MSI x Fallout x Lunar Lake = Next Gen Gaming Handheld
MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the new handheld with Lunar Lake
Shortly before Computex, a Chinese company announced it will launch a Lunar Lake gaming handheld, which is an obvious upgrade for a handheld considering that this Intel architecture is designed for low-power devices and features Intel’s newest Xe2, aka Battlemage GPU architecture.
A new leak suggests that MSI will be updating its Claw handheld from the Core Ultra 100 series to the 200 series. The Claw 8 AI+ is expected to feature a new Lunar Lake chip and a seemingly larger 8-inch screen. The press release translation actually mentions an “8-inch device” but lists the screen as “7-inch.” Whether that’s a translation error or the handheld has the same screen size is unclear. What is confirmed is that the device has a Fallout theme, with its design inspired by Pip-Boy, a personal assistant in the Fallout series.
MSI Portable Gaming PC “Claw 8 AI+ (translation)
The “Claw 8 AI+” is the world’s first portable gaming PC equipped with a Lunar Lake generation Intel® Core™ Ultra processor. It features an 8-inch Full HD display, Thunderbolt™ 4 Type-C port, enhanced LB/RB buttons, increased battery capacity, and a lighter AC adapter, making it a powerful 8-inch portable gaming PC. Additionally, MSI has partnered with Bethesda to release a limited Claw x Fallout collaboration model. This unique model boasts a 7-inch Full HD display and a special design inspired by the Fallout series’ Vault, Pip-Boy, and robots, allowing you to experience the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout games.
MSI confirms that, similar to the first Claw, the 8 AI+ will have a Thunderbolt 4 connector and improved LB/RB buttons. There is also mention of an increased battery size, which means it will be larger than 53 Wh.
The MSI Claw 8 indicates that the company is sticking with Intel CPUs, and it also means that the existing Claw will have a successor within a year. The first Lunar Lake laptops are expected to hit stores next quarter, so this handheld should follow shortly after.
Worth noting that this is the first product to be officially announced featuring Intel’s Xe2 graphics.
| Handheld Gaming Consoles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VideoCardz | MSI Claw 8 AI+ | MSI Claw | Lenovo Legion Go | ASUS ROG Ally |
| Picture |  |  |  |  |
| Architecture | Intel Lion Cove, Skymont Xe2-LPG | Intel Redwood Cove, Crestmont & Xe-LPG | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 | AMD Zen4 & RDNA3 |
| APU | Core Ultra 200V | Core Ultra 7 155H 16C/22T up to 4.8 GHz or Core Ultra 5 135H 14C/18T up to 4.6 GHz | Ryzen Z1 Extreme 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz or Ryzen Z1 6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz | Ryzen Z1 Extreme 8C/16T up to 5.1 GHz or Ryzen Z1 6C/12T up to 4.9 GHz |
| SoC GPU | Arc Graphics 8 Xe2-C (?) | Arc Graphics 8 Xe-C @ 2.25 GHz [155H] 7 Xe-C @ 2.20 GHz [135H] | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz [Z1E] 4CU @ 2.5 GHz [Z1] | AMD iGPU 12CU @ 2.7 GHz [Z1E] 4CU @ 2.5 GHz [Z1] |
| SoC TDP | TBC | 28W | 9-30W | 9-30W |
| External GPU | Thunderbolt 4 | Thunderbolt 4 | USB4 | ROG XG Mobile (up to RTX 4090) |
| Memory Capacity | TBC | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 | 16GB LPDDR5X-7500 | 16GB LPDDR5-6400 |
| Storage Capacity | TBC | 512GB | 1TB/512GB | 512GB [1] /256GB [2] |
| Storage Type | TBC | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2242 SSD PCIe 4×4 | M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD PCIe 4×4 |
| Display | 8″ 1920×1080 | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz, 500 nits, VRR | 8.8″ 2560×1600 IPS, 144Hz, 500 nits | 7″ 1920×1080, 120Hz (VRR), 500 nits, 7ms |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7 + BT 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7 + BT 5.4 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 | Wi-Fi 6E, BT 5.2 |
| Battery | TBC | 53 Wh, 6-Cell | 49.2 Wh, 900 mAh | 40 Wh, 4S1P, 4-cell Li-ion |
| Weight | TBC | 675 g | 854g / 1.87 lbs | 608g / 1.34 lbs |
| Dimensions (L×W×H) | TBC | 29.4 × 11.7 × 2.1 cm 11.6 × 4.6 × 0.8 in | 29.9 × 13.1 × 4.1 cm 11.8 × 5.2 × 1.6 in | 28.0 × 11.3 × 3.9 cm 11.0 × 4.5 × 1.5 in |
| Default OS | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 | Windows 11 |
| Retail Launch Price | TBC | $799/€949 [155HU+1TB] $749/€849 [155H+512GB] $699 [135H+512GB] | $749/€799 (Z1E+16G+1TB) $699/€799 (Z1E+16G+512GB) | $699/€799 (Z1E+16G+512GB) $599/€699 (Z1+16G+256GB) |
| Release Date | TBC | March 2024 | October, 2023 | June 2023 [Z1E] September 2023 [Z1] |
Source: @momomo_us