rewrite this title I tried MSI's new Windows PC handheld – now I'm wondering if gaming laptops should even exist

When it launched in 2017, the Nintendo Switch had a massive impact on the gaming industry. It showed the world that it was possible to bring AAA gaming to handheld devices, and since then, we’ve seen other companies follow suit with their own portable consoles. 

MSI was one of them, but it had a rocky start. The Claw A1M saw mixed reviews upon its release, with ZDNET’s Taylor Clemons criticizing its battery life and graphics capabilities. 

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The good news is that it seems MSI took the feedback seriously when developing its new model, the Claw 8 AI+. This handheld addresses many of the issues that plagued the previous generation, but it’s not quite perfect. Let’s take a look.

An updated (and unique) design

MSI made several interesting decisions when upgrading the console’s design. It’s similar in size to the Steam Deck, measuring 11.77 x 4.96 x 0.94 inches, but it’s also heavier at 1.75 pounds. Because of this bulk, traveling with the handheld can be tricky, and users with small hands might find it difficult to hold. I, however, found the Claw 8 to be quite comfortable.

There is one area where MSI’s handheld beats the Steam Deck hands-down: the display. It houses an eight-inch FHD+ (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) touchscreen running at a 120Hz refresh rate. Everything on this display looks great, and I enjoyed the smooth on-screen animations.

Many gaming consoles opt for an all-black color scheme, but the Claw 8 AI+ stands out by implementing “Sandstone” on the face plate, creating a two-tone look. It gives the device a unique look among a sea of similar-looking hardware. But I found the “metallic beige” a strange choice; it clashes with the RGB lights.

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MSI made other external adjustments, as well. It boasts a “Cooler Boost HyperFlow” system to keep internal temperatures low. Cool air is directed to vital areas, while warm air is expelled through the top vents. I highly appreciate the hall-effect analog sticks. These ensure the controls perform well and maintain accuracy without the potential risk of stick drift. Around the back are a couple of extra buttons that can be hotkeyed to specific actions.

Gaming performance: on-point

Speaking of performance, MSI’s Claw 8 AI+ did very well in my tests. Under the hood of my review unit was an Intel Core Ultra 7 258B processor, an integrated Intel Arc 140 V graphics card, and 32GB of RAM.

I played old and recent games, and nearly every title ran great. There weren’t any frame rate drops, stuttering, or exceptionally long load times — except for one. I encountered all of those problems in “Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth”. To be fair, that game, in its current state, is unoptimized, and the Claw 8 AI+ isn’t the only handheld having a tough time supporting it. Rest assured that, apart from the occasional outlier, most games will perform just fine on MSI’s device. 

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On the top of the gadget are a pair of USB-C ports that can be used to connect the Claw 8 to an external monitor, opening up additional usability scenarios. For one, the Intel hardware on board allows for a laptop-like experience. 

It performs decently in this regard; I encountered no significant slowdown while running 40 browser tabs and multitasking with several apps. But without a dedicated GPU, MSI’s machine falls short of your average gaming PC. If I had to quantify it, this handheld performs similarly to a low-cost gaming PC like Lenovo’s LOQ Tower 17IRR9.

Video games may be fine, but Windows 11 is another story. It seems the OS wasn’t meant to be condensed to fit onto a gaming handheld because I ran into bugs. One time, after updating the software, the in-game controls were disabled. I couldn’t move my characters, only the cursor. Fortunately, a quick reboot solved the problem. Further optimization with Windows will hopefully improve the experience.

To end on a high note, I want to shout out Claw 8’s solid runtime. The company claims you can game on its handheld for four hours straight before needing a recharge. I actually managed to get the battery to last 4.5 hours. For the continuous video playback test, the console ran for nearly 13 hours straight before tapping out. That’s some of the longest run times for any handheld we’ve tested.

ZDNET’s buying advice

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ will be available for pre-order on February 15 at Amazon for $899. It has actually already launched, but according to a company representative, pre-order demand was so high that the developer paused them. At $899, this handheld is more expensive than even the OLED Steam Deck, but given its top-notch performance, battery life, and eight-inch display, the MSI Claw 8 makes itself worth the price.