MSI’s Claw A8 handheld supports AMD and Intel inside. Here’s how

Intel or AMD? It’s a big choice for PC gamers, but if you want a handheld, only one company will let you choose. With the new Claw A8, MSI is the only major vendor that’s offering handheld gaming PCs with guts from the blue and red teams. At Computex, Adam Patrick Murray cornered MSI Product Management Director Cliff Chun to talk about it.

Though the body is more angular, the newer version of the Claw is broadly similar to the existing Claw 8 AI+, with the same 8-inch, 120Hz screen, same basic layout, same battery. It has a new motherboard and cooling setup, of course, due to using the brand new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme mobile chip. But if anything that makes the new version just more similar to existing handhelds that have popped up since the Steam Deck.

Chun says that MSI is focusing on giving players maximum battery life, while keeping most games at a 60 frames-per-second level. That battery life is an estimated two hours, which isn’t exactly amazing when compared to laptops running on similar hardware…but laptops have bigger batteries and aren’t 100 percent focused on gaming. The speakers have been moved up a bit, but aren’t blocked by your hands when held, according to MSI.

MSI will still sell both the Claw 8 AI+ and the original 7-inch model, all based on Intel and all running Windows, when the A8 releases later this year. We don’t have pricing information at the moment, and Chun is mum on any developments for a handheld running SteamOS, like the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go S. For more on the latest PC gaming handhelds, be sure to subscribe to PCWorld on YouTube, and tune in to our weekly podcast The Full Nerd.