MSI Lunar Lake-powered gaming handheld pricing and availability will be revealed in September — MSI Claw 8 AI+ likely debuts during Intel's Lunar Lake launch event

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The second generation, Intel Lunar Lake-based MSI Claw handheld, seems to be looming closer, but will it compete?

MSI Claw 8 AI+
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Yesterday, MSI (via Lowyat.net) provided a peek at an official comparison slide between its existing MSI Claw and upcoming MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld gaming devices. However, the brand didn't allow journalists present to share the Core Ultra 200V Lunar Lake CPU that the Claw 8 AI+ will utilize.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ will compete with the Asus ROG Ally X. Though notably, the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X use the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU, unlike the MSI Claw 8 AI+ upgrading from Meteor Lake to a yet-unnamed Lunar Lake CPU. The MSI Claw 8 AI+ was initially revealed at Computex 2024 alongside a Fallout 4-themed variant of the Claw. However, at that time, we didn't get any information on the Claw 8 AI+'s pricing or release date, and MSI still hasn't provided those details until next month.

Since MSI has saved that information for a proper reveal next month, there's a chance that the official announcement and full release may not be very far apart— likely before the end of the year. If the upgraded internals take the Asus ROG Ally X's performance crown atop the current handheld gaming market, that would put the MSI Claw 8 AI+ in a perfect position heading into 2025 and the holiday season.

(Image credit: Lowyat.net)

The MSI slide doesn't provide new information, and the exact Core Ultra 200V CPU model was omitted. We've known since Computex that the MSI Claw 8 AI+ would leverage an 80 Whr battery, a slightly larger 8-inch 120 Hz IPS screen with the same overall spec, and add an extra Thunderbolt port. 

None of the hardware information is new— and until we know the specific Lunar Lake CPU in use, we can't attest to the actual value here. Still, early benchmarks indicate at least comparable iGPU performance. Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 models of the MSI Claw 8 AI+ will likely be the best option for eventual buyers.

With any luck for MSI, the price-to-performance balance for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ will be better than the original MSI Claw. The MSI Claw isn't necessarily a bad handheld. Still, the cheaper pricing of the entry-level Steam Deck, the better display of the Steam Deck OLED, and the superior performance of Asus ROG Ally and ROG Ally X leave it in a precarious market position.

MSI's next-generation handheld availability and pricing will be unveiled in September. The official announcement will likely be September 3 since that's the day that Intel will launch the chipmaker's Core Ultra Lunar Lake processors.

Christopher Harper
Christopher Harper
Contributing Writer

Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.

3 Comments Comment from the forums
  • TheSecondPower
    In theory, Lunar Lake is the best APU for gaming handhelds to date. The Xe2 graphics on paper appear on par with the 16 RDNA3+ compute units in Ryzen 300, but possibly at lower power and the CPU will probably be lower power.

    It's not perfect. Game support and Proton support is a little worse on Intel graphics (but not bad). Lunar Lake probably won't be compatible with Steam OS until Linux 6.12 is released (which is coming soon). And the MSI Claw isn't as popular with reviewers as the Asus Ally and Valve Deck. But I think the MSI Claw with Lunar Lake will be the most compelling handheld this year.
    Reply
  • cyrusfox
    I really hope I can find a launch device lunar lake with the 32gb (Ends with an 8 in the model number) of ram and at high res screen ≈2880x1800 and between 12-16" on a decent form factor. The power to energy efficiency should be exceptional. Can't wait for the iGPU uplift and Intel having a cpu that is power efficient again.

    Otherwise I better figure out AMD offerings, really there naming structure makes it really hard to compare what you are getting, I hate how they change the first letter based off release year. They have too many skus and its hard to know what you are getting, is it the 3rd digit that tells you the version of zen you are getting?
    Reply
  • thestryker
    As long as the extra screen and battery don't add a significant amount of weight this ought to be an interesting device. Low power efficiency has been where AMD has really beaten Intel so LNL having 17W/30W PL1/2 puts it right in the handheld sweet spot given that this also includes memory. If the pricing is right and the GPU performance is enough of an increase this seems like it has the potential to be a solid upgrade over what is on the market now.
    cyrusfox said:
    I hate how they change the first letter based off release year. They have too many skus and its hard to know what you are getting, is it the 3rd digit that tells you the version of zen you are getting?
    That's how it was last generation, but now they've got AI 300 series for Zen 5. How else could you have fun names like Ryzen AI 9 HX 370?! Tech naming is always dumb for reasons, but AMD has especially made a mess on mobile the last couple of generations.
    Reply