MSI Outlines Claw 8 AI+ & Claw 7 AI+ Upgrades, Based on Original Claw User Feedback

[T0@st]

The first MSI Claw was designed for ergonomic comfort and seamless gaming across platforms like Steam, Ubisoft, and Xbox. It even handled mobile games effortlessly. Now, thanks to valuable feedback from our community, we've made significant improvements in both hardware and software for the next generation—introducing the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+, powered by the latest Intel Lunar Lake processor for enhanced performance and efficiency.

Key Upgrades Based on Community Feedback
1) Enhanced Connectivity with Dual Thunderbolt 4 Ports. Both the Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ now feature two Thunderbolt 4 ports, allowing you to connect an external SSD without unplugging the power cord. This ensures greater flexibility and seamless gameplay.




2) Improved Bumper Button Responsiveness
Observing how users press bumpers differently, we've redesigned the LB/RB buttons from a side-actuated to a top-actuated trigger. This provides better feedback and makes them more tactile, even when pressed at the edges.



3) A Much Deeper and More Comfortable D-Pad
The new concave D-pad, inspired by the Xbox controller, offers improved touch response and better precision, making navigation smoother for users who rely on directional inputs.



4) Enhanced Speaker Performance
The original Claw received praise for its superior sound. Now, the Claw 8 AI+ features upgraded 4th-gen speakers with improved rubber damping, reducing unwanted resonance and delivering richer bass and midrange tones.



5) Redesigned MSI Center M for Better Usability
The new MSI Center M is more intuitive and visually refined. Additionally, deeper Windows integration allows for quicker access to settings via the Xbox Game Bar Compact Mode. Users can customize tools effortlessly, add or remove features, and even access Xbox Social and the Widget Store for enhanced gaming convenience.



Built for You, Inspired by You
All these refinements were made possible because of your feedback! We've carefully listened to suggestions from our community on Facebook, forums, and beyond. The Claw 8 AI+ and Claw 7 AI+ now deliver superior hardware and more intuitive software, designed with gamers in mind.

We appreciate your continued support—keep sharing your thoughts so we can make Claw even better!

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Cheeseball]

Can confirm the Claw 8 AI+ is a massive improvement over the first-generation Meteor Lake Claws. Battery life is better than the ROG Ally X (they're both 80Wh) and with the newer Intel GPU drivers it performs better in newer games. Older DX9/DX11 games might suffer, but you have to test them to check. I can get 11 hours on Terraria and Core Keeper at 17W TDP. Tokyo Extreme Racer at a locked 60 FPS gets me under 4 hours at 1200p.

Best part, since these have the Lunar Lake 258Vs, the Thunderbolt 4 ports support PCI-E 4.0 x4 tunnelling, so pairing the Claws with a ASM2464PD/PDX-equipped SSD or eGPU (UT3G v1.6) will get you better bandwidth than older TB3 (JHL7440, ugh) solutions. AMD APUs still get a little bit more bandwidth since they seem to have better USB4v1 compatibility, but it is a marked improvement on Lunar Lake CPUs.

EDIT: I can lower the TDP to 8W if playing Terraria/Core Keeper, but apparently I don't need to as the 258V has better TDP management. So even if you have it set to 30W TDP, it will still use what it actually needs and not just turbo all the time. In this regard, this CPU respects limited frame rates in regard to its own TDP.

 

[lexluthermiester]

MSI listening to user input? This a good progress.

 

[Cheeseball]

MSI listening to user input? This a good progress.

It's good, but not quite there yet. Remember they decided to sell the second gen Claw 7 and Claw 8 at $800 and $900, which really don't think they're worth it at these prices. If they were -$100 to -$150 each though then I believe that would be acceptable (compared to the features of the ROG Ally X and the Steam Deck). To be honest, if they had bundled a good hard case and other accessories with it then I would accept the MSRP above.

They were very late with releasing accessories (e.g. the screen protector and Claw 8 hard case). They also seem to have stock issues since the January 15 initial launch. It's almost as hard as getting an NVIDIA RTX 5000-series card.

They never implemented some sort of battery management to limit the max charge to around 80% or so. This was weird because their 2021+ laptops all have this. It would've been a good feature for those who play docked to a charging hub most of the time. Although the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch don't have this themselves, and their batteries generally seem to be doing well after 2+ years so it's probably just nitpicking from me.

The MSI Center M app is really f***ing s*** (even at version 2.0) and the Xbox Game Bar plugins need to be worked on a lot more. The plugins crashed a couple of times which was annoying to deal with, especially since they freeze the entire Xbox Game Bar service. This happened twice while playing Monster Hunter Wilds and Tokyo Xtreme Racer.

There are other good things:
- @unclewebb's awesome ThrottleStop works perfectly with the new Claws and even the old ones. Amazing utility for Intel users.
- Most of MSI's laptop BIOSes have a hidden advanced mode that makes it like their desktop motherboards. You have access to the the RAM timings and core settings. You can enable/disable cores!
- The speakers on the Claw 8 AI+ are the best I've heard on a handheld device. Like MacBook-level speakers.
- Thunderbolt 4 ports are on TOP of the device. And there are TWO of them, not some stupid USB4 + USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 combo like what they did on the Ally X. The Legion Go has two USB4 ports, sure, but one of them is on the bottom which messes with how it stands and risks cable strain.
- I got Diablo 4 and the expansion as a bonus when I bought this Claw. Take that as a positive or negative depending on if you like the game.

That's it. It's 4 AM and I'm typing this reply out because I can't sleep.

 

[bonehead123]

MSI listening to user input? This a good progress.

Yea right....they are just saying that so they can raise prices even higher and have yet ANOTHER excuse to "CLAW" even more $$ from your wallet

I'm sooo glad I'm not into the whole gamin thingy

 

[PixelTech]

Meh, doesn't have SteamOS.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Yea right....they are just saying that so they can raise prices even higher and have yet ANOTHER excuse to "CLAW" even more $$ from your wallet

That's you talking from the perspective of someone who isn't paying attention to detail. So whatever..

Meh, doesn't have SteamOS.

Not everyone wants that. I certainly don't.

 

[wickerman]

Not everyone wants that. I certainly don't.

I certainly wouldnt trade a working and optimized experience for a lesser experience, but if something is buggy I dont wanna be locked down to broken software waiting for a fix. I dunno how well supported intel core ultra is on steamOS but if there is a point where you have hardware support parity I would hope MSI would allow users to install what they wish without added hassle.

I think we should have the mindset that all x86 handhelds are just an x86 pc formfactor. We should be allowed to use what ever OS we want and should expect a basic level of hardware support. It would be really cool to live in a world where my MSI Claw or Steamdeck could run windows, steamOS, or some theoretical PS or Xbox handheld-focused OS. I would love the freedom to bring my hardware to what ever gaming ecosystem best suits my interests. Even if my handheld cant play the most modern titles for the console, surely a backlog of old games would be a paradise without having to deal with a web of community based emulation software that may or may not exist tomomow pending a word from the nintendo legal office.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I certainly wouldnt trade a working and optimized experience for a lesser experience, but if something is buggy I dont wanna be locked down to broken software waiting for a fix.

Let's be fair, Valve has come a LONG way with SteamOS. I'll be one of the first to say it's impressive. However, it still doesn't hold a candle to Windows as SteamOS is Linux and is effectively locked to a limited set of experiences. Windows is not as limited. One can do a whole lot more on Windows than on Linux.

 

[wickerman]

Let's be fair, Valve has come a LONG way with SteamOS. I'll be one of the first to say it's impressive. However, it still doesn't hold a candle to Windows as SteamOS is Linux and is effectively locked to a limit set of experiences. Windows is not as limited. One can do a whole lot more on Windows than on Linux.

SteamOS is certainly advancing gaming on linux in ways I never saw coming... Who knew the year of the linux desktop would still come later than the year of the linux x86 gaming handheld lol.

I agree linux has its limits these days, and its not where you're gonna go to be assured you'll have the best experience on the yearly release of the "quadruple A" gaming experience of (insert brand). But if you're mostly playing games that have been out for a little while most of that library is gonna work. But windows also has its limits, and theres plenty of older software that COULD run in windows 11 but doesnt because it was made for an older version of windows and theres just no patch to get it running on 11. But its not just old games, recently I tried the enhanced version of GTAV on my steamdeck. Installed fine, just loaded up single player and messed around to see what kinda setting and performance there was to be had..but I go to try the game on my windows 11 desktop, and I cant even install the game unless I agree to the third party anti cheat that isnt needed for single player...So fresh new release of the game and I can either play it on 720p low or not at all without installing software I dont want, and clearly isnt needed.

I guess theres no single, grand, unlimited experience. Windows is generally better but I'd still want to support the hardware vendor who gives me the freedom of both, rather than the limits of one (either one).