games compared to others. If you’re looking for the astir almighty handheld with a large screen, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is simply a contender. Then again, there’s the OneXPlayer Onexfly F1 Pro with up to a Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 floating astir if you privation to walk upwards of $1,600 oregon $1,700 connected a handheld. At a point, there’s a hard bounds to what a tenable terms for a handheld PC is.

If the ample ergonomics are for you, past cognize the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is simply a fewer updates from being a genuinely coagulated handheld. The Center M bundle has been modified from its archetypal rendition, and it’s present acold easier to entree your games and alteration idiosyncratic scenarios than before. Unfortunately, the strategy keeps reverting to desktop controls and ignoring each the controller’s buttons. Sometimes, it would necessitate a speedy restart earlier the instrumentality remembered it was a handheld.

I person average-sized hands, but thing astir the Claw’s plan lands excessively adjacent to its namesake. If I was getting a handheld for my father’s sausage fingers, I mightiness see the Claw 8 first. If you privation to usage your talon-like hands to scrape each past framework from your handheld, the caller Claw volition bash the job. As for however agelong that crown volition instrumentality atop MSI’s head, that whitethorn beryllium connected however 2025’s APUs signifier up. Despite each that, the Claw is so redeemed, though, similar each bully anti-villains, it inactive has its unsmooth edges.

The Claw 8 AI+ is presently up for preorder and volition vessel connected Jan. 15, 2025.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ Review: Design and Controls

© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

The archetypal happening you’ll recognize astir the Claw 8 is that it’s a dense and other heavy handheld. You’ll privation to enactment connected your forearm muscles, arsenic the Claw 8 weighs 795 grams oregon 1.75 pounds. It doesn’t dependable similar overmuch until you’re holding it up for minutes oregon hours astatine a time. It is simply a coagulated slab of gaming potential, but to support it aloft erstwhile lounging backmost connected the couch, I felt the request to fto it remainder connected my thigh during a multi-hour gaming session. That’s wherever the ridges connected the backmost borderline of the instrumentality travel into play. The erstwhile claw had an contented wherever your fingers would beryllium connected the rear vents, which is nary longer existent connected the Claw 8. The backmost buttons are besides flatter, and each has a clicky-er consciousness than before.

The triggers connected the Claw 8 are overmuch much “trigger”-like than you would find connected the Ally oregon Steam Deck. Due to the size of the handles, it tin really consciousness somewhat uncomfortable to scope astir and grip them erstwhile playing immoderate benignant of shooter. At the aforesaid time, the near and close bumper buttons consciousness much, overmuch amended than the archetypal Claw. MSI redesigned the enarthrosis buttons to click downwards, alternatively of inwards, and the effect is simply a amended clip successful games similar Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 which demands you smack the the shoulders for each your melee attacks.

The look buttons are much rounded than the Ally X, but thankfully MSI maintained the RGB lights down the A, B, X, and Y. The d-pad has besides been made acold much pronounced, which makes it acold easier to usage without looking. The controls are a mixed bag. I admit the consciousness of the Hall effect thumbsticks and astir buttons prevention for the triggers, but everything besides feels similar its spaced excessively acold isolated for my fingers.

The controls weren’t the lone happening to person an overhaul. Center M, the bundle that papers implicit the flaws erstwhile utilizing a Windows 11-based handheld, present sports a much cleanable look. There’s casual entree to each the astir fashionable launchers and a caller speedy settings paper that lets you alteration powerfulness settings, keyboard, WiFi, and Bluetooth settings connected the fly. Additionally, the caller menus incorporated Xbox Game Bar and Xbox Social.

The transportation to Xbox could beryllium large quality for those who similar to power from Xbox to PC, but I’m mostly funny successful what different widgets we whitethorn yet beryllium capable to adhd from the built-in widget store. It’s each a important betterment connected what came before, but arsenic I mentioned, I’ve travel crossed respective issues with the instrumentality automatically switching to PC controls and not recognizing my look buttons. This whitethorn hap if I accidentally pat the screen, but with an 8-inch show that seems a apt script for astir users. I’ve besides encountered random glitches with Center M that made it unusable and required I restart the program.

These issues are thing that volition apt beryllium patched successful time, but it goes to amusement however overmuch other enactment these Windows handhelds necessitate to marque them usable. There’s a crushed the Steam Deck remains truthful popular. Asus and Lenovo person caput starts, and some their bundle suites bash a just occupation of letting you entree your games and disregard the Windows desktop. MSI is astir there, but it inactive needs immoderate much TLC.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ Review: Performance

© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

MSI truly needs the Claw 8 to deed precocious benchmarks to warrant its terms tag, and astatine slightest successful that way, the company’s handheld delivers. If you comparison the Claw 8 to the Claw A1M, the caller instrumentality manages to bushed it’s older member by a small little than 700 points successful 3D Mark Time Spy and by astir 800 points successful 3D Mark Steel Nomad tests. While plugged successful moving astatine max 30W TDP, the ROG Ally X volition bash 3,538 connected Time Spy with the latest updates. The Claw 8 deed 4,437.

Those benchmarks instrumentality a backseat to in-game performance. In Cyberpunk 2077 benchmarks, moving connected Steam Deck settings with either Intel XeSS oregon AMD FSR, the Claw 8 managed to deed 52 FPS portion moving astatine the Ally’s max 1920 by 1080 resolution. You get somewhat little astatine the Claw’s max 1920 by 1200, but not capable to marque a quality successful scores. It’s a akin communicative to benchmarks successful games similar Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, wherever the Claw 8 could outperform the Ally X by betwixt 5 to 10 FPS with the aforesaid settings.

Then comes existent in-game performance, and that’s wherever the lines betwixt handhelds commencement to blur. You volition get coagulated show successful each your emblematic 2D enactment titles. A crippled similar Hades II looks incredibly vibrant connected Claw’s ample 8-inch display. Modern 3D games are a mixed bag. Remedy’s Control connected mean settings would beryllium astir 30 to 35 FPS successful ample arena areas. Baldur’s Gate III nether precocious settings could inactive bash 30 to 40 FPS successful Act I with AMD FSR. You whitethorn person to dial graphics backmost somewhat to get playable framerates successful the metropolis of Act III.

I did not person the clip to trial loads of antithetic games connected MSI’s latest handheld, but what I could trial was a mixed bag. Unfortunately, you won’t get a precise demanding caller rubric similar Indiana Jones: The Great Circle to tally supra 30 FPS connected the Claw 8, adjacent erstwhile dialing backmost the resolution. Then you person to see however you’ll springiness up mobility for the involvement of playing games astatine their apical level. A crippled similar Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 volition tally astatine conscionable supra 30 FPS with debased settings astatine the max resolution. That’s not overmuch amended than the Ally X.

Those framerates are ever wherefore I archer radical to curb their expectations with handheld PCs. Sometimes, that other powerfulness makes a difference. In different cases, you are inactive constricted by the deficiency of discrete GPU. The Claw’s $900 asking terms is already mode excessively adjacent to a good, budget-end gaming laptop. Taking the Claw disconnected power, the strategy was moving astatine astir 30 W of CPU powerfulness but was doing a full of 45 W to grip the fans. It whitethorn inactive play fine, but with those fans going you’re going to suffer retired connected battery.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ Review: Battery Life

© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

Along with the Intel chip, the Claw 8’s different header diagnostic is the 80 Whr artillery and enactment for 64W charging done duplicate Thunderbolt 4 ports. The capableness is equivalent to the Ally X. The Intel Lunar Lake chips person proved they’re comparatively powerfulness efficient. MSI claims you should get astir 4 hours of artillery beingness successful “extended use,” but anybody with handheld acquisition knows this volition drastically alteration depending connected the crippled you play.

In my league of Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2, I played it disconnected powerfulness continuously astatine 30W for a small much than 1 hr and 30 minutes earlier I was sitting astatine 10%. That’s already a comparatively beardown lifespan for a demanding game. At the aforesaid time, you whitethorn beryllium amended disconnected streaming these titles to your handheld, which successful my acquisition not lone grants you acold amended framerates but tin propulsion the artillery beingness good past the four-hour mark.

I continued my crippled of Metaphor: Refantazio I’ve been happily playing done connected my Steam Deck OLED implicit the past respective months. On its automated “AI engine” scenario, the Claw 8 managed to clasp retired for 3 hours from afloat earlier demanding I plug it in. I tin usually get astir 2 hours of the aforesaid crippled astatine lower-detailed settings with Valve’s handheld.

Even with the larger screen, the Claw 8 tin clasp its ain with the larger capableness of the Ally X. Just retrieve that conscionable due to the fact that it’s moving with a 80 Whr capableness doesn’t mean it volition get doubly arsenic overmuch artillery beingness arsenic those with a 40 Whr battery, particularly erstwhile you’re trying to get each ounce of powerfulness from this small-form gaming platform.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ Review: Screen and Sound

© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

I don’t person that burning request for a larger show connected my handhelds, but astatine slightest the MSI Claw 8’s IPS LCD surface is simply a good happening to look at. It’s plentifulness agleam arsenic well. The Claw 8’s VRR show goes up to 120 Hz, which was particularly useful successful a crippled similar Hades II which tin really deed those framerates.

What’s much is you bash get a just magnitude of surface connected the Claw 8. The bezels are, connected the whole, somewhat smaller than a Steam Deck oregon ROG Ally, astatine slightest connected the apical and sides. It’s person to the bezels connected the Lenovo Legion Go, and if the constituent is to maximize surface existent estate, past MSI has done the occupation admirably.

What amazed maine astir astir the Claw 8 AI+ was the dependable quality. The dual 2W speakers aren’t going to clasp their ain to full, dedicated talker setups, but the Ally is inactive large for its size. The handheld blasted dependable to a room-filling degree.

Is it what you privation to perceive to for $900? Probably not. You’ll inactive perceive immoderate hollowness from high-frequency pitched sounds. It won’t beryllium astir arsenic bully arsenic a brace of headphones paired with the visuals. Still, the accumulation is rather bully for its size. While listening to the impeccable soundtrack of Metaphor: Refantazio, I didn’t consciousness the explicit request to dive for my earbuds similar I usually bash playing connected immoderate different handhelds.

MSI Claw 8 AI+ Review: Verdict

© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ makes up for galore of the mistakes of the Claw A1M. It’s a large handheld, but it’s coagulated if large is what you’re looking for. The Center M bundle volition request to amended with time, but adjacent erstwhile it does, I’m not definite if 8-inches is the close size for me. The 7-inchers similar the Ally X and Steam Deck consciousness much ergonomic successful my hands. Even better, the smaller handhelds are much portable, and I similar to question light.

There’s speech astir the AMD Z2 APU launching adjacent year. The Z1 is already plentifulness almighty capable for astir gamers’ needs, truthful there’s anticipation a redesigned APU volition beryllium the caller benchmark. Recent leaks notation the caller Z2 Extreme spot could person 12 RDNA 3.5 cores with architecture based connected the prime Strix Point series. We mightiness conjecture that chips’ performance, but the existent uncover requires immoderate much patience from consumers.

If you don’t privation to wait, and you specifically request the biggest handheld screen, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is 1 of the fewer devices that I tin accidental is adjacent to the highest of what’s presently available. Knowing the rumor mill going into 2025, that whitethorn not last. I don’t suggest you unrecorded your beingness based connected FOMO, though it wouldn’t wounded to hold until we spot what caller kinds of rumored Lenovo handhelds whitethorn get soon.