MSI continues to throw its hat into the handheld gaming space and I’m here for it. Despite the volatile nature of the market at present, Wait for a minute of silence for the steam deck… or considering he still can sold despite the increase in price.
But we are not here to discuss that. Today we are here to talk about it MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus was unveiled ahead of Computex 2026. It’s certainly a mouthful of a name, but it packs Intel’s Arc G3 Extreme chip, which means it should pack quite a punch.
Speaking of packing a punch, instead of listing the specs, or at least the ones we know of, I’ll put them in a nice table here:
|
Specification |
MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus |
|
Processor |
Intel Arc G3 Extreme |
|
Screen |
8 inch touch screen |
|
Resolution |
1920 x 1200 |
|
Refresh rate |
up to 120Hz |
|
Memory |
Dual-channel LPDDR5x up to 32 GB |
|
Storage |
Single NVME M.2 SSD slot |
|
Controls |
Hall effect rods and triggers |
|
Haptics |
New high-end linear motor |
|
Design |
Redesigned chassis with updated handles |
|
Battery life |
Not announced |
|
Price |
Not announced |
|
Release date |
Not announced |
As you can see from the table above, there is still a lot we don’t know about this device. However, we take a look Intel Arc The G3 Extreme chip, which we covered here.
As for the price, we don’t know anything yet, and given the current state of the hand market, it’s hard to give an exact figure. MSI’s previous handheld, the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, it launched for $1,000, so if MSI gets a little lucky, maybe this new model could land at a similar price point.
That’s all we know for now. Other than the “Void Purple” color, which looks pretty neat, MSI hasn’t shared anything else. It was also nice to see the device demonstrated using the Xbox app, which I assume works with Xbox mode.
I’m all for more handheld devices in space. Price concerns aside, the more competition there is, the more choice we have as consumers, and hopefully that competition drives companies to create even better hardware.
But enough about what I think. What do you think of MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus? Let me know in the comments, and as always, be sure to take our poll!
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