MSi and Intel are teaming up at CES 2024 to announce the world's first PC gaming handheld powered by an Intel Core Ultra chip, the MSI Claw.
The MSI Claw is the latest addition to a growing class of Steam Deck competitors, but until now they've all been powered by AMD APUs like the AMD Z1 and AMD Z1 Extreme. The MSI Claw will be equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor with integrated Intel Arc graphics, 16 GB LPDDR5, NVMe SSD storage, Intel Killer WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, and a 7-inch, full HD touchscreen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, with 100% sRGB color coverage and brightness up to 500 nits.
As the first PC gaming handheld powered by Intel's new Core Ultra processor, the MSI Claw is a major stage for Intel to show off its latest architecture in a market that has seen major growth following the overwhelming success of the Steam Deck. As MSI's first gaming handheld, the Claw comes with some major gaming pedigree to back it up, something that should help it stand out from the growing number of competitors like the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.
One thing the MSI Claw also brings to the game is Intel XeSS graphics upscaling. Unlike the ROG Ally and Legion Go, which rely on software algorithms to render a frame at a lower resolution than its native resolution before expanding it to the target frame resolution, the MSI Claw will be able to use dedicated AI hardware to better upscale the lower resolution frames. This produces a higher quality result with fewer visual artifacts, while maintaining higher frame rates.
In addition to the impressive internal specifications, the new handheld also comes equipped with a 53 Wh battery, the largest battery of any gaming handheld on the market today. This should make the MSI Claw an ideal gaming handheld for those on the go who don't have easy access to a power outlet to keep the device charged, and MSI promises 50% longer battery life than other handhelds, including two full hours. of battery life at full load.
Finally, the MSI Claw also features full key recording functionality, allowing users to create their own personal macros for certain games.
The stakes – and the possibilities – are enormous for the MSI Claw
The introduction of PC gaming handhelds to the market with the Steam Deck opened up a whole new way for people to get into PC gaming and an easier way for experienced PC gamers to game on the go without having to rely of one of the best gaming laptops, which are barely portable when thin and light, and downright burdensome when you reach desktop replacement level.
So it's understandable that MSI would come to market with its own competing handheld, but while AMD's Z1 and Z1 Extreme chips powering the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go are now fairly well established as capable gaming processors, the same can't yet be done. are said. about the Intel Core Ultra with its integrated Arc graphics. With 8
Even with that provision, the Intel Arc GPU has some notable advantages. With respectably strong dedicated ray tracing cores, games that use ray tracing will look great, but the biggest draw will be the XeSS upscaling technology.
The hardware AI cores in Arc's graphics architecture simply surpass any software solution AMD could implement with FSR (especially when it comes to the quality of the resulting upscaled frame), so the MSI Claw is the first gaming handheld with hardware-driven powered upscaling will definitely be a crucial benefit for the new handheld, assuming it works as intended.
This is the first Intel Core Ultra processor in a gaming handheld, so while you should have no problem translating the power of the Arc graphics and Intel's processors to a gaming handheld (which ultimately is just a Windows 11 computer is, ), there's also no getting around the fact that this is the first time Intel has tried this, and the fate of MSI's handheld now depends on how well Intel adapts its processor to the new form factor. A highwire act indeed, but there's no denying that the MSI Claw is shaking up the hottest gaming hardware market right now.