MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ hands-on review: the most powerful gaming handheld in the world
Fantastic controls and power
🏋️♂️ MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the most powerful gaming handheld at Computex and possibly the entire world
⚙️ Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme delivers 60fps gaming at full 1200p resolution and high settings in F1 2025 and Hogwarts Legacy
🎮 Xbox-inspired redesign improves ergonomics and laser-etched texture
🕹️ Greatly improved inputs with Hall-Effect thumbsticks, rounder buttons, and a new metal-gated D-Pad
🫨 HD haptics converts simple rumble into nuanced vibrations
📅 MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ will be available June 23 and MSI is targeting pricing around $1,500
The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the most powerful gaming handheld at Computex and possibly the entire world, and it’s all thanks to Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme processor. I got to test MSI’s new handheld in Taipei, and it’s a beast that can run Hogwarts Legacy at a steady 60 fps with 1200p medium settings and XeSS supersampling set to balanced. It can also handle 60fps Battlefield 6 at 1200p high with XeSS performance mode.
With up to 45W of graphics power, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and its Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor aren’t just outperforming AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered gaming handhelds; they’re aiming for AMD’s flagship Strix Halo that powers gaming laptops and small desktops.
All of that power is wrapped around a greatly improved chassis that shows MSI has learned a lot from building handhelds for the last two and a half years. It’s lighter, more ergonomic, and MSI has improved all the inputs with Hall Effect thumbsticks, rounder ABXY face buttons, and a metal dome around the D-Pad. MSI is even evolving the rumble in the Claw 8 EX AI+ into what it calls HD haptics, which can precisely deliver vibrations to simulate their real-world feel. This handheld really now feels like a great controller that just happens to have a screen, while most gaming handhelds focus on being PC gaming devices with controller buttons added on
The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the culmination of years of gaming handheld development. Combining the power with all the thoughtful controller and ergonomic improvements, there isn’t a better-performing or better-handling gaming handheld than the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ right now. It’ll be released on June 23, and MSI has only loosely quoted that pricing will start around $1,500.
🏋️♂️ Power stance. The Intel Arc G3 Extreme has already proven itself more powerful than the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme by delivering 10+ fps in Forza Horizon 6 on the Acer Predator Atlas 8. Now, after an hour with the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, I’ve come away even more impressed as it can run 60fps Hogwarts Legacy at a full 1200p resolution with medium settings and XeSS super sampling set to balanced. Battlefield 6 can run at 60 fps with even higher-quality settings and XeSS enabled. I was also able to play F1 25 on a 4K TV with this handheld docked like a Nintendo Switch 2, except that MSI can deliver a much higher TDP of 45W to run the game at 60fps with high settings.
⚙️ Intel inside. All of this gaming prowess comes from the Arc G3 Extreme that Intel derived from its Panther Lake series of processors. It’s the first chip Intel has truly developed for gaming, first by cutting down the CPU core count while maintaining 12 Xe3 cores. This chip has also been practically co-engineered by MSI, as Intel pulled from all of MSI’s learnings from its last two and a half years of building handhelds, starting with the original MSI Claw and, subsequently, the much-improved MSI Claw 8 AI+.
🪭 Cooling. MSI hasn’t forgotten to upgrade the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+’s cooling to match the more powerful processor. This handheld features MSI’s new Cooler Boost HyperFlow tech, which adds a second fan and two heat pipes, providing an additional five watts of cooling. Both fans also push 25% higher pressure airflow, which should keep temps low and steady. This all kept the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ just warm to the touch while testing, even as I asked the system to run games at high-quality settings and full resolution.
🎮 Gaming comfortably. The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ doesn’t just run like a dream, it feels like one. Thanks to a new pair of flared-out grips and a 20g lighter weight, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is much easier to hold. Like the Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, MSI took inspiration from the Xbox controller to give its handheld a new shape while also adding a laser-etched micro-dot texture for just a little more grip. Unlike the smooth-skinned MSI Claw 8 AI+, this texture doesn’t require you to white-knuckle-grip onto it, further reducing hand strain.
🕹️ More like a great controller with a screen. MSI has also improved every input on the Claw 8 EX AI+, starting with a new pair of Hall-Effect thumbsticks that should never degrade and are immune to stick drift. The ABXY face buttons have also been resurfaced with rounded edges that make them more comfortable to press. Even the D-Pad has been upgraded with an additional metal gate, making it snappier for fighting games.
🫨 HD Haptics. The last thing I expected MSI to improve upon was rumble, but MSI has really developed a new system here. First, MSI replaced the bog-standard rumble motor with a 6-axis IMU vibration motor that can convey subtler haptic feedback. At the same time, MSI developed a new algorithm that translates native rumble into HD Haptics to simulate more immersive feedback, such as the reverberation from stepping onto a metal floor. I personally felt the most difference in vibration while playing F1 25, with a distinct difference in feel between the engine rumble, spinning my tires, and a full-on crash.
📼 Rerun specs. While there’s a lot new outside and inside the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, there’s a fair bit that’s the same as MSI’s last Intel-powered and even the AMD-powered MSI Claw A8. Namely, this Claw still features an eight-inch IPS display that tops out at 500 nits, making it yet another PC gaming handheld that can’t display HDR when the Switch 2’s screen is just as bright. MSI has also stuck to 1TB of storage and 24GB of shared memory. Battery capacity is also the same as the previous 80whr, but MSI has promised you can expect the same, if not better, which all sounds good to me as the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is still the longest-lasting gaming handheld with up to 10 hours of battery life.
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam