- MSI has a new Claw 8 AI+ model ready to send for consumers on July 15
- The Polar Tempest Edition has a new snow-white color scheme and an optional 2TB storage
- It will be available for $ 999 / around £ 990 / AU $ 1,890
MSI has quietly revealed a new model of its recent handheld on his main site, which contains more powerful and beneficial specifications compared to Nintendo Switch 2 – and it will be shortly after the console launch on June 5.
As highlighted by Videocardz, the new MSI Claw 8 AI+ Polar Tempest Edition has a new snow-white color scheme and an optional 2TB storage space available for $ 999 (approx. £ 990 / AU $ 1,890). It is reportedly sent to consumers on July 15.
The base model starts at $ 900 / £ 899 / AU $ 1,799 and provides great performance across multiple games using Intel’s core Ultra 7 258V processor. It is also worth noting that the life of the battery is the key with the Claw 8 AI+; It uses an 80 WHR battery and can still provide high image speeds at only 17W power consumption.
This can probably be significantly better than Switch 2’s 5220mAh battery, which should be about 20 WHR. While the Claw 8 AI+ is undoubtedly the more expensive option, it will probably surpass Switch 2 in each region with regard to hardware and gaming performance.
In a world of inflated GPU prices, consumers who want to dive into PC games could potentially spend over $ 1,000 for hardware parts alone – and that is without mentioning the cost of a pre -built system – and MSI’s handhelds appear to be in a league of its own versus competitors like Steam Deck and Asus Rog Ally X.
The only problem is that the base model is already scarcely in terms of accessibility in the United States, and there is a chance that the same could happen to this new Polar Tempest edition. Even worse, it could see a big price jump due to US tariffs.
If US tariffs affect MSI Claw 8 AI+ Price then I’ll take back all I have said
Without sugar coating, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ is a very expensive piece of hardware – and that is possibly the only reason I would not recommend it to most players. It will potentially only get worse if US customs affect its price; The 90-day break on tariffs is to keep things stable for now, but if this changes, I will eat my words.
However, compared to buying parts for a stationary game -it is much cheaper and its $ 450 (or more, depending on the configuration) higher costs compared to Switch 2, it is worth considering the larger game performance features. Traditionally, PC games are also cheaper to buy (especially when Nintendo revealed that Switch 2 games could cost as much as $ 70), so if you want a large library, it can save you money in the long run (however, you will of course miss Nintendo’s first -party exclusive exclusive, which can be a deal breaker).
Switch 2 uses Nvidias T239 -CHIP, which gives users access to DLSS upscaling, but it’s hard to see that this is enough to power demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077So much less competing with other handheld games -PCs.
I don’t want to pretend that $ 900 / $ 899 / AU $ 1,799 isn’t much, especially for most players on a budget, but if I had the choice of buying a switch 2 or saving for an MSI Claw 8 AI+, I pick the latter.
