Lenovo revised the shape of its joycons now its good and slim although the weird side buttons still exist. The go 2 will be awesome but pricy probably $900 as well?
After how badly Lenovo bungled and then abandoned their first attempt at the Go, it would have to be the most mind-blowing presentation ever to win me over.
Keep in mind that Rog Ally is using up to 43W TDP for 1st 1 or 2 minute (I don't remember exacly) which you can see in Indiana Jones and Spiderman and then it'll drop eventually to 30W so it's a little unfair to compare that to MSI - you should set manual TDP (SPPT and FPPT) to 30W (or sth similar to what MSI can keep in long time) and then compare :)
The ROG Ally X and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ are also available through the Military Exchanges such as the Navy Exchange and CGX for eligible customers with no sales tax.
@@I3aMb00I checked the online site and the only one I've seen is the MSI Claw 7 AI+. Maybe now that the holidays are over they'll restock. They do a terrible job listing things so you have to really check model numbers to ensure they are referencing the right things.
I’m glad to see Intel stepped their game up, but I’ll be waiting for the ally 2. The ally series has served me so well I can’t wait to see what they’re cooking up
One good thing about the Intel handset over the AMD one… you can get drivers directly from Intel. AMD handsets need the vendor to provide drivers, which could be a bottleneck.
The specs are impressive. For me personally, I can't justify 900 for a handheld. I just bought the Rog X last week that's about as high as I'd go. I paid less than 700, and even then, I was thinking, should I just get a new laptop.
I keep reading this. No. A laptop and a handheld are different things. You need a handheld, buy one. You need a laptop ? Buy one. But the thing is a handheld can replace a laptop and be a handheld when you want to. But you can't handheld your laptop, nor get 6h gaming autonomy with an external battery
@mrmim0x173 @mrmim0x173 I appreciate your infinite wisdom in explaining the differences of a laptop and a gaming handheld. What I'm arguing is that there is a pricing threshold where the price to performance doesn't make any sense to purchase it. Hitting a grand doesn't make sense. 6h battery? Are you referring to the charge life of one of these hand-held pcs?
Honestly i dont really care about Z2E because of tis gpu, its practically the same as 780M on Z1E. Not to mention the graphic driver. Almost all of OEM are guilty of this, they dont provide driver support long enough for the past decades. I've seen so many of their laptop with borked drivers 3 to 4 years down the line. That being said, I'll definitely get the Claw 8 once its available over here.
Miles different experience, that 7 incher 16:9 is just so small, cant even navigate in windows with that thing and the ergonomics is terrible on Rog Ally and X
5:39 it's not devs fault valve broke the modern 16:9 standard because they sourced a cheap tablet screen for the original deck. 16:9 should always be the standard going forward.
The same could be said about ultra wide support. It's not the devs fault the monitor industry broke the modern 16:9 standard because they want to go with the 21:9 aspect ratio and increased profit margins, but here we are. Simply put, it's a niche in the PC landscape. No matter how you feel about the Steam Deck, it's made a splash in the PC world.
There isn't anything that I can share that's not already out in the public. I would say let's wait and see what CES has in store for us. We'll most likely be able to see games running on these Z2E handhelds there.
@@clem9808 just casually? They are releasing their best handheld in Q1 which is simply just improving slightly what the Ally X did. Just look up the specs to the OneXPlayer X1 Pro and it’s AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chipset which is just as impressive if not better than Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V. We have yet to see the Z2E chipset too. There’s a reason why MSI chose to release in Q1 before Lenovo, Asus and Valve release their next gen of Handhelds to get a head start. Unfortunately they’ll find themselves last place yet again just like they did last year.
While this is not a product for me because the d-pad and poor drivers are deal breaker for me, I'm glad it is a competitive product to push Asus to making the Ally 2 even better. Hopefully it has 32GB of RAM and hall analog sticks as well as a bigger and better panel.
I get that! I know Intel support isn't 100%, but I let the developers know that people are interested in running Bazzite on here. Hopefully we hear something in the near future.
@dtzero0 i got mine to from best buy for 669 open box excellent 👌 and got a 2tb ssd to upgrade so I am good on the claw and for the ally 2 to come on sale.
Thanks for the wonderful video and now subbing Baldly! Saving up for my first PC handheld and definitely excited to see these comparisons. Curious question. Do you feel the Ally X will see a permanent price cut after CES and Lenovo unveiling their new systems. I can save $799.99 but it would be cool to see a slight price cut if they do it :3
First off, thank you so much for the Super Thanks! That's absolutely awesome! 🙌 To answer your question, I think it would be a wise choice for ASUS if the Z2E handhelds Lenovo has on the way are going to be more powerful than the Z1E Ally X. During the holidays, it got down to $749. I could see either that or a $699 price point being a sale price. But even now, the original Ally Z1 and Z1E models are still selling at full MSRP. My thought process is, if there's a sale, then they'll make a cut in price. If not, then they'll sell it at full MSRP. Again, thank you for the Super Thanks! 🙌
When you're playing a 16:9 game on the Claw do you still end up with more than a 7" screen despite the top and bottom bezels though? I would have thought you would.
@@EthanCarey-p8k ah. Sorry. I misread the original comment. When a game runs at 16:9 on the 16:10, 8 inch screen on the MSI Claw 8 AI+, the games take up the equivalent of a screen that's 7 3/4 inches big. So, to answer your question, yes.
Heavily considering a Claw 8, but I still have some doubts. I am from Brazil and i am travelling to the US on January 20th. I think the Claw 8 is very interesting, but i am in doubt wheter I should try to buy it right on its launch and get it delivered to my hotel or if I should just go with the old and trustworthy Rog Ally X. I really want to buy the one with the best performance and it looks like it is the Claw 8, but it is too soon to say for sure. Can any one help me decide? The 100 dolars difference between them is not an issue for me, I just want to be sure to get the one with the best performance in the long run...
100% depends on the games you want to play with. One thing that I can say is that the battery efficiency in the Claw 8 AI+. If you're alright with dealing with odd Intel driver issues from time to time,, then I would recommend it. On the other hand, CES is in just a few days and there are rumors of the Lenovo Legion Go S and 2 will be revealed with the AMD Z2 Extreme chip. My guess is that the performance will be on par with the Claw 8 AI Plus (or even better). I kind of want to wait and see what we get, and that's what I recommend to everyone. That's why I mentioned it in the video.
@@baldlyrudy Thank you very much for ur answer! I am not an expert, but i do have some knoledge of computers that I think would allow me to deal withe some odd drivers issues from time to time. It is a really difficult choice, i am not a heavy AAA player, i just play some of them from time to time, and I also enjoy some indie games. These first looks of the Claw 8 in these early days of the device are showing such a good result on the performance side, that it makes me believe that the performance only tends to get better. Thats why i am considering it over the Ally X. The bigger screen is also a big thing! Lets see what the CES will show us, and hope the new Legio Go launches while i am still on the US! Thanks again for your answer!
What about Bazzite on the Claw 8 ai+?? Does Bazzite work? Is windows still as “janky” on the msi than the rog? Would Bazzite positively or negatively impact the claws quality or efficiency at all?
Bazzite isn't fully supported on Intel based PCs, but I've let the developers know that there's interest in this handheld. They said they would give it a shot with MSI. My guess is to see if they could get a unit to run tests on and get Bazzite up and running well on it.
Why do you guys have to make the comparisons so complicate? 99% of the people here just want to see a video of 5-10 popular games, same settings on both devices with the best upscale for each and fps results.
I got my Ally X just last December and liking it so far. Only spent my own money for €500 the rest of the 300 is from the mrs. Tho I didnt see this coming from Intel giving there current situation at the moment. Fair play to MSI for giving its other competitors a run for its money. Hopefully we will see the trend of handheld gaming pc’s going up from here.
Yup! My hope is that the competition will inevitably bring pricing down to a competitive level. The Steam Deck 2 will make waves when it does, since Valve can subsidize their price. It doesn't mean they will, but it's a viable option.
I have the Ally X but I pre-ordered the Claw 8 a few weeks ago. I love the Ally X I just wish the screen was bigger and it had less bezels around the screen. The Claw 8 is the answer to this. I will still have the 80w hour battery and a bigger VRR screen. I’m not sure if I will keep the Ally X or not. I know I’m glad I got one though. It’s a great handheld.
Both are honestly phenomenal. I still remember playing on the original Gameboy and having my mind blown! It's insane where tech is and where it's heading.
@@baldlyrudyThat’s definitely true! I remember it was just a few years ago I was wishing I could play the Fallout series on a handheld. Now you can play AAA games and they look incredible. I think my plan is to use the Claw 8 for Windows and Gamepass, then use my Ally X with Bazzite and my Steam Library.
if the msi claw 8 ai was released alongside rog ally x then it would be good but we got new handhelds coming soon which will be better than this one, I think this was launched too late
Yep. I was considering a MSI Claw 8, but it's too expensive. You can buy an open box Ally ROG X for much less. But I'll wait for what is offered at CES.
@ don’t get me wrong the msi claw 8 ai has a nice aesthetic about it it looks nice and has crazy specs for a handheld but I really do feel like it’s been released too late when we got new handhelds coming soon, if the new rog ally is weaker than the claw 8 then I’ll buy one cos I do want one and by no means a rog fan boy I own the original rog ally but I want the best on the market at the time so it’s worth the wait
Z2 will not be a gamechanger, yall just horny for new hardware... their goal isnt so much performance their goal is same operformance atleast but lower TDP thats the generation we are in 2025
First of all you don't know that the new ones are going to be "better" secondly this was meant to compete with those not the Ally x so to say it launched late makes no sense. It's literally launching alongside some of the new ones, the original was supposed to compete with the Allys but it failed. Also there's always going to be new handhelds coming soon..... We're probably going to have 3 ROG Ally systems within a 2 year span and 2 Lenovo legion go in barely over a year, if you refuse to buy something because there's something better around the corner you'll never buy one.
7 screen is way too small and 8 inch isn't big enough still. I love the way Legion Go is 8.8 inches. If they don't make Legion Go 2 with 8.8 inch screen, my pursuit of handheld windows gaming machine will end at Legion Go 1.
Yep MSI is smart for releasing their Handheld in Q1 to get some of the market before the big 3 releases their upcoming next gen Handhelds. Asus, Lenovo and Valve. The MSI may have better specs at the moment but sadly I think they'll still do horrible by the end of 2025. The market for these handhelds are extremely competitive.
I would NEVER get a handheld for $900. I have way too many responsibilities. I already felt guilty enough spending $650 on a subpar handheld PC in the ROG Ally. If this is the trend I'll stick to min-maxing what I have, or just start streaming my gaming PC. For $900 I rather build a second PC. These handhelds are so bulky I only keep them home. I feel it's too risky to just carry these little tanks around.
Poor ally x. They had the chance to make their screen atleast 8" but didnt do it ,now their sales will be affected by this. 8" really is the sweet spot, 8.8 is immersive. 7 is too smol. 👌
@LCast31 agreed. Hopefully with these new handhelds releasing, it'll force the price of the ally x down quickly. I want a solid handheld without breaking my bank account.
The original Ally is solid and it's like 300 open boxed. All games play well on it. these new ones are just trying to extract cash from your wallet. 15 percent increase in frame rates on the new claw and like 5 percent on the X isn't worth the extra money. Get an external battery for the extra play time .. for the extra cost you could get a dozen high dollar battery banks. I've got the Ally and it's great. I never open my 3070ti laptop to play games. The OG Ally is also the best looking one.
No 7 is perfect. These are handhelds which should prioritize battery life and portability. If you want more power and performance just simply get an eGPU and dock the device. The Claw is also 1/4lbs heavier than the Ally X and since its brand new, you'll be paying the $900 price. I bought my Ally X used for $550 and its been a dream of a device.
@@LCast31 I think the screen size issue is subjective. When I was young I loved my ps vita but now that my eye sight is going, the legion go is more my size. If your eyes can handle it then smaller is better. I just fear that by the time these handhelds get rtx3080 capabilities I'll only be able to use a laptop that these devices will replace! I'll be SOL.
I love these MSI claws man I own a ROG ally as well and I just gave it away to my wife cuz the claw was just overall better to me I currently play god of war ragnarok, black myth wukong, Diablo 4 and tales of arise everything about MSI claw is better I can’t go back sorry ally x Intel is winning on handhelds right now
Original MSI claw is beating the Ally X? That's wild, and hard to believe. New claws seem to be a step ahead, but that should be obvious since its competing against the z1 which is coming up on being 2 years old at this point. Intel tends to stay behind right now on handhelds but glad they are finally getting competitive.
overrated, you can see benchmarks and the current handhelds with that chip is like 300 $ more expensive. It will perform similar to Lunar Lake , maybe little better on some games... but wait for both products to mature 6 months then buy...
how are you getting 8 hours on the ally, i have the ally x and i flew from denver to vegas which is 1 hour flight, i was playing horizon zero dawn, and when my flight ended my battery was at 35% from fully 100% charged before boarding , had settings on everything lowest, no boost, 15 watts, 30% brightness, volume 50% headphones, bluetooth off, wifi off...all software updated
Sorry what? You benchmarked them at different resolutions? And had resolution scaling turned on in some games? Makes all of the performance comparisons totally useless unfortunately. Otherwise a well produced video but that's like benchmarking a 4060 and a 4070 but one at 1440p and one at 4k.
Realistically, the difference between 1440 and 4K is vast in terms of processing power required. The difference between 1080 and 1200 is nowhere near it. And even with the smaller resolution (and technical advantage), the Ally X performed worse in a good chunk of the games.
the reason you and everyone will choose the claw is because its the newest release wait till a new handheld comes out and that will be the one your choosing its the same story like always so please don't say i choose it because of this and that just remember you said the same thing when the 1st steam deck came out to the new ally x so please just stop
I'm not a big fan of intel, but that's mostly because I like to install other distros than just windows and have personally had a bad linux experience with Intel 😅
@baldlyrudy its not that.. its because mine is performing way better than people say about the gen 1 makes no sense. Unless it's just AMD fanboys making stuff up
Them some pricey boys. To be honest, I've never been too much of a fan of Ayaneo devices. I've never messed with ONEXFLY though. I should reach out to them.
Every time I watch one of these videos. I say ok, there's another new one around the corner. I better wait on buying a handheld. 😂 it will probably always be like that.
I have an original rog ally z1e that i upgraded to 32gb ram and 76wh battery, with afmf 2 I can't see any reason to upgrade at all in the next year or two. Don't forget the all but completely abandoned the original msi claw because of low sales, you will get intel updates but my first gaming laptop was a msi and i swore them off.
The didn't abandon the OG Claw tho? They literally pushed a BIOS update a couple days ago and the new version of the MSI Center M can be installed on the OG Claw too
@@KingSlendy I mean Asus did the same for the og ally for the ally x release which in reality was only developed because of the ally x release which is the same for the MSI claw. They make 0$ after the sale on these devices so they have very low incentives to keep pushing updates. This is why the steam deck is seen differently because valve still has a vested interested in keeping you buying through steam. I don't personally own an og MSI claw but was looking into them and a lot of the reddit post were saying the updates are just as bad as Lenovo
Claw is amazing but $1299.99 CND just doesn't cut it when for $250 more I can get a zephyrus G14 with an OLED screen and 4060 you know? I do LOVE the product though and I appreciate all your videos!
Thanks man! I'm working on a long term G16 video at the moment. I've been using it for my day job with production work with a little bit of gaming. It's a beast!
Intel is still behind in comparability and 15W performance compared to AMD 7840U There's already next gen AMD AI9 370 Handheld devices out already (with Z2 extreme just around the corner) with REAL world gaming benchmarks of up to 30%, so no Intel still has a lot to prove.
Agreed! Love that intel is finally competitive but they are still lagging behind some. AMD has been doing it for longer so itll be a few more years until Intel can truly catch up.
![BEST Gaming Handheld in 2024!? [Steam Deck OLED | Ally X | Legion Go | Claw]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/czoKrKcgHaY/mqdefault.jpg)
Please encourage your fanbase to uninstall Honey because it’ll replace your affiliate link with theirs 😂
Yes!!
Not to mention Honey is a complete scam.
Heavily considering a claw 8, but I want to wait till CES. I’m curious to see what Lenovo is going to show next week.
I'm curious as well! Can't wait to see what's coming around the corner.
Lenovo revised the shape of its joycons now its good and slim although the weird side buttons still exist. The go 2 will be awesome but pricy probably $900 as well?
@@jackykwan2580 that's kinda what I'm thinking as well. IF Lenovo prices the Go 2 with Z2E at ~$799, then MSI will be in trouble.
After how badly Lenovo bungled and then abandoned their first attempt at the Go, it would have to be the most mind-blowing presentation ever to win me over.
@@alexguzzetta7091they fixed all the issues
I'm very interested in the MSI Claw 8 AI+, but I'd be dumb not to wait for CES to see what else gets announced.
Keep in mind that Rog Ally is using up to 43W TDP for 1st 1 or 2 minute (I don't remember exacly) which you can see in Indiana Jones and Spiderman and then it'll drop eventually to 30W so it's a little unfair to compare that to MSI - you should set manual TDP (SPPT and FPPT) to 30W (or sth similar to what MSI can keep in long time) and then compare :)
@@Alupl I was waiting for someone to say that. Thanks.
The Claw 8 AI Plus shows up randomly on Amazon as pre order but sells out quickly.
The ROG Ally X and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ are also available through the Military Exchanges such as the Navy Exchange and CGX for eligible customers with no sales tax.
@@I3aMb00 I just did a quick search in the exchange store but only saw the original ally, not the x version
@@I3aMb00I checked the online site and the only one I've seen is the MSI Claw 7 AI+. Maybe now that the holidays are over they'll restock. They do a terrible job listing things so you have to really check model numbers to ensure they are referencing the right things.
I’m glad to see Intel stepped their game up, but I’ll be waiting for the ally 2. The ally series has served me so well I can’t wait to see what they’re cooking up
same
I'm also curious to see what CES has in store. I'm guessing ASUS will launch their Ally 2 in May or June.
One good thing about the Intel handset over the AMD one… you can get drivers directly from Intel. AMD handsets need the vendor to provide drivers, which could be a bottleneck.
You can by logic install it directly from AMD. Z1 extreme is just 8840u without the NPU so you can use that.
This but you just have extra steps to side load but it can be done.
@@helbertgascon its the 7840u/780m igup.
@@ShadyTalesyt yeah the 8840u is just a 7840u with more NPU. Which the Z1E completely removes so the comparison still applies tbh
The specs are impressive. For me personally, I can't justify 900 for a handheld. I just bought the Rog X last week that's about as high as I'd go. I paid less than 700, and even then, I was thinking, should I just get a new laptop.
I keep reading this. No. A laptop and a handheld are different things. You need a handheld, buy one. You need a laptop ? Buy one. But the thing is a handheld can replace a laptop and be a handheld when you want to. But you can't handheld your laptop, nor get 6h gaming autonomy with an external battery
@mrmim0x173 @mrmim0x173 I appreciate your infinite wisdom in explaining the differences of a laptop and a gaming handheld. What I'm arguing is that there is a pricing threshold where the price to performance doesn't make any sense to purchase it. Hitting a grand doesn't make sense. 6h battery? Are you referring to the charge life of one of these hand-held pcs?
MSi went from “The Flaw”
to the new MSi “The Claw”
🤣
That's one of the best comments I've read today.
Honestly i dont really care about Z2E because of tis gpu, its practically the same as 780M on Z1E. Not to mention the graphic driver. Almost all of OEM are guilty of this, they dont provide driver support long enough for the past decades. I've seen so many of their laptop with borked drivers 3 to 4 years down the line.
That being said, I'll definitely get the Claw 8 once its available over here.
For indiana jones make sure the gpu ram is set to 10gb for the rog ally x makes a huge difference
They are so similar that if u can get the ally x for a cheaper price just go with that or wait for CES
Depends on what you want out of the handheld. But I do agree that I want to wait and see what's shown at CES.
Miles different experience, that 7 incher 16:9 is just so small, cant even navigate in windows with that thing and the ergonomics is terrible on Rog Ally and X
5:39 it's not devs fault valve broke the modern 16:9 standard because they sourced a cheap tablet screen for the original deck. 16:9 should always be the standard going forward.
The same could be said about ultra wide support. It's not the devs fault the monitor industry broke the modern 16:9 standard because they want to go with the 21:9 aspect ratio and increased profit margins, but here we are.
Simply put, it's a niche in the PC landscape. No matter how you feel about the Steam Deck, it's made a splash in the PC world.
Have any information on the Z2 Extreme, and which devices it'll go in?
Are the next gen handhelds worth waiting for at this point?
There isn't anything that I can share that's not already out in the public.
I would say let's wait and see what CES has in store for us. We'll most likely be able to see games running on these Z2E handhelds there.
New Msi claw just casually burying current to next generation of AMD handhelds.
Crazy how they came back from slowest to fastest handheld. 🤯
The x outperforms it in certain games what are u saying 😂😂
@@ksu3086 Certain games because they are AMD optimized. Overall the Claw 8 AI goes neck at neck with the AMD HX 370 chipset at similar wattages.
@@Daxter609 tbh the msi claw 8 doesn’t do anything until it’s in the real world these are promotion units not public units so time will tell
@@clem9808 just casually? They are releasing their best handheld in Q1 which is simply just improving slightly what the Ally X did. Just look up the specs to the OneXPlayer X1 Pro and it’s AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 chipset which is just as impressive if not better than Intel’s Core Ultra 7 258V. We have yet to see the Z2E chipset too.
There’s a reason why MSI chose to release in Q1 before Lenovo, Asus and Valve release their next gen of Handhelds to get a head start. Unfortunately they’ll find themselves last place yet again just like they did last year.
What was the slowest?? Msi gen 1 lol don't think so
Hey guys help me out please. On 5:22 seconds he's playing some platform game , what's the name of it
Seems like the 3D remake of Dragon Quest 3. It looks like the beginning of the game.
I want a handheld but I want to see what asus does because they look the best but who knows when the ally 2 is going to release
I'm VERY curious to see what ASUS does this year.
ROG will make their rog ally 2
Just wait.... Later this year new tech will be coming out..
There's always new tech coming out...😅
While this is not a product for me because the d-pad and poor drivers are deal breaker for me, I'm glad it is a competitive product to push Asus to making the Ally 2 even better. Hopefully it has 32GB of RAM and hall analog sticks as well as a bigger and better panel.
I’ll wait and see if Bazzite plays nice with this device. If so, definitely will go on my wish list!
I get that! I know Intel support isn't 100%, but I let the developers know that people are interested in running Bazzite on here. Hopefully we hear something in the near future.
I can't be the only one who has been put off buying the Ally X because of the obnoxiously large bezels/borders of its screen?
hmm, any chance for other color options at lunch? and/or I suppose waiting for a diff colored case after launch too...
No word from MSI yet.
I've been saying for months that Lunar Lake would be perfect for one of these handhelds, and it looks like I was 100% right.
There is any date of release for MSI in italy/europe ?
Lo avremo tra gennaio e febbraio, amico
Don’t think I’m gonna give up my ally x. Got it used for 608.00 from Best Buy.
Issues with the unit:
Fingerprint smudges on the screen.
😂😂😂.
$608 is a heck of a deal for that handheld though. 👀
@dtzero0 i got mine to from best buy for 669 open box excellent 👌 and got a 2tb ssd to upgrade so I am good on the claw and for the ally 2 to come on sale.
The Ally x was 699 over the holiday not 749
@@MrBeetsGaming I believe it's the CAD price not USD
Thanks for the wonderful video and now subbing Baldly! Saving up for my first PC handheld and definitely excited to see these comparisons.
Curious question. Do you feel the Ally X will see a permanent price cut after CES and Lenovo unveiling their new systems.
I can save $799.99 but it would be cool to see a slight price cut if they do it :3
First off, thank you so much for the Super Thanks! That's absolutely awesome! 🙌
To answer your question, I think it would be a wise choice for ASUS if the Z2E handhelds Lenovo has on the way are going to be more powerful than the Z1E Ally X.
During the holidays, it got down to $749. I could see either that or a $699 price point being a sale price. But even now, the original Ally Z1 and Z1E models are still selling at full MSRP. My thought process is, if there's a sale, then they'll make a cut in price. If not, then they'll sell it at full MSRP.
Again, thank you for the Super Thanks! 🙌
It is no problem! Thank you for the wonderful content!
When you're playing a 16:9 game on the Claw do you still end up with more than a 7" screen despite the top and bottom bezels though? I would have thought you would.
Nope. Comes out to 7 3/4 inches.
Not understanding this reply. 7 and 3/4 inches is more than 7...
@@EthanCarey-p8k ah. Sorry. I misread the original comment. When a game runs at 16:9 on the 16:10, 8 inch screen on the MSI Claw 8 AI+, the games take up the equivalent of a screen that's 7 3/4 inches big. So, to answer your question, yes.
Phawx last video discussed how good the ai tdp is i thought
It is good. It was at the low end that he mentioned in the tweet. Specifically Celeste, but I saw the same thing with Dead Cells.
Great review 👍👍I think I still like the ally x. Does the claw have less bezel then the x ?? Or the same ?? Ally 2 coming out this year will be best
Thanks! It's pretty much on par when it comes to the bezels. The CLAW 8 AI Plus has bezels that are slightly smaller, but not by much.
Heavily considering a Claw 8, but I still have some doubts. I am from Brazil and i am travelling to the US on January 20th. I think the Claw 8 is very interesting, but i am in doubt wheter I should try to buy it right on its launch and get it delivered to my hotel or if I should just go with the old and trustworthy Rog Ally X. I really want to buy the one with the best performance and it looks like it is the Claw 8, but it is too soon to say for sure. Can any one help me decide? The 100 dolars difference between them is not an issue for me, I just want to be sure to get the one with the best performance in the long run...
100% depends on the games you want to play with. One thing that I can say is that the battery efficiency in the Claw 8 AI+.
If you're alright with dealing with odd Intel driver issues from time to time,, then I would recommend it.
On the other hand, CES is in just a few days and there are rumors of the Lenovo Legion Go S and 2 will be revealed with the AMD Z2 Extreme chip. My guess is that the performance will be on par with the Claw 8 AI Plus (or even better).
I kind of want to wait and see what we get, and that's what I recommend to everyone. That's why I mentioned it in the video.
@@baldlyrudy Thank you very much for ur answer! I am not an expert, but i do have some knoledge of computers that I think would allow me to deal withe some odd drivers issues from time to time.
It is a really difficult choice, i am not a heavy AAA player, i just play some of them from time to time, and I also enjoy some indie games.
These first looks of the Claw 8 in these early days of the device are showing such a good result on the performance side, that it makes me believe that the performance only tends to get better. Thats why i am considering it over the Ally X. The bigger screen is also a big thing!
Lets see what the CES will show us, and hope the new Legio Go launches while i am still on the US!
Thanks again for your answer!
What about Bazzite on the Claw 8 ai+?? Does Bazzite work? Is windows still as “janky” on the msi than the rog? Would Bazzite positively or negatively impact the claws quality or efficiency at all?
Bazzite isn't fully supported on Intel based PCs, but I've let the developers know that there's interest in this handheld. They said they would give it a shot with MSI. My guess is to see if they could get a unit to run tests on and get Bazzite up and running well on it.
The ally was $700 end of November at best buy
The original Ally was $699 MSRP at launch.
The Ally X is what he’s probably referring to. Got mine from Best Buy before Christmas for $699.
@Aimeen_ ahhh! That's not bad! I saw it listed at $749. Didn't know it went down to $699. That's a deal!
Why do you guys have to make the comparisons so complicate? 99% of the people here just want to see a video of 5-10 popular games, same settings on both devices with the best upscale for each and fps results.
What games do you recommend?
@baldlyrudy the most popular new games and some older ones like cyberpunk, rdr2 I guess
Does MSI have a battery health option?
Not that I've noticed. the ASUS battery health option is tied to the My ASUS App, IIRC. MSI doesn't have anything like that.
I got my Ally X just last December and liking it so far. Only spent my own money for €500 the rest of the 300 is from the mrs. Tho I didnt see this coming from Intel giving there current situation at the moment. Fair play to MSI for giving its other competitors a run for its money. Hopefully we will see the trend of handheld gaming pc’s going up from here.
Yup! My hope is that the competition will inevitably bring pricing down to a competitive level. The Steam Deck 2 will make waves when it does, since Valve can subsidize their price. It doesn't mean they will, but it's a viable option.
Great. Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year!
The MSi claw is just a beautiful handheld.
I have the Ally X but I pre-ordered the Claw 8 a few weeks ago. I love the Ally X I just wish the screen was bigger and it had less bezels around the screen. The Claw 8 is the answer to this. I will still have the 80w hour battery and a bigger VRR screen. I’m not sure if I will keep the Ally X or not. I know I’m glad I got one though. It’s a great handheld.
Both are honestly phenomenal. I still remember playing on the original Gameboy and having my mind blown! It's insane where tech is and where it's heading.
@@baldlyrudyThat’s definitely true! I remember it was just a few years ago I was wishing I could play the Fallout series on a handheld. Now you can play AAA games and they look incredible. I think my plan is to use the Claw 8 for Windows and Gamepass, then use my Ally X with Bazzite and my Steam Library.
if the msi claw 8 ai was released alongside rog ally x then it would be good but we got new handhelds coming soon which will be better than this one, I think this was launched too late
Yep. I was considering a MSI Claw 8, but it's too expensive. You can buy an open box Ally ROG X for much less. But I'll wait for what is offered at CES.
@ don’t get me wrong the msi claw 8 ai has a nice aesthetic about it it looks nice and has crazy specs for a handheld but I really do feel like it’s been released too late when we got new handhelds coming soon, if the new rog ally is weaker than the claw 8 then I’ll buy one cos I do want one and by no means a rog fan boy I own the original rog ally but I want the best on the market at the time so it’s worth the wait
I need claw 8 to pass Chinese new year.😂
Z2 will not be a gamechanger, yall just horny for new hardware... their goal isnt so much performance their goal is same operformance atleast but lower TDP thats the generation we are in 2025
First of all you don't know that the new ones are going to be "better" secondly this was meant to compete with those not the Ally x so to say it launched late makes no sense. It's literally launching alongside some of the new ones, the original was supposed to compete with the Allys but it failed. Also there's always going to be new handhelds coming soon..... We're probably going to have 3 ROG Ally systems within a 2 year span and 2 Lenovo legion go in barely over a year, if you refuse to buy something because there's something better around the corner you'll never buy one.
7 screen is way too small and 8 inch isn't big enough still. I love the way Legion Go is 8.8 inches. If they don't make Legion Go 2 with 8.8 inch screen, my pursuit of handheld windows gaming machine will end at Legion Go 1.
@@etvow for you it might, for me it’s great. I prefer to pick the ally over the steamdeck due to being smaller and way more sharp.
Ally 2 will be an amazing device
I'm excited for it!
Yep MSI is smart for releasing their Handheld in Q1 to get some of the market before the big 3 releases their upcoming next gen Handhelds. Asus, Lenovo and Valve. The MSI may have better specs at the moment but sadly I think they'll still do horrible by the end of 2025. The market for these handhelds are extremely competitive.
I would NEVER get a handheld for $900. I have way too many responsibilities. I already felt guilty enough spending $650 on a subpar handheld PC in the ROG Ally. If this is the trend I'll stick to min-maxing what I have, or just start streaming my gaming PC. For $900 I rather build a second PC. These handhelds are so bulky I only keep them home. I feel it's too risky to just carry these little tanks around.
So without upscaling technology which handheld performs better?
MSI Claw 8 AI Plus on average. But, like Indiana Jones, there are some games that perform better on AMD hardware.
This chip is unbelivably energy efficient so if you play retro or indie games that thing can at least get you 5 hours or more.
@@jackykwan2580 I'm curious to try emulation on this thing. I haven't messed with it yet.
Poor ally x. They had the chance to make their screen atleast 8" but didnt do it ,now their sales will be affected by this. 8" really is the sweet spot, 8.8 is immersive. 7 is too smol. 👌
@LCast31 agreed. Hopefully with these new handhelds releasing, it'll force the price of the ally x down quickly. I want a solid handheld without breaking my bank account.
The original Ally is solid and it's like 300 open boxed. All games play well on it. these new ones are just trying to extract cash from your wallet. 15 percent increase in frame rates on the new claw and like 5 percent on the X isn't worth the extra money. Get an external battery for the extra play time .. for the extra cost you could get a dozen high dollar battery banks. I've got the Ally and it's great. I never open my 3070ti laptop to play games. The OG Ally is also the best looking one.
No 7 is perfect. These are handhelds which should prioritize battery life and portability. If you want more power and performance just simply get an eGPU and dock the device. The Claw is also 1/4lbs heavier than the Ally X and since its brand new, you'll be paying the $900 price. I bought my Ally X used for $550 and its been a dream of a device.
@@LCast31 I think the screen size issue is subjective. When I was young I loved my ps vita but now that my eye sight is going, the legion go is more my size. If your eyes can handle it then smaller is better. I just fear that by the time these handhelds get rtx3080 capabilities I'll only be able to use a laptop that these devices will replace! I'll be SOL.
@johnwebsterification i hear you..
Definitely worth considering
They both look good, but in reality, they are big heavy & with settings mid to high they drain battery in an hour or less .
No. They last at a minimum of 2+ hours at full wattage.
I love these MSI claws man I own a ROG ally as well and I just gave it away to my wife cuz the claw was just overall better to me I currently play god of war ragnarok, black myth wukong, Diablo 4 and tales of arise everything about MSI claw is better I can’t go back sorry ally x Intel is winning on handhelds right now
Original MSI claw is beating the Ally X? That's wild, and hard to believe. New claws seem to be a step ahead, but that should be obvious since its competing against the z1 which is coming up on being 2 years old at this point. Intel tends to stay behind right now on handhelds but glad they are finally getting competitive.
Good review and choice, thanks
@@strated1079 I’m just glad we are getting these handhelds it’s a great time to be alive and seeing shit evolve rapidly now
Minor gripe, and very subjective but the new Claw looks awful. Shoulda gone all black.
Price is an issue, too.
@@Anomander-Rakes At least give us 3 color choices...
🤢
Happy New Year 🎉 very nice video, I also like the ergonomic design
Hey Anne! Thanks! Looking forward to CES!
What about the AMD Strix Point Handhelds with the 890M?
I don't have one....yet. I've asked some people for a unit though. Also, I feel like we'll be seeing some interesting stuff this year!
The Phawx has a comparison of the Claw 8 AI vs the AMD HX 370 AI with 890M iGPU.
@@Daxter609 that man has everything. I have yet to watch his video, but I'm sure it's thorough. Cary is the best.
overrated, you can see benchmarks and the current handhelds with that chip is like 300 $ more expensive. It will perform similar to Lunar Lake , maybe little better on some games... but wait for both products to mature 6 months then buy...
@@Daxter609 The Phawx is our handheld and transition god.
how are you getting 8 hours on the ally, i have the ally x and i flew from denver to vegas which is 1 hour flight, i was playing horizon zero dawn, and when my flight ended my battery was at 35% from fully 100% charged before boarding , had settings on everything lowest, no boost, 15 watts, 30% brightness, volume 50% headphones, bluetooth off, wifi off...all software updated
The game you play is also something to take into account. But those numbers that I said were on the Silent Mode 13w TDP.
Sorry what? You benchmarked them at different resolutions? And had resolution scaling turned on in some games? Makes all of the performance comparisons totally useless unfortunately. Otherwise a well produced video but that's like benchmarking a 4060 and a 4070 but one at 1440p and one at 4k.
Realistically, the difference between 1440 and 4K is vast in terms of processing power required. The difference between 1080 and 1200 is nowhere near it. And even with the smaller resolution (and technical advantage), the Ally X performed worse in a good chunk of the games.
The 32 GB Ram is tempting.
the reason you and everyone will choose the claw is because its the newest release wait till a new handheld comes out and that will be the one your choosing its the same story like always so please don't say i choose it because of this and that just remember you said the same thing when the 1st steam deck came out to the new ally x so please just stop
I think I'm chillin with my lil x1 extreme ally. It runs poe2 decent enough to do some grinding on my lunch break hahah
Best LEGION GO❤❤❤❤❤
I'm not a big fan of intel, but that's mostly because I like to install other distros than just windows and have personally had a bad linux experience with Intel 😅
Good video! For me i will stay with my msi claw gen1 mine is running so good dont need to get another handheld.
Thanks! That's fair. The best handheld is the one you have with you.
@baldlyrudy its not that.. its because mine is performing way better than people say about the gen 1 makes no sense. Unless it's just AMD fanboys making stuff up
Can you try Star Citizen on MSI Claw 8 AI +
There are other 2 contenders:AYANEO 3 AND ONEXFLY PRO,WHO WILL WIN?
Them some pricey boys. To be honest, I've never been too much of a fan of Ayaneo devices. I've never messed with ONEXFLY though. I should reach out to them.
Every time I watch one of these videos. I say ok, there's another new one around the corner. I better wait on buying a handheld. 😂 it will probably always be like that.
When it comes to PC tech...yup. 😅
I have an original rog ally z1e that i upgraded to 32gb ram and 76wh battery, with afmf 2 I can't see any reason to upgrade at all in the next year or two.
Don't forget the all but completely abandoned the original msi claw because of low sales, you will get intel updates but my first gaming laptop was a msi and i swore them off.
Yeah. You're set.
The didn't abandon the OG Claw tho? They literally pushed a BIOS update a couple days ago and the new version of the MSI Center M can be installed on the OG Claw too
@@KingSlendy I mean Asus did the same for the og ally for the ally x release which in reality was only developed because of the ally x release which is the same for the MSI claw. They make 0$ after the sale on these devices so they have very low incentives to keep pushing updates. This is why the steam deck is seen differently because valve still has a vested interested in keeping you buying through steam.
I don't personally own an og MSI claw but was looking into them and a lot of the reddit post were saying the updates are just as bad as Lenovo
💯 waiting until after CES
100%
Claw is amazing but $1299.99 CND just doesn't cut it when for $250 more I can get a zephyrus G14 with an OLED screen and 4060 you know? I do LOVE the product though and I appreciate all your videos!
Thanks man! I'm working on a long term G16 video at the moment. I've been using it for my day job with production work with a little bit of gaming. It's a beast!
@@baldlyrudy OHHH! I can't wait to check that video out!
Amazing!
it looks so cool
It feels very cool. I'm not that big of a fan of the color on the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, but I could get used to it.
@ tbh the big screen is what i really like about it, i saw someone play cyberpunk on that so that’s pretty impressive.
I don't trust intel ever.
I wouldn't trust any major, profit-focused corporation, but that's a whole other conversation.
Intel is still behind in comparability and 15W performance compared to AMD 7840U
There's already next gen AMD AI9 370 Handheld devices out already (with Z2 extreme just around the corner) with REAL world gaming benchmarks of up to 30%, so no Intel still has a lot to prove.
Agreed! Love that intel is finally competitive but they are still lagging behind some. AMD has been doing it for longer so itll be a few more years until Intel can truly catch up.
try overclocking and undervolting please
I'll keep that in mind for future videos.