At High Performance Laptops it took us a while to, ahem, get to grips with gaming handhelds. These portable gaming consoles are essentially mini touchscreen Windows PCs with built-in buttons and joysticks and no physical keyboard. That means there’s a learning curve that goes along with using them and to some people, this may seem like a barrier that they’re nervous of traversing. But, it’s well-worth putting in the effort and MSI has teamed-up with High Performance Laptops to tell you why – with a particular focus on the new AMD-powered Claw A8 which has already shaken-up the market.
Ergonomic Updates
The first wave of handhelds did have something of an experimental feel to them which was inevitable considering they were essentially a new form factor. However, the Claw A8 launches into a more-mature market, with all manner of updates and improvements that address issues that have bugged many rivals.
First up, there are the improved ergonomics. The placement of the buttons and joysticks, the sculpting of the chunkier, more-grippable edges are all that bit more intuitive, practical and comfortable.
We should also mention the improved aesthetics. Firstly, the Claw A8 comes in either white or green (see us get our first introduction to both, here) and the colour scheme now extends onto the base which is often ignored despite being on show. Even the product stickers now add to the styling – they’re not just affixed as an unappealing afterthought. It makes a change from many of the boring black boxes on the market.
On top of that there’s the RGB which naturally makes gaming just plain better. It manifests as multi-coloured glowing rings at the base of the joysticks and as backlighting on the main, ABXY buttons.
A major enhancement has been the move to Hall Effect joysticks. These use electromagnetic sensors – with no physical contacts – meaning the action is smoother and the blight of degradation (and subsequent joystick drift) caused by the older Carbon Firm technology, has been banished. They’re now four times more durable.
On top of that, the two trigger buttons’ actuation range have been elongated to provide a more customisable set-up options depending on the games being played and the players’ personal preferences: we found this particularly useful when switching between racing and FPS games.
Intense Interactions
Naturally, a major ergonomic element is the screen. The Claw A8’s 8-inch touchscreen gets bright, has vibrant colours and the 144Hz refresh rate keeps fast-moving objects smooth and blur-free. It’s also less reflective than some glossy rivals.
The Full HD+ 1,920 x 1,200 is just right for its size and you can just about comfortably use Windows features with your fingertips. Not surprisingly, that’s not ideal and the more-touchscreen-friendly MSI Centre S application does an admirable job of keeping you from relying on operating system interactions. It’s in the process of being joined by an overhauled Xbox Full Screen Experience application to further keep you from away from Windows.
It’s worth noting too that the speakers are not just an afterthought. While many people will be using their Claw A8s with headphones and earbuds, the twin 2-Watt speakers deliver surprisingly loud and well-rounded audio (unlike many models on the market).
Connectivity rears its head at this point and it’s good to see that the latest versions of both Bluetooth (5.4) and Wi-Fi (7) are included so you can maximise throughput in the most power-efficient way. There are also two USB4 ports which can be used for: connecting to an external (DisplayPort) screen; powering an external device (Power Delivery 3.0); facilitating fast transfer speeds and connecting peripherals like Augmented Reality glasses. There’s also a Micro SD card reader for adding removable storage.
More Power!
Speaking of which, the Claw A8 comes with a fast 1TB NVMe PCI 4 hard drive. It’s worth noting too that it’s a 2280-sized drive which makes potential, future upgrades more effective. It joins 24GB of LP-DDR5-8000 RAM and, the star of the show, AMD’s new Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor (with integrated Radeon 980M graphics) in powering the Claw A8.
This highly regarded processor is very well suited to handheld gaming and has boosted handheld performance across the industry by around 20 to 30 per cent depending on power modes and titles. It’s now not uncommon to be able to get a super-smooth 60fps out of major games using full-power mode and some judicious combinations of resolution and detail settings.
The insides are kept cool using MSI’s HyperFlow technology which uses two fans and heat pipes to keep everything cool and stable.
Battery life is impressive thanks to the 80Wh inside and, while longevity depends greatly on the type of game you’re playing, we found you can get over three hours on an undemanding Indie titles running at low brightness.
Frankly, we also spent a great deal of time watching videos on the Claw A8 while the fam commandeered our home’s TV.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for a gaming handheld, the MSI Claw A8 needs to be at the top of your list. Its updated ergonomics and features come from a generation of consumer playtesting, its AMD-powered grunt is the best on the market and the whole package comes from a company that’s routinely making many of the best portable computers on the market.
If you’re still wondering whether to, erm, pull the trigger, MSI has three more reasons to get you over the line… if you’re quick. Firstly, the Claw A8 is part of MSI’s Black Friday Sales. Secondly, it’s bundled with a $45 Steam Voucher. Thirdly, thanks to a partnership with Bandai Namco Entertainment you’ll receive Little Nightmares III for free with any purchase of an MSI Claw A8, Claw 8 AI+ or Claw 7 AI+. So, get yours right now, before the offers all end!
Last Updated on 18 November 2025 by Nick Ross
