The AOKZOE A2 Ultra could be Intel's chance for a PC gaming handheld redemption

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The MSI Claw, released in March 2024, has gotten plenty of negative attention thanks to its poor optimization at launch. But a new PC gaming handheld sporting an Intel processor is coming and may be the answer to Intel’s portable console woes.

The AOKZOE A2 Ultra has been confirmed to sport an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, according to a report from PCGamesN. This is the same processor powering the high-end models of the MSI Claw A1M, which received plenty of backlash due to its struggling with basic gaming tasks that its competition easily handles.

Unlike MSI, the company behind the device seems to have more experience with manufacturing PC handhelds, though, like the Steam Deck and nearly every other handheld in the market, it usually uses AMD processors. While we don’t know why AOKZOE made the switch to Intel, there’s a good chance that the AOKZOE A2 Ultra could be the redemption story that Intel needs right now.

As of now, there’s no clear reason why the MSI Claw is struggling. Our own preview of the handheld was beaming, praising its consistent and excellent performance with the limited games on hand. However, once in-depth reviews arrived, tales of subpar performance woes quickly spread.

These issues include some Intel-related updates refusing to install properly, the MSI Center’s inconsistent game launching, overheating issues, inconsistent performance, and more. Right now, the universal experience with this system seems to be frustration and disappointment.

And the problem is, we don’t know who’s to blame for this. Is it MSI’s manufacturing process, or architectural limitations with Intel processors? The answer will most likely be settled with the AOKZOE A2 Ultra once it launches, which makes this handheld incredibly vital for Intel to prove that its processor can stand against AMD's in this market.

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