MSI Claw: Steam Deck competitor relies on Intel
MSI presented a gaming handheld with Windows at the CES. Unlike the competition, the Taiwanese company has opted for an Intel chip.
After Asus, Lenovo and Ayaneo, MSI follows with the Claw. At first glance, the latest contender for the gaming handheld throne looks just like the competition. However, while all the others rely on chips from AMD, the Claw features an Intel Meteor Lake processor. The device also offers some other interesting features.
Lots of power, lots of ventilation, lots of battery
The MSI Claw A1M, as the device is called by its full name, is available in different versions. The fastest version is based on an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU in combination with Intel's Arc Graphics 5, while the cheaper version is equipped with a Core Ultra 5. It also comes with 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of storage. Of course, a microSD card slot is also installed. The display measures 7 inches and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with a refresh rate of 120 Hertz. It will therefore not be able to keep up visually with the OLED screen of the new Steam Deck. However, the animations should be somewhat smoother because the Steam Deck display only has 90 Hertz.
Source: MSI
XeSS is used for upscaling, which is essential for the rather underpowered handhelds. According to MSI, Intel's technology should provide a "significant" performance boost. In theory, the Claw should deliver significantly more performance than AMD variants such as the Asus ROG Ally. Its CPU only has half as many cores as the Intel Core Ultra 7.
To ensure that this much performance doesn't end after ten minutes, the Claw has a 53 Wh battery. According to MSI, this is enough for two hours of gaming time even under full load. That would be an impressive figure. Cooling is another key aspect of handhelds. The back of the Claw is almost completely covered with ventilation slots for this purpose. I'm curious to see what effect this has on noise emissions.
Source: MSI
In terms of size and weight, the Claw is similar to the Steam Deck. At 676 grams, it is a little heavier than the original Steam Deck.
To ensure that the pre-installed Windows 11 can cope with the handheld controller, MSI includes its own "Centre M" software. As with the competition, you can use it to open a quick menu with the most important settings at the touch of a button. You can start games from the hub. A test will show how the software compares to Lenovo's and Asus' variants.
The three models cost between 699 dollars and 799 dollars. As soon as we know anything about availability, we will let you know.
As a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
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