MSI Claw Review: Can Intel’s Bold Handheld Finally Take on Steam Deck and ROG Ally?

MSI Claw is MSI’s first Intel?powered gaming handheld, promising Windows flexibility, Hall Effect joysticks, and a comfy, Xbox-style grip. But is this the portable PC you should buy over Steam Deck and ROG Ally in 2025? Here’s the no?BS breakdown.

You know that moment when you spot an open seat on the train, reach for your bag, and then remember your gaming PC is chained to a desk at home? Or when your console friends are playing from the couch while you're stuck at your desk chair because that's where your rig lives? Portable gaming PCs were supposed to fix that—yet stuff like flaky Windows interfaces, stick drift, weak batteries, and awkward ergonomics often turn the fantasy into friction.

That's the frustration the MSI Claw is trying to erase. Instead of forcing you to choose between console comfort and PC power, it aims to deliver both in a handheld built for long sessions, modern PC games, and everyday Windows use—all without feeling like a science project in your hands.

MSI, formally Micro-Star International Co. Ltd. (ISIN: TW0002377002), is no stranger to gaming hardware. Laptops, GPUs, motherboards—they've done it all. But the MSI Claw is their bold first step into the handheld arena, and it's not shy about going head?to?head with giants like Valve's Steam Deck and ASUS ROG Ally.

Meet the MSI Claw: A Handheld Built Like a Gaming Laptop You Can Hold

The MSI Claw is a Windows 11-based gaming handheld with a 7-inch 1080p touch display, Xbox-style layout, and Intel Core Ultra (Meteor Lake) processors under the hood. Where most competitors lean on AMD APUs, MSI decided to bet on Intel's new mobile chips with built-in Arc graphics and AI smarts.

On paper, the idea is simple: take the DNA of a gaming laptop, shrink it into something you can throw in a backpack, and make sure it feels good after an hour of Elden Ring—not like you just finished a wrist workout at the gym.

Why this specific model?

The handheld gaming market isn't empty anymore—it's crowded and competitive. So why consider the MSI Claw over a Steam Deck, ROG Ally, or Lenovo Legion Go?

• Intel Core Ultra power: Unlike AMD-based rivals, the Claw runs on Intel's latest Core Ultra chips (up to Core Ultra 7 155H, depending on configuration). These combine efficient cores, performance cores, and Arc graphics, aiming for decent 1080p gaming in a tight power envelope. In practice, reviewers and users report performance that hangs around the ROG Ally and Legion Go depending on the game and driver maturity, with Intel's regular driver updates steadily improving frame rates.
• Full HD 120 Hz display: Many handhelds ship with 800p screens. The MSI Claw goes for a 7-inch 1920×1080 IPS touchscreen with up to 120 Hz refresh (on the A1M/X models with the higher-end spec). This doesn't just make menus and desktop use smoother; it makes lighter esports titles and older games feel incredibly responsive.
• Hall Effect joysticks & triggers: One of the most praised decisions: MSI uses Hall Effect sensors instead of traditional potentiometer sticks. Translation: much lower risk of stick drift, smoother input, and better long?term durability. Reddit users frequently call this out as a huge plus over hardware with drift-prone sticks.
• Big battery for the category: The Claw packs a 53 Wh battery—larger than many direct competitors. No handheld can defy physics (AAA titles will still chew through it), but user reports suggest the Claw offers slightly better endurance in balanced or low?power modes compared with some rivals, especially after Intel and MSI firmware updates.
• Comfortable, familiar grip: The ergonomics lean heavily toward an Xbox-style contour with pronounced grips. Reviewers tend to agree: it's one of the most comfortable handhelds to hold for longer stints, especially if you have medium to large hands.

On the software side, MSI layers its own interface—MSI Center M—on top of Windows 11. This gives you a console-like game launcher, quick performance and fan profiles, and access to MSI utilities without making you dig through Windows settings every time. Early reviews criticized some bugginess and layout quirks, but recent updates, according to Reddit impressions, have made it faster and less crash-prone.

At a Glance: The Facts

What Users Are Saying

Spend a few minutes on Reddit threads and handheld gaming forums and a consistent picture emerges: the MSI Claw is ambitious, much improved from its launch state, and still not perfect.

The praise:

• Build quality & comfort: Owners often rank the Claw among the best-feeling handhelds physically. The grips, weight distribution, and button layout earn frequent compliments. It feels more like a premium console controller fused with a screen than a shrunken laptop.
• Sticks and triggers: Hall Effect hardware is a crowd favorite. People who've suffered stick drift on past devices call this a decision that instantly makes the Claw more future-proof.
• Screen and smoothness: The 1080p resolution and 120 Hz mode make menus, side?scrollers, and lighter games feel silky, and text clarity is a bonus for productivity or streaming use.
• Firmware and driver updates: Early adopters were vocal about performance and bugs, but many recent posts mention that Intel driver updates and MSI BIOS tweaks have noticeably boosted FPS and stability.

The criticism:

• Intel Arc inconsistency: While performance can be impressive in optimized titles, some older or niche games behave unpredictably on Intel Arc graphics. That means you may see great results in one game and puzzling stutter in another until a driver update lands.
• Battery life in AAA games: Physics still win. Despite the solid 53 Wh battery, heavy modern titles at high settings and high refresh will drain it within a couple of hours or less. This is a shared issue across the category, but still something owners mention.
• Windows friction: As with every Windows handheld, you're using a desktop OS on a 7-inch screen. MSI's overlay helps, but you'll occasionally battle Windows pop?ups, dialogs, and the on?screen keyboard.
• Price vs. competition: Depending on region and occasional discounts, some users see the Claw as a bit pricier than Steam Deck or ROG Ally equivalents, especially when factoring in performance quirks.

Overall sentiment, especially in more recent 2024–2025 reviews, leans toward: "Much better than at launch, great hardware, improving software, but not yet the obvious default for everyone." If you're okay living on the cutting edge of Intel handheld graphics, the trajectory is promising. If you just want the safest bet today, you'll want to weigh that carefully.

Alternatives vs. MSI Claw

To understand where the MSI Claw fits, you have to see it against its closest rivals:

• Steam Deck / Steam Deck OLED: Valve's Deck uses a custom AMD APU, tops out at 800p, and runs SteamOS (Linux-based). Its biggest strengths: mature software, deep Steam integration, and huge community support. It's usually cheaper, but lacks Windows out-of-the-box and doesn't hit the same sharpness and refresh rate as the Claw's 1080p/120 Hz panel. If you mainly live in Steam and want stability over flexibility, the Deck still wins.
• ASUS ROG Ally: AMD Ryzen Z1/Z1 Extreme based, 1080p 120 Hz screen, Windows 11, and a very mature driver situation. Performance in most modern games tends to be more consistent than Intel Arc on the Claw right now, and pricing has become aggressive. However, the Ally uses traditional analog sticks (more drift risk), has a smaller battery, and some users find it less comfortable to hold for long stretches.
• Lenovo Legion Go: Think "ROG Ally meets Nintendo Switch." It offers detachable controllers and a massive 8.8-inch display at higher resolution. It's fantastic for docked and tabletop play, but less portable and more tablet-like. Battery life and overall heft can be downsides versus the Claw.

Where MSI Claw stands out:

• Best-in-class comfort for many hand sizes.
• Hall Effect sticks and triggers that address one of the biggest long-term pain points of handhelds.
• Intel Core Ultra bet that could age well as Arc drivers and XeSS upscaling improve further.

Where it still lags or is more of a gamble:

• More variance in performance from game to game compared with AMD-based rivals.
• Price and value positioning that depend heavily on current deals and your tolerance for tinkering.

Who is the MSI Claw really for?

If you want a "just works," console-like experience and you mainly live in Steam, the Steam Deck family is still the default pick. If you want maximum frames today on Windows with fewer compatibility surprises, AMD-based handhelds remain the safer option.

The MSI Claw, however, makes a compelling case for a specific kind of user:

• You care a lot about controls and comfort. You want Hall Effect sticks and a grip that feels like a premium Xbox controller.
• You're interested in Intel's future roadmap—you like the idea that Arc performance may keep climbing with drivers, making the device "grow" in capability over time.
• You want full Windows with a familiar PC ecosystem, but you're also willing to tolerate the occasional nuisance that brings.
• You play a mix of indies, AA, and some AAA titles and are okay dialing down settings or resolution for big, demanding games.

Final Verdict

The MSI Claw doesn't try to be a quirky experiment or a niche toy. It wants to be your portable PC, your living room console, your travel machine, and your couch companion—all powered by the same Intel architecture that's quietly reshaping modern laptops.

What makes it interesting isn't perfection—it's potential. The hardware foundation is strong: fantastic ergonomics, a sharp and fast screen, a large battery, and drift-resistant controls. The software and performance story started rocky, but MSI and Intel have clearly been listening, with updates steadily moving the needle in the right direction.

If you're risk?averse and want the most predictable experience today, a Steam Deck or ROG Ally might still be the more comfortable pick. But if you're drawn to the idea of a handheld that feels great in the hand, embraces Intel's new Core Ultra platform, and keeps getting better with each firmware and driver update, the MSI Claw is a genuinely exciting option to consider.

Portable PC gaming is no longer a novelty—it's a daily habit for millions of players. The MSI Claw steps into that world not as a follower, but as a challenger with its own distinct vision: a handheld that feels like a console in your hands, yet still thinks like a PC.