Gamers looking forward to the next generation of MSI Claw 8 AI+ gaming handheld won’t have to wait much longer. MSI announced that it will reveal pricing and availability information for the handheld in September.
This news comes after a glimpse of an official comparison slide showcasing the Claw 8 AI+ alongside its predecessor. The details about the Lunar Lake CPU powering the Claw 8 AI+ are still under wraps. But the reveal positions it as a competitor to the established Asus ROG Ally X. As you may know, the ROG Ally series utilizes the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU. The MSI Claw 8 AI+, on the other hand, boasts a significant upgrade from Meteor Lake to a Lunar Lake processor.
The Launch of MSI Claw 8 AI+ Could Make Intel Catch Up
MSI is holding back the official announcement and release details until September. But there’s a strong possibility that the launch may not be far off, potentially happening before the year’s end. And it’s yet unclear whether the MSI Claw 8 AI+ will manage to surpass the performance of the Asus ROG Ally X. But if it does, it will firmly establish itself as a top contender in the handheld gaming market.
While the recent MSI slide didn’t offer any new hardware details, we do know that the Claw 8 AI+ will feature an 80 Wh battery. There is also an 8-inch 120 Hz IPS screen and an additional Thunderbolt port. However, the specific Core Ultra 200V CPU model remains undisclosed. This makes it difficult to assess the device’s true value.
Early benchmarks suggest that the integrated graphics performance of the Lunar Lake CPU will be comparable to existing models. The Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 variants of the Claw 8 AI+ are likely to be the most appealing options for potential buyers.
MSI’s success with the new handheld will depend on its ability to offer a competitive price-to-performance ratio. The original MSI Claw wasn’t a bad handheld. But it faced challenges due to the lower-priced Steam Deck and the stronger performance of the Asus ROG Ally and ROG Ally X.
The eagerly awaited pricing and availability information for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ will be announced in September, coinciding with Intel’s launch of the Core Ultra Lunar Lake processors on September 3rd.
