This $1000 gaming handheld may simply be value its insane pricetag

For lots of players, together with myself, handheld gaming PCs are a secondary machine, providing on-the-go play when your major PC or console is not out there. Although I personally use gaming handhelds rather a lot in my house so I can play on the sofa or in mattress, these units are designed to be moveable first, and nearly at all times come second to a different, major gaming machine.

Nonetheless, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the primary gaming handheld I’ve tried that feels prefer it may truly turn out to be the first manner I play video games. With insane {hardware} beneath the hood, a high-quality display screen, and AI options that take the guesswork out of optimizing your machine in your favourite sport, I discovered myself prioritizing enjoying video games on a handheld over a console for the primary time ever.

Sadly, such a premium expertise does come at a value, and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is not a handheld for everybody. However if you’re searching for a gaming machine that fairly actually does all of it, and do not thoughts plunking down a hefty chunk of change, this simply could be the console-replacement you are searching for.

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Value, availability, and specs

Energy in your palms

Underneath the hood, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is rocking the extremely highly effective Intel Core Extremely 7 258V processor, which offers a lot better efficiency than different handhelds just like the ROG Ally sequence and the Lenovo Legion Go S, which use an AMD Z1 Excessive. Paired with 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage, this handheld is actually probably the most highly effective I’ve examined and may go toe to toe with loads of mid-range gaming laptops and PCs, which is fairly spectacular for a handheld.

Along with uncooked energy, this handheld packs Corridor Impact joysticks, two Thunderbolt 4 ports (good for attaching a controller or exterior show whereas nonetheless charging), RGB lighting, whisper-quiet Hyperflow followers, and a high-capacity 80WHr battery.

Nonetheless, it needs to be famous that each one this energy does come at a value, because the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is without doubt one of the costliest gaming handhelds at present out there, costing an eye-popping $1000 as of July 2025. Little doubt a few of this value could also be because of elevated prices thanks to political policy, however with this unit costing greater than a PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Change 2 mixed, value is certainly one of many first components it’s best to contemplate should you’re considering of selecting up this machine.

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What I favored concerning the MSI Claw 8 AI+

Gaming on the go with out limitations

When placing the MSI Claw 8 AI+ via its paces, I attempted to pick out a sport that I knew would push the {hardware} to its limits. On this case, that title ended up being Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle, a sport that has pissed off me on different units with frequent crashes, framerate drops, and loading points. And after I bought began with the MSI Claw 8 AI+, I famous a few of these identical points throughout the first ten minutes or so of beginning the sport.

Nonetheless, the sport has a wise AI Engine function that robotically optimized efficiency and as soon as I turned it on I used to be in a position to get the sport working easily in only a matter of moments. Although you might be nonetheless free to make use of the machine’s guide settings mode if you want, I am unable to suggest the AI engine sufficient because it helped me get into the video games I needed to play as rapidly as attainable, with Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle working at a steady 50 FPS when in handheld mode. Sadly, the sport’s power-saving endurance mode was merely less than the duty when it got here to enjoying this sport, however after I booted up lighter weight video games like Persona 3: Reloaded and Slay the Spire, the MSI Claw 8 AI+’s battery saving mode supplied sufficient efficiency as effectively.

It doesn’t matter what you are enjoying, the MSI Claw 8 AI+’s huge 8-inch IPS touchscreen appears to be like brilliant and delightful and makes use of VRR (variable refresh charge) at as much as 120Hz to make sure easy efficiency from even probably the most demanding titles. Given the machine’s premium value, you would be forgiven for questioning why the MSI Claw 8 AI+ does not have an OLED display screen, however I truthfully suppose the LCD will get the job achieved effectively sufficient that if that is the place the nook needed to be lower to maintain the machine from costing over a grand, the IPS display screen is a suitable substitution.

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What I did not like concerning the MSI Claw 8 AI+

Generally, it is not nearly energy

There’s truthfully not rather a lot to dislike concerning the MSI Claw 8 AI+. It is a dear handheld to make certain, however with loads of energy beneath the hood, that value is justified if you’re available in the market for a top-of-the line handheld. Nonetheless, there have been some nitpick-y issues that I did not personally like concerning the machine, although these largely fall beneath the “your mileage could differ” umbrella.

First up, my largest difficulty personally with the MSI Claw 8 AI+ has to do with ergonomics. I’ve very small palms, and I discovered the machine’s slab-like form to be robust to carry for lengthy durations of time, particularly as a result of the machine weighs nearly two kilos and put plenty of pressure on my wrists. I discovered myself typically propping the machine up on a pillow or a countertop to present my wrists a break after only a few hours of gaming. As with something, I’d encourage those that are thinking about shopping for this machine to discover a unit they’ll check out first, as my distinctive hand construction could merely be incompatible with the machine, whereas others could discover it simpler to carry.

One other small difficulty I had was with the MSI software program that ships with the machine. Very like different gaming handhelds, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ has its personal proprietary app on the machine named Heart M, which permits customers a central hub from which they’ll launch video games, customise controls, alter settings, and customarily bypass plenty of Home windows 11. Although the launcher will get the job achieved, it is not as absolutely featured as Legion House or Armory Crate on ROG units, and it takes some digging to seek out fundamental features contained in the app. Happily, should you’re like me and also you hate it, you’ll be able to at all times simply bypass it solely. After all, which means you may be caught utilizing Home windows 11, which has its personal well-documented points, but when all you are making an attempt to do is get to your video games, it is a comparatively small downside.

Lastly, like just about any gaming handheld, the battery life on the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is not nice. When enjoying Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle, I used to be in a position to simply barely eke out 90 minutes of gameplay earlier than needing to plug in. Granted, when enjoying different, much less resource-intensive video games like Slay the Spire or Persona 3: Reloaded, I may get nearly double that quantity, however its essential to know that if you’re getting this handheld primarily to play top-tier video games, do not count on prolonged battery occasions, and ensure you have a high-capacity power bank with you should you’re taking it on the go.

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Must you purchase the MSI Claw 8 AI+?

Take into consideration your individual use case first

At an MSRP of $1000, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is asking players for a giant funding up entrance, and if you have already got a handheld, a laptop computer, even a Change 2 that you just use usually, that pricetag could merely make this machine, as spectacular as it’s from a technical standpoint, not well worth the cash.

Nonetheless, if you’re searching for a brand new major gaming machine (or simply have cash to burn I suppose) that is nearly actually the perfect handheld at present out there. Regardless of some issues I had with ergonomics, the onboard software program, and the battery life, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ nonetheless is one premium buy you may in all probability be glad you made.

Weight

1.75 kilos

Chipset

Intel Core Extremely 7 processor

RAM

32 GB

Storage

1 TB

A premium gaming handheld powered by Intel Core Extremely 7-258V with 32GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. 

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