The popularity of Windows gaming handhelds hasn't gone away, but one thing has changed: AMD isn't the only manufacturer making custom silicon. Intel's Arc G3 Extreme is here to challenge AMD's crown, and thanks to years of rebuilding the Arc drivers, Intel is competing.

This is the first custom-made chip for handheld use from Intel, and it's based on Panther Lake. The efficiency of this silicon is fantastic in the power-constrained handheld form factor, and it is now the most powerful handheld chip we've tested. MSI has reworked the Claw 8 to use the new chip plus a ton of ergonomic refinements, and the end result is a success.

The only thing likely to hold it back? The price. It's $1,800, and will be a bridge too far for many. Those with deep pockets will get the best PC gaming handheld around, although it's not a huge leap from the Z2 Extreme found in the ROG Xbox Ally X.

About this review: Intel provided XDA with the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ used in this review. Neither it nor MSI had any input into its contents.

MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ CG3EM price, specifications, and availability

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ CG3EM is available now with preorders still available at Best Buy, MicroCenter, and MSI. There is only one configuration right now, with 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and the Arc G3 Extreme processor, and it costs $1,800. Yes, that's twice the cost of the ROG Xbox Ally X, or three times the price of an OLED Steam Deck.

No claw grip needed for this ergonomic handheld

The display is pretty great too

The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the first Intel Arc G3 Extreme-powered gaming handheld, but let's not forget that this class of devices lives and dies on ergonomics. The redesign with the thinner screen that now sticks out over the bottom of the device instead of being enclosed makes for a wonderful weight balance that makes it feel even lighter than it is.

The thumbsticks and analog triggers are all Hall Effect to remove the threat of joystick drift while being responsive to the touch. I really like the smaller, more dipped D-pad which is easy to locate without looking down, and the cooling vents are all kept well out of the way of where your fingers rest while playing.

The 8-inch, 120Hz display is IPS, with no OLED option. That's maybe okay. The IPS panel is bright at 513 nits peak SDR, covers 99% sRGB, 95% AdobeRGB, and 96% P3. And it has variable refresh rate, for smooth frames no matter the fps. That's enough brightness to use outside, although the screen is very reflective.

Windows is still the sticking point

It's still not integrated enough for seamless console like experiences

It's just over a year since I used MSI's last Windows-based handheld, and the general OS experience is largely the same. Microsoft has made Windows 11 a little more controller-friendly, but the sheer number of apps and other things that need updating means you're never far from losing that fluidity by going into desktop mode.

MSI Center M is okay, but you might want to change to the Xbox App as your dashboard. It's just more of a console-like experience, and keeps you in the dashboard with better success. I like what Xbox mode already does to PCs and handhelds, and Microsoft just needs to fold a few update processes into it for the experience to be vastly improved.

Performance: The Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor is awesome

Plenty of power and efficiency on offer

After Panther Lake smashing through our normal laptop reviews, I had high hopes for the Intel Arc G3 Extreme. After all, it has the Arc B390 iGPU of the better Panther Lake chips paired with power-sipping CPU cores, so it should be pretty special. And it is, mostly beating the AMD Z2 Extreme in everything, with a couple of small exceptions.

We couldn't keep our hands off the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and every game we tried was handled well. Shadow of the Tomb Raider had a 71 fps average compared to the AMD Z2 Extreme's 43 fps in the ROG Xbox Ally X. But that wasn't the only game, and all the games we benchmarked came out ahead of AMD's SoC.

Cyberpunk 2077 on RT Low managed 44 fps, which is playable compared to the 25 that the Z2 managed. Forza Horizon 5 was slightly ahead with 61 fps over the 57 from AMD's offering. Forza Horizon 6 was also the same score, but it wasn't out when we tested the Asus device.

Between the performance tweaking algorithms that Intel and MSI cooked up for this handheld and the new chipset, the Claw 8 EX AI+ sips power with 20 hours of battery life when using our looped video test. Twenty! It does get fairly warm though, with 96C measured at the CPU. That doesn't get transferred to anywhere that your hands touch because of the new design, and the fans aren't very loud even on full.

Should you buy the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+?

You should buy the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ if:

• You want the best gaming handheld right now
• You want to use Windows on your handheld
• You like the design and ergonomics

You should NOT buy the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ if:

• You won't settle for anything less than OLED
• You want a better value handheld
• You don't like purple

Once again, MSI has the fastest PC gaming handheld by using an Intel chip. It's not in question how good the chipset or the rest of the surrounding hardware is. The ergonomics are on point, the controls are tight, and Windows mostly stays out of your way.

But it again launches with a high MSRP, into a market that's hurting from components shortages and pricing. If you were already avoiding PC gaming handhelds because of the cost, you'll be avoiding this one too. For those who want the best battery life and performance at any cost, you know what to do.