MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ hands-on: the new flagship handheld gaming PC to beat

We’re at Computex 2026 and managed to get our hands on the new MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, and were quick to put the handheld’s cutting-edge Arc G3 Extreme chipset to the test. Unsurprisingly, it’s very powerful system, that has more than enough performance to challenge, and possibly even upend, the longstanding dominance of its AMD rivals.

Before diving into frame rates, there’s plenty to discuss in terms of the handheld’s design. For starters, MSI has clearly taken influence from the ROG Xbox Ally X, introducing distinct controller-like wings for greater comfort and grip.

The company’s prior Intel handheld, namely the Claw 8 AI+, was already comfortable to hold for hours at a time, but this new wing grip design works very well. The materials are a little plasticky than we’d like, but the shape provides a more natural grip that removes any worry of slipping from your palm.

While the grip design is new, there’s much that remains the same from the prior generation Claw. We’re glad to see hall effect thumbsticks make a return, removing any stick drift anxiety, complete with a comfortable concave top. MSI is testing TMR technology, the same you’ll find on the Steam Controller, behind the scenes but progress there sadly isn’t ready to deploy on this handheld.

MSI also brings over the same 8in FHD+ (1200p) IPS panel, complete with VRR (variable refresh rate) across a 48-120Hz refresh rate range. An OLED would’ve been a welcome upgrade from the prior model, but this backlit display is undeniably solid and undoubtedly help keep costs down on what will be a very expensive system already.

Up top, you’ll find two Thunderbolt 4 inputs, capable of providing up to 40Gb of bandwidth. You’ll need to use either one of these ports for charging, they also serve as display outputs via DisplayPort Alt mode. I’ve a mind to connect the Claw 8 EX AI+ to one of MSI’s new monitors with 98W of power delivery, just to see the single-cable connection in action.

The handheld will arrive with a PCIe Gen 4 SSD out of the box, but you’ll also be able to easily expand storage via the built-in microSD card slot. Finally, in addition to Bluetooth 6.0 and Wi-Fi 7, MSI also includes a 3.5mm port for those who prefer their listening experiences over wire.

Sporting Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme platform, the Claw 8 EX AI+ promises seriously powerful gaming performance on the go. We’re not talking about a minor uplift relative to current generation offerings either, with claims of 44% faster performance relative to Ryzen Z2 Extreme handhelds, with both SoCs running at 35W.

While we didn’t get to put those claims to the test, we were able to run Hogwarts Legacy on the Claw 8 EX AI+ side-by-side with a Claw 8 AI+. The game ran at around 70-90fps on the newer system, beating the older offering by around 40%.

Keen for more data, we loaded up F1 25 and ran the game’s stock benchmark on the Claw 8 EX AI+. Using the game’s ‘High’ preset at 1200p, the handheld delivers an impressive 83fps average, both looking and feeling awesome to play.

Of course, we can push performance further through XeSS upscaling and frame generation. In doing so, the Claw 8 EX AI+ was able to achieve a whopping 143fps, fully utilising its 120Hz panel and then some with no major compromises to image quality.

We don’t yet know how much the Claw 8 EX AI+ will cost, but it certainly won’t be cheap. Given current pressures of memory prices, for one, we’re relatively confident this system will easily push past $1,000.

MSI should reveal final pricing closer to the system’s launch, towards the end of June. You can expect a full review from us in due course.

For more hands-on with the latest tech, you’ll find all of our Computex coverage here. Don’t forget to follow Club386 on Google News too, via the buttons below, so our stories pop up more frequently for you.