MSI's New Steam Deck Challenger Launches This Year With Impressive Hardware And A Terrible Name

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It's called the MSI Claw and it's the first handheld PC gaming system to use Intel's new Core Ultra series processor.

By Darryn Bonthuys on

A new challenger has entered the competitive handheld PC gaming space, as MSI is throwing its hat into the ring. Or to be more specific, its Claw. The MSI Claw was unveiled at CES 2024 this week, and on paper, it could be a solid contender to the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally.

The big selling point of the MSI Claw is that it uses Intel's new Core Ultra series processor and it packs an impressive 53Wh battery inside of its frame--larger than the ROG Ally's 40Wh battery or the 50Wh version found inside of the Steam Deck OLED. For the display, there's a seven-inch 1920 x 1080 IPS touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate, Intel Arc graphics, 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and an NVMe M2 SSD.

MSI says that the device has a two-hour battery life under a full workload and that users can expect smooth gameplay at 1080p resolution and medium settings. Like the ROG Ally, the MSI Claw uses a Windows 11 operating system, so you'll be able to load games from multiple storefronts like Steam, the Xbox PC app, the Epic Games Store, and more. Interestingly, MSI says that its APP Player will also allow for Android games to work on the handheld, expanding its options.

Cosmetically, it's similar to the design of the ROG Ally with its placement of analog sticks, face buttons, and its general shape, but MSI added that it has designed the device to be ergonomically more comfortable for long gaming sessions. Like its competitors, the MSI Claw won't be cheap as it has a starting