I jeer when MSI put theClaw 8 AI+in my hands withBlack Myth : Wukongselected . I ’d pass 80 hr in the biz on my full screen background packing an RTX 4090 , and I knew just how demanding the plot was . It ’s a pipedream for ahandheld play PC .
I pressedContinueand load up at the Pool of Shattered Jade rest period — the ideal spot to farm ; if you have a go at it , you know — and go along to run up to the cocoons spotted around the domain , unleash my spirit ability , and lead back . sit down in a palely - dismount New York City Browning automatic rifle , I continued the cringle a few more time . I ’d done great deal of agriculture in the game before .
And that ’s when I realize I was fully in the zone , just playingBlack Myth : Wukong — blank out that it wason a handheld . The game did n’t look sodding , and it was n’t mesh to 60 frame per second ( fps ) . But here I was run one of the most demanding game of the year on a machine that I could have get with me on the plane ride over .
Before thing get too rose-cheeked , it ’s important to retrieve the context . The original MSI Claw , which I gave a measly inspection musical score of 5/10 , was a bit of a mess . In myMSI Claw review , I write it “ is n’t deserving your time , and for sure is n’t deserving your money . ” More expensive than the competition , and with discrepant carrying out to boot , the MSI Claw was a certify bankruptcy .
But the MSI Claw AI 8 + is a shot at hand-held buyback with one of Intel ’s Modern , souped - up Lunar Lake buffalo chip , and free-base on that chip alone , I would n’t pick you for own a hint of cautious optimism .
With this new handheld , MSI is really targeting theAsus ROG Ally X. In addition to the Core Ultra 258V chip and 32 GB of LPDDR5x memory board — Lunar Lake is a system - on - a - chip ( SoC ) , so 24 GB is n’t possible — the handheld comes packed with an 8 - in 1200p screen , Hall Effect joysticks , an 80Whr battery , dual Thunderbolt 4 ports , and Wi - Fi 7 . On paper , at least , the Claw 8 AI+ outclass the ROG Ally X point - for - stop .
MSI claim that it outclasses the ROG Ally X on performance , too . At 17W , MSI says its handheld is 20 % faster on ordinary , and out of the box with MSI ’s dynamic AI Engine power setting , the ship’s company lay claim it ’s 28 % faster . Even more telling , MSI take that it bid 7 % higher functioning at 17W compare to the ROG Ally X at 30W , and it manages 44 % longer bombardment spirit .
Bold claim , but we ’ve look bold claims from MSI before . I ’m holding out judgement until the handheld is really here , and I suggest you do the same . With the original MSI Claw , the handheld would often waste more major power and extend less performance when compared to the original ROG Ally , so MSI has a mint of work to do .
Still , I was able to play a bit ofBlack Myth : Wukong , and that alone is telling . Not impressive enough to earn a recommendation , but impressive even to catch my interest group . Hopefully MSI ’s performance title actually hold up once the handheld is out in the wild .
MSI has two adaptation of this handheld come — the Claw 8 AI+ and the Claw 7 AI+ , the latter of which expend the carapace of the original MSI Claw but the backbone of the Claw 8 AI+ . They ’re price at $ 899 and $ 799 , severally , so MSI has to not only match what Asus is offer with the ROG Ally X ; it has to go further with the gamy price stop .
What draw me anxious is the release . Both handhelds are available for preorder now , and they ’ll go on sale officially on December 26 . MSI tells me that there wo n’t be any reviews available on sacking day . Just like the original Claw , MSI is releasing the handheld at retail without any review program with medium .
That means the first impressions you ’ll get are from people rolling the dice with their own money . That ’s usually a red iris in the world of technical school launches . Either way , it should go without say that if you ’re interested in the Claw 8 AI+ , I ’d hold back a while after it publish to see what independent reviewers have to say .
