The Steam Deck helped re-popularize the handheld gaming console segment. By making handheld consoles that had the same hardware and games as a gaming PC, you could suddenly play a bunch of your favorite games on the go, including games that were mostly unavailable in handheld format previously. There are now a few competing Steam Deck-type devices, including the MSI Claw, which is now available to purchase after being announced in January.
MSI has now released full pricing information for all models of the MSI Claw, initiallyannounced at CES in January, and the base model is also now available to pre-order. The base model comes with an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and 512GB SSD. If you happen to need better performance, two higher-powered models with Core Ultra 7 processors are also available, with a choice of either a 512GB SSD or a 1TB SSD.
The fact that these run Intel chips already makes them unique. MSI is the first major OEM making gaming handhelds that’s trusting Intel, rather than AMD, to provide the silicon for a device like this. Most companies have stuck to Ryzen chips, to the point AMD even launched a couple of Ryzen CPUs that are geared specifically towards handhelds. It’s a decision that was also partly taken because of AMD’s decently-capable Radeon integrated graphics/discrete graphics. The MSI Claw is counting on an Intel Arc graphics chip for graphics purposes, so we’ll have to see how well games run on these. In theory, it should also be good—the GPU has eight Xe-cores, after all.
It has a 7-inch 1080p display with a variable refresh rate of 48 to 120Hz. Other features include a 53Wh battery (lasting around 2 hours), Hall effect joysticks to prevent drift, a fingerprint sensor power button, a microSD slot, and a Thunderbolt 4 port.
Pre-ordering from Newegg gets you a free Skull and Bones game code and a month of Xbox Game Pass. The model with an Intel Core Ultra 5 and 512GB of storage starts at $699 and it’s available now. The two Intel Core Ultra 7 models cost $749 and $799 respectively, and should begin shipping out March 15th. It’s not available for purchase onAmazonyet, but the base model is available from theMSI Storenow.
