Introducing the MSI Claw

I’ve been following this gaming space for a while now, and always happy to see something new… especially, if the competition will bring in better performance and pricing.

I can’t afford another handheld, having own the Switch, the original Steam Deck, and ROG Ally, I just can’t justify spending another $700 on either the Legion Go or MSI Claw… but, I am looking into them and seeing what they can bring to the table.

So what makes the Claw stand out with all these handhelds? It’s the first one to use Intel, instead of AMD that all previous handhelds have used… so it could be a game changer. I’m a fan of Intel actually… as all my desktops that I own are powered by Intel i7 or i9 chips.

If the Claw’s Intel chip can produce a more powerful gaming experience, I will be the first in line to shout its praises. Again, I probably won’t be buying it, unless I see some massive improvement over my ROG Ally.

In my own experience with both Intel and AMD, I found that games and software run better and faster on Intel. AMD are generally much cheaper in pricing, but runs slower (but since it’s inexpensive it’s forgivable).

The other cool thing about the Claw, besides that awesome/awful name, is that MSI will be supporting the device with a custom dock with External GPU to enhance the Claw. Right now, the only viable eGPU solution is the ROG Ally, because of its proprietary connection, is very, very expensive. I am going to assume the Claw’s eGPU/Dock solution is also expensive. There’s a lot that we don’t know about… but I’m definitely interested in seeing more of the Claw.

Anyway, I’m excited to see another entry… but it’s probably too little and too late.

Here’s a comparison chart below. I have not included any Chinese companies, such as Aya Neo or OneXPlayer, because they do not have a US presence. You can always import their handhelds, but you’re never going to see their product at Best Buy or MicroCenter, etc. You will probably find MSI in stores, if they push it into retailers… I wouldn’t mind checking them out at Target (and who knows I might make an impulse purchase).

The other thing to note is that the Rog Ally was (perhaps it’s still on sale?) on sale for $599, making the AMD Z1 Extreme version an amazing deal and value.

The biggest thing between these handhelds is the software. Most people love the ease of use of the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck… and Windows 11 might not be for everyone. These Windows devices all have special software to make it useable on the handheld, for example, ROG Ally has their Armoury Crate and Command Center and Lenovo has Vantage… MSI will have their own software called MSI Center M. We don’t know anything about it yet… but I can tell you that since ROG Ally came out in June, they have been updating their software to squeeze out bugs and add a lot of new features.

Yours,