MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Reviews

Intel Arc G3 Extreme: 94%

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+: 82%

If you are looking for a short-form answer, we would say that the Intel Arc G3 Extreme-based MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ represents a much-needed course correction for Intel and arguably one for MSI as well. By acknowledging the unique failures of the original Meteor Lake implementation and studying the market standards set by devices like the ROG Ally X and Steam Deck, this dynamic duo has crafted a new handheld device that may not be perfect but commands respect. Enough respect it is one of the few worthy of your time and money.

For those looking for a meatier conclusion, let us start with the large pink… roid raging elephant in the room. No. The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is not perfect. It is arguably far from perfect. No matter how good the ergonomics (and they are fantastic), its chonky weight will eventually cause wrist fatigue. Especially in anyone who does not lift, shoot, golf, play tennis… or engage in similar wrist-strength-intensive hobbies. The same is true of the TCL screen. It is very good for what it is. The operative phrase being ‘what it is’. That being 1200p non-AMOLED, non-HDR, non-1000 nits compliant 16:10 touch screen with an anti-glare coating that is best described as… “gentle”. These two issues keep the new MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ from perfection.

The operative word being perfection.

Not greatness… as this still is a phenomenal portable device. Albeit not the optimal one to showcase the new Intel Arc 3 G3 Extreme and its beastly combination of performance and versatility. Less than perfect or not the new Claw, it is a surprisingly viable, well beyond just “good enough”, choice for a wide range of scenarios. Want a Sony PlayStation… but cannot justify their anti-consumer business practices (but can justify using AnyPS5/SharpEMU/etc.)? The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ offers a viable solution. One that not only makes Sony but Microsoft’s Xbox division’s (relatively) hardware offerings seem somehow overpriced in late 2026. All while doing so in a smaller, handheld form-factor.

Conversely. Want a portable device that can double as an HTPC media player but hate those Chinesium, spyware-laden, wannabe Intel NUC’s? Once again, the next-gen Claw puts them to shame with not only fantastically good up-conversion abilities but also wireless video streaming abilities that laugh at UHD bitrate demands. In fact… it can even do a decent job at video transcoding. Including AV1 and not just HEVC or AVC. Making it a(n ironically) decent foundation for a Network Streaming solution.

Have a “party all night, business all day” split-personality lifestyle but either cannot afford two separate devices… or simply cannot justify paying current-year prices for two devices? This new Claw plus a simple USB 4 or Thunderbolt 4 dock will let you play all day and work all night. Simply take your pick of pretty much any AAA (or A) gaming titles, and as long as it comes in a Windows flavor, you are good to go with frame rates many an older laptop can not match. The same is true for work-related tasks. Be it photo-editing (with AI) or even highly advanced programs like DaVinci Resolve (now also with AI). The new Claw has more than enough CPU and GPU horsepower to do more than just whistle the tune. Instead, it can do just as good a job as what many a laptop from a year or two ago can do. Just in a teeny-tiny… itty-bitty, form-factor.

As for basic bit…. err basic bitrate ‘business-oriented’ programs like Word or Excel, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ offers you work-enhancing options. Hate mushroom dome “chiclet” keyboards that seemingly all laptops come with and want to use your custom mech keyboard instead? Hate touch screen trackpads the size of a postage stamp and need to use a real mouse/trackball? Dual Thunderbolt 4 / USB 4 Type-C headers mean you can plug in anything you want. With everything from basic mechanical keyboards and mice, to advanced Blackmagic Editor Boards, to even 3D Space Mouse options are not only possible but easy… as it runs a real OS with enough cores to handle the latest Windows Turtle Edition bloat.

It just is not perfect at its main claim to fame: portable ‘handheld’ gaming.

Yes, it has arguably the best, and certainly most advanced, cooling solution ever bestowed upon a mere handheld gaming solution. Yes. This means active cooling for everything from the WiFi chipset to the M.2 to even the microSD card reader. These tangible benefits do matter. It is just that there are countervailing facts that mar an otherwise excellent implementation. To be precise, the plus-size weight combined with the screen issue(s) simply make perfection a non-starter… and keeps it from being an undisputed king of this market niche.

Mix in the asking price compared to SteamDeck’s low…low asking price, and it is not a cut-and-dry decision like it should have been if this planned assassination of the competition had been executed properly. Instead, one simply needs to ask themselves… “What is best in life?” If you want the best of the best, right now it is the Claw. If you want ‘good enough’ at handheld gaming, and only handheld gaming, the Steam Deck is a very viable choice. If you want options and unheard-of flexibility… it is the Claw by a country mile. So figure out what matters to you and the answer to this either/or choice becomes clear.

This is because it is now a market of extremes. A market of ultra-high vs. merely high asking prices. A market of either/or. Not the market yesterday. Which was overflowing with viable middle-path compromises. Instead, it is now AMD-based Steam Deck (plus Linux) going head to head with MSI’s Claw 8 EX AI+ plus WinTel. Both are locked in a deathmatch for your hard-earned dollar. Both are making the (once) premium AMD-based competition offerings rather difficult to choose… unless HDR and Dolby Vision are important to you. Then the Ally X20 is the only sane choice.

Beyond this niche of a niche exception, this either/or reality represents a radical shift in the market… as not that long ago RoG was the only “real” choice for serious gamers. So while the new Claw may not be a slam dunk success, its HardCore hardware has rocketed MSI’s handheld gaming division out of the ‘also ran’ category and into serious competition territory. Once again showing MSI are hungry and want a bigger piece of the pie. Be it in motherboards, video cards, monitors… or now even handheld gaming. They are here, they are willing to think outside the box, and they are not going anywhere (but up).

Congratulations Intel, for releasing one impressive platform, and for MSI for first recognizing the potential and then capitalizing on this major improvement from Team Blue’s engineering department(s). We look forward to seeing what this MSI + Intel combination will think up next.