When the MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus PC gaming handheld was revealed a couple of weeks ago, I said it would be a nice surprise if it somehow turned out to be less than $1,500. Well, guess what? It’s actually $1,800. That’s about the price of a Steam Deck and ROG Xbox Ally X bolted together. I’m happy for everyone who can afford one. All 12 of you.
The device features Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme processor and 32GB of RAM, as well as a 1TB SSD. With memory and storage prices continuing to skyrocket, that’s no doubt driving a lot of the sticker shock. But the new MSI Claw also has a big screen, some beefy fans, a sleek, ergonomic shell, and lots of other bells and whistles. Some are calling it “the absolute peak of the handheld market.” It is certainly the peak of the current PC gaming handheld price curve.
How many of these will MSI even bother making? Who will be willing to buy one? MSI product marketing lead Andy Chu gets that things are really weird out there. Unfortunately, he has nothing reassuring to share about the situation.
“Yes, I will say, it’s a really difficult year for Intel and especially the OEM like us,” he told FRVR (via VGC). “Because we also need to take those cost hike[s] for those key components like memory and also storage.”
Chu continued, “Maybe in the past, for example, Steam Deck is really approachable in terms of the price, so maybe I didn’t need to think too much while getting one. But, as you can see, Steam Deck also costs a lot right now. So I say it’s good timing to take a look at what kind of the true potential or the capability of this new handheld can provide us.”
And like everyone else out there, the MSI marketing rep doesn’t expect the ceiling to stop rising anytime soon. His big sales pitch? Buy the Claw now before it gets even more expensive. “I would say there’s much room for another price hike,” he added, “at least from my own observation.”
Great.
This is the guy who’s supposed to be getting PC gaming fanatics hyped for the new cutting edge of resolution and performance in a portable device. “But unfortunately, I think the situation, the result is what you see right here,” Chu said. “So, I would say, yes, it will be a tough year for us and for the gamers.”
If only it didn’t feel like 2027 was going to get even tougher.