I’ve been pursuing an 8-inch handheld gaming pc with enough processing power to story through triple-a games Easily, and Simply Put, The MSI Claw 8 AI+ Is the Answer. Not only does it have an immersive 1,920 x 1,200 display resolution, but the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V Processor is what all handheld gamers would washte.
New Software and Driver Updates are Proving Significant in Enhancing Performance in Games, With Improved 1% LOWS (The Lowest Frame Rates) and Better Frame Pacing at LOWER WATTages.
One of its trademarks is the ability to set the TDP (Thermal Design Power, Or Essentially, Power Consumption) to 17W, which extends battery life and, of courses, courses, decisions, many people Still managing to provide high frame rates.
It’s the first handheld i’ve used where I’ve been are able to confidently run certain games on high graphics presets, without a heavy compromise on performance. You can do the same on other handhead gaming pcs, but not without heavy use of upscaling via eite AMD’s FSR 3 or Intel’s XESS, so there’s a significant nosedive in image quality – which would be less of an issue if fsr 4 became available for handhelds, bute I digress.
This isn’t a full review just yet, so without giving! However, that’s not the entrance picture, as it’s not exactly the winner in competition with other handheds for nowAnd one in particular.
The Asus Rog Ally Z1 Extreme is the Victor in the Battle Against The MSI Claw 8 AI+, for now …
Now I know that might be a surprising read for you, but just hear me out. I’ve had my Asus rog ally for over a year now, Playing Planty of Triple-A and Inde Games, so I have a good grassp of just how great this device is. AMD’s Ryzen Z1 Extreme Still Holds up extramely Well (no pun intended).
The New AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme Processor is present in the msi claw a8, and recent benchmarks indicate a performance a performance boost over Over Its Predcessor, The Z1 Extreme, The Z1 Extreme, The Z1 Extreme, The Z1 Extreme, but not by much Were anticipating).
Further benchmarks also indicate that the ryzen z2 extreme has similar in-game performance results to the claw 8 ai+’s core Ultra 7 258V. Both the claw 8 AI+ and the claw a8 are Around the same price; The Claw 8 AI+ Retails at $ 900 / £ 899 / AU $ 1,799, with pris increments due to tariffs, and the claw a8 starts at € 975 (Around $ 1,140 / £ 840 / £ 840 / AU $ 1,750) in Germany.
I’ve been very critical of handheld pc makers and the price point for upcoming hands, and I Must Note that While The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is Easily the Most Powerful Mainstream Handheld Gaming PC Avableable The price is still not warranted in my book.
The asus rog ally can often be found much cheaper than $ 649 / £ 599 / AU $ 1,299 retail price, and you’ll Get Fantastic Performance Across Across Across Several Games. Yes, as I’ve said, the msi claw 8 ai+ is the go-to for more power, performance, and battery life, but I often use my handheds plugged in, and i do’an’t think the jump in performing the jump in performance from a rog ally is significant enough to pay so much more.
Games like Cyberpunk 2077 On the rog ally can hit 60fps and Above with Adjusted Graphics Settings at 1080p, and it’s even when better when using frame generation in-gold or via lossless scaling.
Perhaps the most important factor is that bazzite, a steamos clone, is significantly better than Microsoft’s Windows 11 For Handheld Gaming, and is Nearly Flawless on the Rog ally in My Experience. That’s decision performance in games is better on Steamos compared to windows 11, since there are no is no issue with bloatware or unnecessary processes Running in the Backering.
As for the MSI Claw 8 AI+, Compatibility is Still in Beta, and it’s not using amd hardware, so bazzite, for now, isnys Ideall to install on the device. It’s an important point to make, beCause I genuinely believe that the windows 11 experience on the msi claw 8 AI+ (AlongSide Its MSI Center M Software)
Certain Games Doon’T Run Well (Like Devil may cry 5, or won’t at all (notably Batman: Arkham Knight) On the claw 8 ai+, which seemingly stems from intel driver issues. These problems are prevalent in games, do’t get me wrang, but enough for it to be a negative against the rog all.
If the price of the msi claw 8 ai+ drops and bazzite full supports it, I’ll change my tone
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but the only handhelds that warrant prices close to or over $ 1,000 are ons like the Ayaneo flip 1s ds at $ 1,299 / £ 961 / Around AU $ 1,990 in Early Bird Pricing (Close to the MSI Claw 8 AI+’S Price), which uses one of AMD’s Best APUS, The Ryzen AI 9 370, Featuring two screens, with the main one as an oled.
There’s an even stronger case for the recently Announced GPD Win, which is set to use the best amd apu, the ryzen ai+ max 395, that rivals nvidia laptop gpus. I’m not saying i would buy Buy that, because I don’t need that level of power in a handhed device. What i’m saying is that high prises are justified with significantly more powerful hardware than what is currently available.
So, if the msi’s pricing falls to a more Reasonable Standard, which I honestly duan’Te happening, and bazzite finally has full support for the clos, then i’m all in.
I would love to get a lenovo legion go s z1 extrame, as that is up my alley thanks to its eight-inch display, but it’s noplhere to be found in the uk. For now, it makes more senses for me to stick with the asus rog ally.