MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ costs more than a PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2 combined
Whew, that’s expensive
😬 MSI has revealed the pricing of the new Claw 8 EX AI+, and boy is it expensive
😱 For the Arc G3 Extreme variant with 32GB, it’s $1,799 from MSI directly, or $1,699 from Newegg
🆚 That makes it as expensive as the likes of the Lenovo Legion Go 2
😅 MSI also says there may be room for another price hike in its future, and the device isn’t even out yet
We finally have pricing information for one of the newest PC handhelds, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, and it’s not looking too good for those hoping for something more affordable.
As per Tom’s Hardware, the Intel Arc G3 Extreme-powered handheld has appeared on MSI’s website for $1,799 and on Newegg for $1,699. This variant comes with the full-fat B390 integrated graphics, plus 32GB of LPDDR5X memory.
In an interview with FRVR, MSI product marketing lead Andy Chu told the outlet that it has been a “really difficult year for Intel and especially the OEM like us” as MSI needs to take into account price hikes such as memory and storage, forcing prices up.
Chu went on to say that MSI has tried “every approach to get the memory and also storage at a lower cost”, such as strengthening the relationship between MSI and its suppliers to try and get some deals. He concluded that MSI thinks it has done everything it can to “make our system as affordable as possible”.
This may not be the final price of the device, though, as Chu stated that there’s “room for another price hike”, which could take it into the $2,000 range. For reference, you can get AMD Strix Halo-powered handhelds for that price, including the obscenely expensive OneXPlayer X2 Mini Pro.
For reference, the $1,799 price tag makes the Claw 8 EX AI+ more expensive than a PS5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2 combined. As much as we were impressed with its performance in our hands-on at Computex 2026, that’s a lot of money when you can get all three current-gen consoles with some change.
And that’s even after we’ve seen virtually everyone else put their prices up. For instance, Sony recently introduced a hefty price rise for the PS5 that took the PS5 Pro up to $900, and the Disc and Digital editions of the console up to $650 and $600.
Nintendo has also announced a $50 price rise for the Switch 2 that takes effect in September, while it’s also rumored Microsoft’s new Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition could see a higher price tag than expected owing to memory pricing issues.
As for other PC handhelds, there has also been a steep Steam Deck price rise from Valve and Lenovo’s monstrous Legion Go 2 price hike, so it seems no one is safe from the memory crisis, whether you’re on PC or console.
Up next: Steam Machine pre‑order, price, and release date leak points to June 23 reveal
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.