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.
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.
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+
Source : ZDNet