MSi and Intel have partnered collectively at CES 2024 to announce the world’s first PC gaming handheld powered by an Intel Core Extremely chip, the MSI Claw.

The MSI Claw is the newest addition to a rising class of Steam Deck opponents, however till now, they’ve all been powered by AMD APUs just like the AMD Z1 and AMD Z1 Excessive. The MSI Claw will come equiped with as much as an Intel Core Extremely 7 155H processor with built-in Intel Arc graphics, 16GB LPDDR5, NVMe SSD storage, Intel Killer WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, and a 7-inch, full HD contact show with a 120Hz refresh fee, with 100% sRGB colour protection and as much as 500 nits brightness.

As the primary PC gaming handheld powered by Intel’s new Core Extremely processor, the MSI Claw is a serious stage for Intel to point out off its newest structure in a market that has seen main progress following the smashing success of the Steam Deck. As MSI’s first gaming handheld, the Claw comes with some main gaming pedigree to again it up, one thing that ought to assist distinguish itself from the rising variety of opponents just like the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.

One factor that the MSI Claw additionally brings to the sport is Intel XeSS graphics upscaling. In contrast to the ROG Ally and Legion Go, which depends on software program algorithms to render a body at a decrease than native decision earlier than increasing it to the goal body decision, the MSI Claw will be capable to use devoted AI {hardware} to raised upscale the decrease decision frames. This may present the next high quality outcome with fewer visible artifacts whereas sustaining sooner body charges.

Along with the spectacular inner specs, the brand new handheld additionally comes geared up with a 53WHr battery, the most important battery for any gaming handheld in the marketplace proper now. This could make the MSI Claw a perfect gaming handheld for thos eon the go who aren’t going to have easy accessibility to an influence outlet to maintain the system charged, and MSI guarantees 50% longer battery life than different handhelds, together with two full hours of battery life beneath full-performance workloads.

Lastly, the MSI Claw additionally options full key recording performance so customers can create their very own private macros for sure video games, and the MSI Heart M interface is designed to make accessing your video games fairly straight ahead, one thing that had bedeviled different handheld gaming techniques.

Should you’re trying ahead to getting a brand new MSI Claw, it’s anticipated to go on sale between mid-February and the tip of March, with an anticipated sale worth of between $699 and $799 relying on the configuration.

The stakes — and the chances — are enormous for the MSI Claw

The introduction of PC gaming handhelds to the scene with the Steam Deck opened up a complete new method for folks to get into PC gaming and for long-time PC avid gamers to have a better method to sport on the go with out having to depend on top-of-the-line gaming laptops, that are barely moveable when they’re skinny and lightweight, and are downright burdensome if you get to the desktop substitute stage.

So it is comprehensible that MSI would come out with its personal competing handheld, however whereas AMD’s Z1 and Z1 Excessive chips that energy the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go are pretty effectively established now as succesful gaming processors, the identical cannot be mentioned but in regards to the Intel Core Extremely with its built-in Arc graphics. With eight Xe cores, the built-in GPU within the Intel Core Extremely 7 155H has the identical variety of GPU cores because the Intel Arc A380, although it understandably would have a decrease energy draw, so we will not count on the identical stage of efficiency as a desktop card.

Even with that stipulation, although, the Intel Arc GPU does have some notable benefits. With respectably robust devoted ray tracing cores, video games that use ray tracing are going to look nice, however the greatest draw would be the XeSS upscaling know-how.

The {hardware} AI cores within the Arc graphics structure merely outclass any software program answer that AMD may implement with FSR (particularly in relation to the standard of the ensuing upscaled body), so the MSI Claw being the primary gaming handheld to function hardware-powered upscaling goes to utterly be a important benefit for the brand new handheld, assuming it really works as supposed.

That is the primary Intel Core Extremely processor in a gaming handheld, so regardless that there should not be any challenge translating the energy of Arc graphics and Intel’s processors to a gaming handheld (which is only a Home windows 11 laptop, on the finish of the day), there’s additionally no getting round the truth that that is the primary time Intel has tried to do that, and the destiny of MSI’s handheld is now tied to how effectively Intel adapts its processor to the brand new kind issue. A highwire act certainly, however there is no denying that the MSI Claw is shaking up essentially the most thrilling gaming {hardware} market going proper now.