The original MSI Claw was a bit of a dud. A premium handheld gaming PC plagued by glitchy software and beaten by rivals on price, it was a rare misfire from a veteran gaming brand, lasting just a few months on the shelves before MSI pulled the plug.
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is take two. A comprehensive overhaul for the handheld, it rips out the old internals, replacing them with a new Intel Lunar Lake processor, a bigger 8in screen, a frankly enormous 80Wh battery and a sprinkling of AI optimisation to help with power and performance.
After spending a few weeks with the revamped handheld, it’s clear this is the machine the original should have been. It’s powerful, often outperforming its closest rivals, and the battery life is genuinely impressive for a Windows handheld. So has the mulligan paid off?
How I tested
I put the MSI Claw 8 AI+ through its paces for several weeks, using it as my primary on-the-go gaming device. When testing, I paid close attention to the following factors:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Steve Hogarty is IndyBest’s technology writer with more than a decade’s experience reviewing the latest gadgets and games, from the Steam Deck to the best gaming headsets. His reviews cut through marketing hype with hands-on analysis and honest, unbiased verdicts, so he’s well-placed to deliver a verdict on the MSI Claw 8 AI+.
MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld gaming PC
CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 258V
GPU: Arc 140V
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB
Display size: 8in
Resolution: 1920x1200
Refresh rate: 120Hz variable
Battery: 80Wh
Platform: Windows
Why we love it
- Powerful
- Long lasting battery
- Two USB-C ports
Take note
- Clunky interface
- Expensive
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Design
The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is chunky, but then what handheld gaming PC isn’t? At 795g, it feels like holding a cast-iron oven dish compared to the Nintendo Switch 2, but I found the ergonomics of the moulded handles comfortable even during long sessions. The Steam Deck gives me tingly fingers after half an hour, but oddly not with the heavier, larger MSI Claw 8 – perhaps because the weight means I tend to hold it lower when playing.
MSI has opted for a beige-grey finish that is reminiscent of PCs from the 90s. The colour is accented with customisable RGB rings around the joysticks and backlit face buttons, which add a bit of the old gamer flair. Thankfully, you can turn these off if you’re a bit too old for all those flashing lights.
You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports along the top, a huge bonus over the single port found on many rivals. This means you can charge the device and plug in a peripheral at the same time. These are joined by a microSD card slot for expandable storage and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The 1TB NVMe SSD is easily accessible for users who want to upgrade their storage, too.
The build quality, however, feels plasticky for a device costing as much as a cheap gaming PC. The shoulder buttons and thumbsticks don’t scream premium, and a poorly tuned haptics motor means some vibrations can buzz noisily. I’ve been spoiled by the Switch 2’s luxurious rumble for sure, but I found myself turning off the Claw’s vibrations when playing with someone else in the room.
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Display
The Claw 8 AI+’s larger, brighter 8in screen is one of its main selling points. The 1920x1200 resolution is the right choice for the internal hardware and for a screen of these dimensions, any more pixels and you’d quickly run into performance issues with anything demanding.
The display is undoubtedly a real treat, looking impressively bright and colourful, with support for 120Hz variable refresh rates. But for £899, you wonder if MSI should have gone with superior OLED tech, with its infinite contrast and punchier vibrancy. The Steam Deck OLED comes in cheaper and offers a better image, so the compromise doesn’t seem worth it here.
MSI Claw 8 AI+: Performance and gaming
This is a Windows device, meaning it boots to a classic desktop by default. Plug it into a monitor and connect a mouse and keyboard, and it’s effectively a portable PC. Like other handheld gaming PCs, the MSI Claw 8 automatically launches a gaming overlay – here called Center M – to make the software experience resemble a console rather than your day job.
Center M locates and displays all of your installed games in a neat row of tappable cards, whether they’re on Xbox Game Pass, Steam, GoG, another service, or directly installed.
They even get some lovely full-screen artwork displayed behind them as you navigate. Center M can be summoned at any time by pressing a dedicated button, ostensibly letting you switch between games quickly.
But while nicely designed, the custom interface is buggy and slow to respond. When opening the overlay for the first time it can take several seconds for inputs to register, and even once warmed up it’s never zippy. You can do away with MSI’s own overlay in favour of your preferred one – I loaded up Steam Big Picture Mode instead and pretended to have a Steam Deck with triple the battery life – but again, for £900 you expect better.
Graphics performance is where the Claw 8 AI+ makes its case. With an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU and an Arc 140V GPU, it’s probably the most powerful handheld PC among its peers, consistently beating the Steam Deck OLED in demanding, triple AAA games. As a Windows device running on Intel architecture, there are fewer performance surprises too compared to Linux.
While you can push games like Horizon: Forbidden West to their higher quality upscaling settings and still expect 40fps framerates, I found the benefit of the Claw’s beefier specs are really felt with more handheld-appropriate graphics settings – the handheld delivers better looking games than rivals and lasts longer for it.
MSI claw 8 AI+: Battery life
The hefty 80Wh battery gives it one of the largest capacities of any Windows handheld, resulting in longer battery life. It’s particularly noticeable when it comes to demanding games, where the Claw pips most of its rivals.
Cyberpunk 2077 in high-performance mode lasted about two hours. No Man’s Sky comfortably lasts more than three. While that might not sound like a lot, it’s an excellent result for a power-hungry device. The Claw has more fans than a Robert Dyas shop window in summer, but they’re thankfully quiet and efficient enough that the handheld doesn’t run hot.
Buy now £899.00, Currys.co.uk
Is the MSI claw 8 AI+ worth it?
When it comes to performance and battery life the Claw is an undisputed heavyweight, but it finds itself with some stiff competition in the rapidly growing portable scene. The Steam Deck OLED is cheaper, and while not as well-specced it offers a better display and comparable performance in all but the most demanding games.
Shortcomings like the so-so display and less-than-premium build quality are harder to forgive at this elevated price point, but the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is still an impressive device. A powerful and well-rounded high-end gaming handheld that can chew through almost anything you throw at it.
