Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
MSI is enrol the handheld sports stadium , and its debut is more significant than you might think . The MSI Claw does n’t bet different from theAsus ROG Allyor even theSteam Deck OLED , but the specs underneath mark a significant departure for hand-held gaming PCs .
I had a fortune to try the gadget atCES 2024 , and it ’s decidedly a contender . bolster with a new chipset , a well-fixed plan , and software design to undertake the issues with Windows on a handheld , this might be the portable play PC to grease one’s palms this year .
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
The most pregnant difference with the MSI Claw is the bit it ’s using . Basically every handheld we ’ve seen over the preceding class use an AMD chipset ( usually the Ryzen Z1 Extreme ) , but MSI is present Intel to the universe of handhelds . This twist includes the Core Ultra 7 155H , which is a 16 - core chip from Intel ’s newMeteor Lake card .
It has a ton of processor cores , but the Core Ultra 7 155H metamorphose into a gaming gimmick with the integrate Arc graphics . The Claw piles on top of that with build - in Intel XeSS funding , allowing you to encourage the performance of demand games with AI ace resolution .
I only had a probability to test a couple of games — Assassin ’s Creed Mirage , which appear to run at around 30 skeleton per second ( fps ) , andSonic Superstars , which was smooth enough that it could ’ve been at the full 120 Federal Protective Service that the screen can exhibit . Notably , I did n’t find a frame pace overlayer in the fare .
Of of course , summit execution is only one face of a handheld gambling PC . MSI say it focused on battery life with the Claw , packing in a 53 watt - minute electric battery that it says is capable of two hours of stamp battery life under a full load . That may not sound impressive , but it ’s about 25 % high-pitched than what we ’ve go steady with devices like theLenovo Legion Go .
The thermic solution is interesting , too . The entire back of the Claw is hide in mesh vent-hole , helping the machine stay cool and quiet under load . And sure enough , in my demonstration , the Claw was both cool and restrained . I ’ll need to see the handheld in action alfresco of the CES show story , of course , but it ’s impressive based on other picture .
In the paw , the Claw is most like to the ROG Ally . It ’s mostly flat , so you transfix it between your palm to keep it unfluctuating . This is unlike the Steam Deck , which has squatty handgrip , as it allow you to fascinate it in your hand rather than bear the weighting on your palm . I prefer the Steam Deck ’s approaching , but the MSI Claw is far from uncomfortable .
It ’s not quite on the same layer as the ROG Ally , however . MSI ’s handheld is a bit heavier at 675 Gram ( the ROG Ally is 608 grams ) . It would be arduous to feel that weightiness outside of a side - by - side comparability , but it might add together up over an extended gaming sitting .
The basis of the Claw is Windows 11 , but MSI layer on top of it the redesigned MSI Center M. Here , you’re able to do the various aspects of the twist like fan speed , vizor ability , and refresh pace , and you’re able to also instal and launch your games , keeping you off the Windows screen background . One unequaled aspect MSI has over other handhelds is that you could establish Android plot through MSI App Player , which is also included .
MSI say the unit I try was an engineering sample , but it feel surprisingly nipping . The handful of game install on it launched immediately , and the consecrated button for MSI Center and the secret plan overlay bolt down up in less than a secondment . It felt signally smooth , but the queerness of put down software on top of Windows unremarkably come out after some prolonged time with a gimmick .
The options are all here , though . MSI has a customizable overlay where you could toggle the solution and refresh rate , change your performance fashion , end a task , and much more . It ’s unmistakably like to the ROG Ally — so much so that you could say it ’s next to identical . That ’s a great gadget to mimic , but MSI is n’t bestow much young to the tabular array on the software front .
The Claw has an telling projection screen as well , though it does n’t contain up quite as well in the grimace of the Steam Deck ’s organic light-emitting diode . It ’s a 7 - inch , 1080p display with a refresh pace of 120Hz . It looks basically identical to the ROG Ally ’s , which is to say that it ’s impressive , though not on the layer of a right OLED control panel like the Steam Deck now has .
I apprise the higher settlement and refresh rate , but I ’m not sure if most games will be able to take advantage . This is still a mobile microchip inside the Claw , so even with the helper of XeSS , I doubt you ’ll be able to come to 120 frames per second ( Federal Protective Service ) at 1080p in more demanding titles . It ’s dainty to have for smaller game likeHades , however , where high frame charge per unit and resolutions are a breeze .
Elsewhere , the MSI Claw supportsWi - Fi 7and Bluetooth 5.4 . I distrust most people do n’t have a Wi - Fi 7 router quite yet , but it ’s still gracious to see forth - seem support . Wi - Fi 6E has provided a monumental cost increase to biz download times on the Steam Deck , and the MSI Claw only film that further .
MSI says it will have three versions of the Claw — one with a Core Ultra 5 and 512 GB of storage for $ 700 , and two models based around the Core Ultra 7 , with 512 GB or 1 TB of storehouse for $ 750 or $ 800 , respectively . That ’s costly , so we ’ll necessitate to look until we ’ve had a probability to benchmark the gadget to see if the Intel micro chip has what it remove to flow with the more cost - effective Steam Deck and more established ROG Ally .
We wo n’t have to hold back long . MSI says it wait machine to be available sometime in the first few months of the class — my guess is around March .
