The upcoming MSI Claw 8 AI+ (starting at $899) could be MSI’s chance to redeem itself after the original MSI Claw's less-than-stellar release earlier this year, which fell short in performance compared to its biggest competitors like the Asus ROG Ally and Steam Deck.
Now featuring Intel’s next-gen Core Ultra 7 processor, this updated Claw promises better performance and battery life than handhelds featuring the AMD Z1 Extreme chip. If MSI's claims are true, this could be one of the most exciting handhelds of 2025.
Ahead of its mid-January 2025 ship date, I got my first hands-on look at the new Claw 8 AI+ where I demoed a few pre-installed games and got to experience the larger screen, refined controls and the refreshed control center. Altogether, these aspects make the 8 AI+ feel like a more mature device.
We can't render a final verdict on the MSI Claw 8 AI+ until we've had extensive time testing the new handheld. But based on what we've seen, this device might have a shot at finally toppling the ROG Ally and Steam Deck. From my initial impressions, it could potentially find a spot on our best handheld gaming console list.
Here's everything you need to know about the MSI Claw 8 AI+.
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Specs
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Price and release date
The Claw 8 AI+ is priced at $899 and ships exclusively in its Sandstorm color, which MSI says is "inspired by wind-sculpted desert rocks."
Personally, I think it’s a nice break from the sea of all-black gaming handhelds that have been released. I think some gamers may prefer a more traditional black or white version or at least a touch of MSI’s signature red accents.
Pre-orders are available now on MSI's website, with shipping starting on January 15, 2025.
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Design and display
The Claw 8 AI+ keeps the sleek, ergonomic build but has some nice upgrades that anyone coming from the original Claw or even the ROG Ally X will appreciate.
It’s rocking a larger 8-inch (1920 x 1200) 16:10 VRR touchscreen display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a promised 500 nits of brightness. From my time playing games and navigating the device, I found that the larger screen makes everything feel more immersive. It also makes using touch controls on Windows 11 a little bit more tolerable, though still not great.
The 8 AI+ sticks with a similar setup of two analog sticks, four face buttons, four shoulder buttons and two re-mappable buttons on the back, but it's all more refined now.
For starters, the D-pad is more concave, giving off stronger Xbox Series X controller vibes. The joysticks use new Hall Effect sensors, which should be more durable and less susceptible to stick drift compared to the Carbon Film most other handhelds use.
The LB/RB buttons feel more satisfying to click and can be triggered more easily from their sides thanks to a new top-actuated switch MSI calls "tactile edge pressing."
Like the original Claw, we find the same set of 4 function buttons on either side of the display. This includes a Select button and a button that launches MSI Center M on the left, and a Menu and Quick Settings buttons on the right. Of course, RGB lighting on the joysticks and face buttons returns, though I think its color effects would have been more impactful on a black or white chassis.
You’ll find all the MSI Claw 8 AI+'s ports at the top. This includes a power button/fingerprint reader, a microSD card reader, two Thunderbolt 4/USB-C ports (up from one with the Claw), a combo audio jack, and its volume rocker. At 1.75 pounds, it’s slightly heavier than its 1.4-pound predecessor, but that’s expected with the bigger battery and display.
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Specs and performance
Under the hood, we find the new Intel Core Ultra 7 processor (series 2) paired with an Intel Arc 140V GPU, which promises better performance and efficiency than the chips found in the ROG Ally X, Lenovo Legion Go, and Steam Deck.
Lunar Lake chips utilize the same Intel XeSS technology found in the company’s Arc GPUs. Like AMD FSR and Nvidia DLSS, XeSS renders scenes in a game at a lower resolution than the display (so that it can squeeze out more performance), then uses machine learning to "upscale" the scenes to the display's set resolution. This helps you achieve higher frames per second in supported game titles and can provide smoother overall gameplay.
AMD FSR and Nvidia DLSS still have the edge with supported game titles, but Intel (along with the help of game developers) is making strong efforts to catch up.
MSI claims the Claw 8 AI+ delivers up to 20% better performance than the ASUS ROG Ally X when both are set to their more efficient 17-watt power modes. They even boast a whopping 113% higher peak FPS in certain titles like Metro 2033. Keep in mind, that all these provided benchmarks are at 1080p on the lowest settings, with Intel XESS or AMD FSR upscaling enabled.
To illustrate how much more efficient the Claw 8 AI+ can be in 17-watt mode, MSI also shared benchmarks compared to the Ally X set to its full 30W turbo mode. Here we can still see an average of 7% higher FPS in the nine game titles they provided.
While battery life is certainly a deciding factor when choosing your handheld, it'll be interesting to see how much better the Claw 8 AI+ can be when it's unlocked to its full 30-watt performance mode.
My demo unit only had games like Dirt Rally and Black Myth Wukong available to test, though both ran extremely well. Both games were set to 1080p at Low settings, though to my eyes, everything looked sharp and there weren't any hiccups.
With XeSS enabled, I hit an average of 63 fps in Black Myth and between 160 to 190 fps in Dirt Rally. These results are certainly impressive for a handheld and suggest that cranking up the visual settings could see demanding games running at 30 or 45+ fps. I’m stoked to see how well it handles some of my favorite games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077.
MSI Claw 8 AI+: MSI Center M
Aside from how clunky Windows 11 feels on small touchscreens, the biggest letdown with most gaming handhelds is that a manufacturer’s respective launcher software often feels like an afterthought. I often find them sluggish, unintuitive, and disconnected from the rest of the experience. The older M-Center also suffered from this, but thankfully, MSI has taken notes.
MSI’s refreshed M-Center software is shockingly good, and I don’t say that lightly. This streamlined launcher allows you to quickly launch games or platforms like Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and Epic Games Store. It feels more responsive and less tacky.
This is also where you can change the Claw's settings and customization options including performance mode, remapping controls and controller sensitivity, and setting the RGB lighting.
M-Center now offers a quick semi-transparent overlay that is also part of Windows Game Bar to access key device settings like switching power modes, viewing FPS and performance, or changing color effects. This is not only faster to launch and use but is also great for quick mid-game tweaks that don't ruin the immersion. Windows 11 will likely be this device's Achilles heel, but at least its main game launcher is much improved.
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Battery life and cooling
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ has an 80Whr battery capacity, which is double that of the 40Whr battery found in the original ASUS ROG Ally and Steam Deck. With its more efficient Lunar Lake processor, MSI claims the Claw 8 AI+ can achieve up to 44% better battery life compared to the Ally X, which also features an 80Whr battery, in games like Resident Evil 4— with both devices set to their most battery saving profiles. Here they claim you can get 5.47 Hrs vs 3.78 Hrs, but again, they didn’t provide exact FPS figures here, so there’s still some mystery around real-world gaming performance on the go when you’re trying to save battery.
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Outlook
MSI has made some excellent upgrades with the Claw 8 AI+, but the real question is whether Intel and MSI finally have what it takes to go head-to-head with AMD-powered competitors like the ROG Ally X or the rumored Legion Go S.
Aside from seeing how well its performance holds up, its higher starting price and less traditional color make the MSI Claw 8 AI+ an interesting gaming handheld worth putting on your radar.
