MSI has been working on the follow-up to its not-so successful handheld gaming device, theClaw A1M, for its CES 2025 launch. Even though it was shared with some people in the industry, the final specifications of the upcomingClaw 8 AI+were kept mostly under wraps. Now, theofficial CES pagehas revealed a couple of key pieces of information about the upcoming handheld. The MSI Claw 8 AI+ will be powered by anIntelLunar Lake chip and be capable of over four hours of AAA gaming.
CES kicks off on July 23, 2025, and the official website has started listing the players that will be present on the show floor. MSI will be showcasing some new hardware, including the previously teased MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld gaming console. It is going to be the company’s second attempt at this form factor, and it has learned a lot from the MSI Claw A1M. This time around, the upcoming handheld will be powered by anIntel Core Ultra 7 200-series processorwith second generation Arc Graphics.
The CES listing also states the MSI Claw 8 AI+ will run Windows 11 and have48 TOPSof compute power. Since IFA 2024, it was believed that the handheld will feature a massive battery, believed to be 80Wh, but the CES listing mentions an82Wh batterycapacity that can provideover four hoursof gametime with AAA titles. While this is a vague claim and a lot of factors affect battery life, the efficiency of the new chip combined with a massive 82Wh battery should deliver a long-lasting gaming experience.
It is known that the device will come with an8-inch display, likely supporting 120Hz refresh rate. It is possible that the MSI Claw 8 AI+ will use the same display as theLenovo Legion Go, which means it will be able to support up to 144Hz refresh rate. The handheld could come in 16GB and 32GB RAM options, but more information on variants will be revealed closer to launch.
For reference, the MSI Claw A1M is powered by up to an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, Arc graphics, a 53Wh battery, and a 7-inch 1080p display. It has a Thunderbolt 4 port, but it is unclear if the new MSI Claw 8 AI+ will bring a Thunderbolt 5 port or stick with Thunderbolt 4. The Claw A1M launched at $700 for the Core Ultra 5 135H with 512GB storage model, $750 for the Core Ultra 7 155H model with 512GB storage, and $800 for the Core Ultra 7 with 1TB model.
MSI Claw
The MSI Claw is the first handheld gaming console from the company and it is powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor and Intel Arc Graphics. It features a 7-inch FHD (1920x1080) display capable of 120Hz refresh rate. It packs 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and comes with a Thunderbolt 4 port. The MSI CLaw is backed by a 53Wh battery and features hall effect technology for the joysticks an the triggers.
The pricing was in line with other handheld gaming options like theROG Ally Xand theLenovo Legion Go. For now, there is no information on the price for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and it would be interesting to see how much of a price bump it gets over the original Claw. It is also possible that MSI will undercut the competition and launch the Claw 8 AI+ at a cheaper price point.
