Windows gaming handheld consoles have been a huge hit across the globe, with hardware companies going all out in this space to provide the best games for people who enjoy gaming on the go.
But these devices have recently reached a whole new height with the Asus ROG Ally X, which I reviewed last month. I gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling it “a fantastic mid-cycle refresh,” and even going so far as to say it's “the best Windows gaming handheld available.”
In contrast, I also reviewed the MSI Claw this year, which was at the exact opposite end of the spectrum. I gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars and it was the worst Windows gaming handheld I've reviewed. Considering it came out a few months before the Ally X, it didn't even hold up to the original Ally.
However, MSI has announced that it will be launching the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, which could be ready to take on the Asus ROG Ally X. While there are no significant details about the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus yet, we will compare the two based on what we know so far.
Asus ROG Ally X vs MSI Claw 8 AI Plus: Release Date
No official release date has been announced for the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, but it could launch in September with the latest Lunar Lake CPUs, meaning we could have it available very soon. Considering that the original MSI Claw was released in March this year, it would be best for the company to release the new model as soon as possible.
The longer we wait, the more similar it will be to the Asus ROG Ally successor, which is expected to launch in summer 2025 (following the release pattern of the Ally and Ally X).
Alternatively, the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus could launch in March, following an annual release cycle, but with the Asus ROG Ally successor on the horizon, it will be much harder for the device to gain a competitive spot among Windows gaming handhelds.
Asus ROG Ally X vs MSI Claw 8 AI Plus: Design
Let's be honest: the MSI Claw is an ergonomic nightmare: the curved bumper doesn't extend across the entire surface and is too soft to provide a satisfying click, the rear buttons are too close to the grip and easy to accidentally press, and the engravings on the front buttons are too dark to actually see.
(Image source: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)
Meanwhile, the Asus ROG Ally X is ergonomically fantastic: the bumpers and triggers are satisfyingly springy, the joystick boasts great tension, the grips are thicker and easier to hold while gaming, and the rear buttons are further away from the grip. Everything is simply better, so the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus has a lot to improve on in this area.
Digitaltrends had a chance to see the device in person at Computex, and while we'll need to experience how it feels in hand to fully understand the changes, it looks like MSI has redesigned the chassis and triggers. Let's hope it feels better in the hand!
Asus ROG Ally X vs MSI Claw 8 AI Plus: Performance
The race between the Asus ROG Ally's AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor and the MSI Claw's Intel Core Ultra 7 155H was no match for the competition. AMD has always had a big lead when it comes to integrated graphics, as evidenced by the Claw's lack of even a crash when running traditional gaming tests.
(Image courtesy of Momo Tabari/Laptop Mag)
However, the Asus ROG Ally X didn't get an upgraded processor (RAM was upgraded to 24GB), so we won't see any performance gains until the actual Asus ROG Ally 2 is released.
However, the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus will be upgraded to Intel's next-gen Lunar Lake processors, which should give it some performance boost. This might be a double-edged sword.
So what do we know about Lunar Lake's integrated graphics? Currently, it's called Battlemage, and it's the next-generation Xe2 GPU that features 1.5x faster performance than Meteor Lake's integrated graphics.
While it's not entirely accurate to take Intel's claims at face value, it will be interesting to see how Lunar Lake fare against the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme. Perhaps MSI will really overtake Asus when it launches this successor.
Asus ROG Ally X vs MSI Claw 8 AI Plus: Display
The MSI Claw 8 AI Plus is confirmed to come with an 8-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 pixel display with a 120Hz refresh rate. This isn't all that different from the Asus ROG Ally X's 7-inch, 1,920 x 1,080 pixel panel, which also has a 120Hz refresh rate, so it's just a matter of size.
(Image source: Laptop Mag / Claire Tabari)
However, the MSI Claw's original panel only covered 72.5% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, while the Asus ROG Ally X hits 80%. Things are particularly bad when comparing nits of brightness, with the Ally X achieving 523 nits while the MSI Claw is stuck at a much dimmer 429 nits.
Considering outdoor use, the screen needs to be as bright as possible, and with the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, we hope to see additional steps taken to further improve the panel.
There's also the question of whether it will be an OLED panel, which seems a bit unlikely, but one can't help but dream. It will definitely interest me to see which manufacturer will be the first to bring OLED to a Windows gaming handheld. I'm not a big fan of the Claw, but it could be a big step towards solidifying their victory over the competition.
Asus ROG Ally X vs MSI Claw 8 AI Plus: Battery Life
The Asus ROG Ally X is the first Windows gaming handheld device to upgrade to an 80Wh battery, and its lifespan is impressive as a result: In our Laptop Mag battery life test, which involves constant web surfing at 150 nits, it lasted 8 hours and 19 minutes before the battery died.
(Image courtesy of Momo Tabari/Laptop Mag)
This is pretty impressive for a gaming device – for comparison, the original Ally (40Wh) ran out of battery after 5 hours 51 minutes, while the MSI Claw (53Wh) ran out of battery after 6 hours 8 minutes.
It's already been confirmed that the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus will be upgraded from a 53Wh battery to an 80Wh battery, but size isn't the only factor that determines longevity. The efficiency of the processor plays a big role in longevity. We don't have the Lunar Lake processor in hand yet, and it's due to be released in September, so we don't know how efficient the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus will be with this new chip.
Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Windows + Devices, claimed on Intel's website that Lunar Lake “delivers significant fundamental improvements in security, battery life, and more.”
We hope these rumors are true, there's not much else to say until we test this for ourselves.
