Computex is the perfect excuse to introduce yet another new entry into the handheld gaming PC space, and MSI hasn’t disappointed. The company unveiled the all-new MSI Claw A8 (BZ2EM), and this time, it’s packing some AMD hardware under the lid—the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme, to be precise.
He is Ryzen
It’s certainly a worthy upgrade for the new 8in handheld, especially considering MSI’s last outing with the Claw 8 AI+ was still rocking Intel internals as recently as six months ago. That one can still be had for a cool R22k locally. As for the Claw A8… we’ll cross that bridge when we (and MSI) come to it, yeah?
If it’s the best of the best you’re after – with MSI’s branding on it, at least – it’s the Claw A8 you’ll want. We’ve already mentioned the device’s Ryzen Z2 Extreme, but you’ll also find AMD’s Radeon 890M and up to 24GB of LPDDR5-800 memory to get you going. It’s a bit of a comedown from the previous Claw’s 32GB cap.
A 1TB M.2 SSD and an 80Wh battery, which we saw in the ROG Ally X, round out the Claw A8’s innards. On the outside, buyers will have a choice of a basic white or lime green paint job on the device’s front, leaving the back black to hide the collective chum that’s built up under your fingernails. League players, you get it.
Finally, you’ll be looking at Stardew Valley through the 8in, 120Hz-capable FHD display with VRR powers. MSI’s achievements weren’t limited to the Claw A8. It also unveiled the Claw 8 AI+ Polar Tempest Edition, which bumps the storage up to a 2TB M.2 SSD and draws its power from the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 258V, with slight tweaks made to the design to help it stand out among a sea of MSI Claws.
As for pricing and availability, even the folks on the other end of the ocean don’t know when it’ll be available, nor how much it’ll cost when it does.
