MSI Claw finally has a release date and it’s sooner than you think
MSI is the latest company to throw its hat into the fast-growing PC handheld gaming market, unveiling the MSI Claw and receiving a lot of information this year. But now we finally have an official release date for the handheld.
According to a price list from Newegg, the Claw will be released in the US on March 8, 2024 in three variants, with the $749 model launching that day and the $699 and $799 models launching a week later on March 15. either equipped with the Core Ultra 7 155H or the Core Ultra 5 135H processors. Some versions also have 512 GB or 1 TB storage options.
The MSI Claw is the first of the portable PC handhelds to use the Intel Core Ultra series. The Core Ultra 7 155H has 16 CPU cores and the Intel Arc graphics card has 8 Xe-Core. The Core Ultra 5 135H comes with 14 CPU cores and 7 Xe-Cores.
The MSI Claw may be in trouble
It’s quite bizarre that the release date and pre-orders for the MSI Claw have been revealed so close to launch. It’s such a waste of valuable promotional time, when the pre-order period could have been used to better advertise the handheld in the first place.
Furthermore, while the specs for the MSI Claw are extremely impressive, it all comes at a high price that could impact future sales. Because of the components it packs, the cheapest model available is still an incredibly expensive $699, which is higher than the price of the competition.
Another problem is that the construction is quite similar to both the Steam Deck and the Levono Legion Go, making it harder to sell any kind of unique quality. Mainly because it is more expensive than other options, which would hardly convince anyone to invest if the impression is that it is more or less the same system.
This means that the Claw is at a distinct disadvantage in terms of awareness, aesthetics and cost, which could seriously harm its long-term success. It would be a shame too, because it’s clearly the most ambitious PC gaming handheld yet. Hopefully it can find its place in the market and prove my doubts wrong, but we can only wait and see.