The official specs have now been confirmed for the MSI Claw 8 AI+, which, sadly, hasn’t been given a reputation change. The awkwardly titled handheld will use an Intel Core Extremely 200V Lunar Lake SoC, whereas additionally boosting reminiscence velocity, battery life, and display dimension in comparison with its predecessor.
Given how the MSI Claw A1M did not make any constructive influence within the transportable market, and didn’t come near turning into top-of-the-line handheld gaming PCs round, it solely is sensible to easily transfer on and take a look at once more. This new handheld is already on present at IFA 2024, however received’t be in the stores till “early 2025”.
Information of a brand new MSI handheld was met with trepidation earlier this yr, primarily as a result of it wasn’t lengthy after the Claw A1M launched, and was nonetheless struggling to get the fundamentals proper. A couple of Claw BIOS updates later, and house owners of the hand-held may now really feel that gaming efficiency is healthier, nevertheless it’s nonetheless comfortably behind units equivalent to the Asus ROG Ally X.
MSI states it listened to buyer suggestions, as that is what has led to the modifications specified by its IFA 2024 bulletins. The MSI Claw 8 AI+ will before everything undertake the Intel Lunar Lake Intel Core Extremely 200V APU and improve the utmost system reminiscence to 32GB, whereas additionally transferring from LPDDR5-6400 to LPDDR5x-8533 reminiscence.
In the meantime, the battery is growing to an 80Wh spec, up from 53Wh, and the Claw 8 AI+ can even double up its Thunderbolt 4 ports in order that two can be found. Elsewhere, this new handheld can even assist the M.2 2280 SSD kind issue.
Lastly, the display dimension is growing from seven to eight inches, however it should nonetheless be a 1,920 x 1,080, 120Hz VRR panel versus upgrading to an OLED mannequin.
Whereas all these enhancements are nice, there’s a damaged belief from the primary Claw machine’s launch that will probably be very tough for MSI to repair. Given the oversaturated nature of the hand-held market, with extra large names making an attempt to say a share, the Claw A1M’s failures have to be addressed earlier than this new mannequin replaces it.
Very similar to Asus acknowledging the failures in its ROG Ally microSD card slot, in addition to the normal Asus RMA course of, it’s finest to acknowledge your errors earlier than you progress on.
Nonetheless, if MSI will get it proper, it’s onerous to guess in opposition to the facility of the Lunar Lake structure, which is able to blow older handhelds just like the AMD-powered Steam Deck out of the water. Granted, the Steam Deck will nonetheless seemingly provide a greater person expertise, and the a lot beloved OLED mannequin instead.
We’re attending IFA this yr and hope to carry you a hands-on preview of the MSI Claw 8 AI+. Within the meantime, try our story on a possible Acer gaming handheld, as extra manufacturers look to enter the transportable market.
