after being announced for a month and a half, the msi claw 8 ex ai+ has finally arrived on mainstream e-commerce platforms, officially going on sale to consumers. as a high-performance competitor to the steam deck, this handheld gaming device has a clear positioning—it’s not an affordable entry-level option, but rather targets the high-end portable gaming market, with a starting price approaching that of mid-range desktop consoles.
currently, the top-of-the-line configuration featuring 32gb of ram and a 1tb ssd is listed on the msi official website at $1,799; newegg and best buy offer it slightly lower at $1,699, though neither site discloses stock availability or estimated shipping times, leaving actual purchase still uncertain.
in terms of hardware, the claw 8 ex ai+ is equipped with intel’s latest arc graphics g3 extreme processor, integrating a high-performance integrated graphics card that balances ai acceleration with robust graphics rendering capabilities. it also features an 8-inch fhd (1920×1080) display with a high refresh rate, supporting 120hz dynamic refresh rates for faster response and smoother visuals.
notably, despite the product now being available for purchase, msi has yet to announce an exact release date, only simultaneously revealing the full specifications and pricing strategy.
