Following ASUS’s lead in announcing a new handheld gaming PC, MSI has announced the new Claw 8 EX AI+, a handheld which the company says comes with an immersive display, precision controls, and next-gen processing. That latter statement is referring to the implementation of Intel’s new Arc G3 chip, which Intel built specifically for handhelds.
Now that MSI is using this chip as well, there are now a few on the market that are officially using it, all of which were announced as part of Computex 2026. MSI also announced a new tri-mode monitor as part of this event. Perhaps the biggest visual change comes in the form of the display housing that hangs slightly lower, or at least appears to do so. It’s a small departure from past MSI devices. The display is 8 inches in size and comes with a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s about the standard for handhelds at the moment and what you’ll find on most of them. And really that’s perfectly fine for displays of this size.
It features the Xbox Mode as well, so you can boot up the handheld right into your game library instead of having to surf through Windows 11 first to launch a game client.
The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the “world’s first handheld powered by the Intel Arc G3 Extreme”
One of the key factors with this handheld release is the use of Intel’s Arc G3 chip. But it’s not just any Intel Arc G3, it’s the Intel Arc G3 Extreme. Much like AMD has various versions of the Ryzen Z1 and Ryzen Z2, the Intel Arc G3 comes in different variations as well.
MSI claims that the Claw 8 EX AI+ is the world’s first handheld to be powered by the Intel Arc G3 Extreme processors. It is worth noting that Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 can also come with “up to an Intel Arc G3 Extreme.” So, in terms of announcements, Acer’s handheld was announced first. That being said, MSI’s handheld may end up launching first, so it’s unclear which one really deserves the label of world’s first in this regard.
MSI says this handheld also comes with Hall Effect triggers and sticks. This should be a standard on any handhelds at this point. If the sticks in particular get drift, a handheld is a lot more expensive to fix or replace than a controller. So these feel like a must-have. The device will be available in Void Purple, but MSI hasn’t announced a launch date or pricing information.
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