MSI's latest handheld game console, "The Claw", is reminiscent of Steam Deck in form and function.
First of all, the name "The Claw" is reminiscent of the claw machine from Toy Story, but MSI wants you to associate the name with the game. At first glance, this handheld console bears a lot of similarities with Valve's Steam Deck, but on closer inspection, it actually has its own unique features.
The Claw chose Intel's Core Ultra chip over the AMD processor, which is a unique route for AMD devices in its class. Everyone is concerned about whether Intel's Meteor Lake CPUs can compete with the Ryzen 7 series, but the specific performance still needs to wait for more comprehensive testing.
Not only that, but MSI also advertises its battery capacity, which is arguably the largest of all handheld gaming devices. The Claw comes with a 53 whr battery, which is larger than the 50 whr battery of the Lenovo Legion Go and the new version of the Steam Deck OLED.
In terms of screen, this 7-inch screen has a 120Hz refresh rate, although it is not as good as the 88-inch 144hz, but not bad either. The base configuration includes 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a microSD slot, a headphone jack, and a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port. The total weight is less than 15 pounds, almost on par with a Steam Deck.
This Windows 11-based handheld console also features a native App Player that can run games across Windows and Android. While this may mean that you still need to open a standalone app like Steam or the Epic Games Store, it does provide ease of accessing Android games or apps.
In short, the name "The Claw" may initially conjure up images of a cute toy story or a cartoon villain, but it's certainly more appealing than adding a "go" or "ally" to an existing Legion or ROG franchise. Add to that those rainbow LED lights around the joystick, and it looks really cool.
New Machine Research Institute