00:00If you've been to the channel before, you know there's no shortage of gaming handhelds announced
00:03for this year. That said, the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus is shaping up to be one of the more interesting
00:08ones, and it's not just because of improved gaming performance, but at $899, this is currently the
00:14most expensive handheld that you can buy today. So in this video, I'll help you decide if it's
00:18worth your money. How about we start things off with the most obvious change from the original
00:24MSI Claw. It's rocking a larger 8-inch 1920x1200 VRR touchscreen display with a 120Hz refresh rate
00:31and 500 nits of brightness. While it's not going to give you those deep OLED blacks, the screen is
00:36still very punchy and looks excellent and very immersive in titles like Kingdom Come Deliverance
00:402 or Cyberpunk 2077. Now, it's not as light as I'd like it to be, but I still think this is the sweet
00:46spot for screen size and portability. It's much easier to read text that's smaller and finer details
00:52like grass or action happening in the background aren't lost as easily on the screen. Overall,
00:57I feel like this provides a much more immersive gaming experience compared to 7-inch counterparts,
01:02including the ROG Ally X, and it's one of those cases where it might be hard for me to go back
01:07to a smaller handheld after testing this. For controls, we got the same Hall Effect joysticks,
01:12and the D-pad is more concave now. The left button and right button are also Hall Effect and feel
01:17more satisfying to click. And then on the back, we have two programmable buttons, but honestly,
01:22I never ended up using them, but they're there for added customization.
01:25The biggest issue with last year's Claw 7 was that it was inconsistent. Why? Well,
01:30Intel's processor just wasn't well optimized for most games, and its real-world performance was
01:35either just on par or behind competing options like the nearly two-year-old ASUS ROG Ally.
01:41Even in games where it did manage to sneak in a few extra frames per second,
01:45it often hit random performance steps that really took you out of the game.
01:48So under the hood now, we find the new Intel Core Ultra 7 processor Series 2 paired with an Intel
01:54Arc 140v GPU, 32 gigabytes of LPDDR5X memory, and up to a 1 terabyte NVMe SSD. This is double the
02:02original Claw 7's 16 gigabytes of RAM and 500 gigabytes of base storage. It's also packing Wi-Fi 7,
02:08Bluetooth LE audio, and improved speakers. So let's be honest, audio probably isn't the biggest
02:13deciding factor for most handheld gamers. It retains its second USB-C Thunderbolt port at the top,
02:19connecting to accessories, hard drives, you name it. It's still easy while being able to keep the
02:23device charged, something the original ASUS ROG Ally and Steam Deck lack. But with those updated specs,
02:30how good is the new Claw 8? While it still won't blow your socks off with performance,
02:34when running it at its full 30-watt power mode in many titles, I'm seeing some really great results.
02:40I like playing my games at native resolution and hate using frame generation. Unlike my less
02:45powerful ASUS ROG Ally, the Claw 8 AI Plus is better able to do that while still hitting respectable
02:50frame rates. It can get loud under heavy load when installing games and updates, but aside from that,
02:56when it comes to actual gaming, it was one of the quietest handhelds that I've tested. Although this
03:00still can get pretty hot near its back center under heavy load, it never gets that warm on the actual
03:05controllers while I'm gaming. Black Ops 6 is a game that runs surprisingly well on the Claw 8.
03:11In its built-in low-town map benchmark, I hit an average of 82 frames per second at 1080p with low
03:16settings. And bumping that up to medium normal settings, I still managed to get about 58 frames
03:20per second, which is still very respectable for a handheld. Given that this is a more competitive
03:25game where I prioritize smooth gameplay while still having relatively good clarity, where I can see my
03:30enemies that are further away, without needing to upscale and mucking things up, I was very impressed
03:35here. On the other hand, Dragon Dogma 2 is an example of a more demanding AAA game that still
03:40isn't very well optimized for handhelds and can struggle to run well here. Even in its opening
03:45level, the Claw 8 was hitting about 25 to 28 frames per second at 1080p low. Interestingly,
03:50lowering things to 720p and using frame gen didn't offer more than about 2 to 5 extra frames,
03:55so it wasn't really worth it. That said, newer games like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 run a
04:00exceptionally well on the Claw 8. I could consistently hit high 30s to low 40s at 1080p
04:06with a mix of low, medium, and high settings, which I think offers a really good balance of
04:10visuals and performance. Battery life is another big selling point. With its 80-watt battery, MSI
04:16claims that the Claw 8 AI Plus can hit up to 44% better battery life compared to the Ally X in some
04:22games. With the Claw 8 AI Plus at its full 30-watt power mode and PC Mark 10 battery life tests,
04:27it gets almost two and a half hours. MSI also claims that the Claw 8 can offer over four hours
04:32of gaming time in its endurance mode, but that's going to take a huge hit to performance, so it's
04:36really best suited for more casual titles. In my experience, though, I was able to get reliably
04:41about two hours or so of gaming at its max 30-watt performance mode. But this larger battery and its
04:47more efficient processor also means that for non-gaming tasks like browsing the web or writing documents,
04:52if you're someone who does that on the go, it can last about 12 or even 13-plus hours in its
04:57endurance battery saver mode. And finally, I'm a big fan of MSI's Cleaner Quick Bar Overlay,
05:02which not only feels less intrusive to pull up when you're in the middle of a game, but it actually
05:06feels like an extension of Windows 11, and I actually mean that in a good way. It's semi-transparent,
05:11looks very polished, and is very snappy. Its main quick settings give you access to the usual
05:16brightness, volume, power modes, and other device settings like switching performance modes,
05:20viewing FPS, or changing color effects, all without the clunky, intrusive sidebars that
05:26we've seen on previous versions. You'll also find access to Xbox Friends and Xbox Achievements
05:31and other really cool widgets with the option to add even more. It's the closest thing to feeling
05:36like an Xbox handheld for now. You can find our full review and the best deals for the MSI Claw 8
05:41in the description. And while you're there, be sure to subscribe for more handheld content.
05:45But now, let's get into some of the reasons you may want to skip on this.
05:49First, it might be the most powerful gaming handheld for now, but you're definitely paying
05:54a premium for it. On one hand, the Claw 8 offers a larger display and better specs and performance
05:59than the Ally X, which is currently its biggest competitor. And in many ways, I do think it is
06:04worth the extra $100 over that Ally X, but I also consider the Ally X to be overpriced.
06:09When you remember that the base Steam Deck starts at just $399, and the original ROG Ally that I keep
06:15bringing up with the same Z1 Extreme processor as its successor can be found frequently for under $550
06:20when it's on sale, it puts these newer handhelds in a very awkward position.
06:24And then considering that you can get a really powerful RTX 4070 gaming laptop like the HP Victus
06:30or MSI Katana for nearly the same price, these more expensive handhelds aren't just competing
06:34with other handhelds. They're nearly as expensive as laptops that can easily blow them out of the water
06:40in terms of performance. So the question is, how much do you value the extra 15 to 20% of
06:45performance you'll get on average compared to other Windows handhelds? And how much do you need
06:49or want to play your games on the go? Speaking of gaming on the go, some people will argue that
06:54the MSI Claw 8 is too heavy or too big. And at 795 grams, it's heavier than the original Claw 7 by
07:01over 100 grams. Sure, the large display and battery help justify that, but take it from me. Unless you have
07:06your arms leaning on something like an office chair, you'll quickly notice that extra weight.
07:10But besides that, another thing you might not be a big fan of is the sandy color scheme. On one hand,
07:16it is a fresh take on the sea of all black or all white gaming handhelds out there. And to me,
07:20it does give off some really cool retro vibes. But at the same time, I don't think it's exactly
07:25complimenting its gaming DNA. I'm not saying it needs to be black and red and scream gamer,
07:30but let's be honest, this tan color isn't that fun. Windows 11 allows you to do a lot more than
07:36just game on this, but it's terrible to use on a small touchscreen, especially with no peripherals
07:41connected. And like I've shared, MSI Center does a good job at helping you change important settings
07:47and jumping between your games. But for everything else, without a mouse or keyboard, you're going to
07:52have a really rough time. So if you need a new gaming handheld today, should you get the MSI Claw 8
07:57AI Plus? This is currently my favorite handheld, but it comes with some caveats. It offers an excellent
08:03combo of performance and display that has actually re-sparked my love for playing games
08:07on the go. But it's asking price is a very tough pill to swallow. It does outperform competing
08:12handhelds, but again, you can get a really solid gaming laptop for around the same price.
08:17So are you willing to take a big hit to performance just so you can game with it
08:21on the go? Maybe. But what do you think of the new MSI Claw 8 AI Plus? And who do you think this
08:26handheld is best for? Let me know in the comments. You can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide,
08:29and you can follow me to see what other cool tech I'm reviewing. And until the next one,
08:33catch you later.
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