MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ arrives June 23 at up to $1,800 — nearly twice the Steam Deck's price
MSI has opened pre-orders for the Claw 8 EX AI+, its flagship handheld powered by Intel's new Arc G3 Extreme processor. The device goes on sale June 23, 2026, priced at $1,699 at Best Buy and Newegg, or $1,799.99 direct from the MSI Store for the 32GB/1TB configuration, per PC Guide. That's nearly double the cost of a 1TB Steam Deck OLED ($950) and a $600 jump over the previous Claw 8 AI+.
The hardware
The Claw 8 EX AI+ is one of the first handhelds built around Intel's Arc G3 Extreme chip, which sits inside the Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) platform. The processor uses Xe3 graphics architecture with an integrated Arc B390 GPU, enabling ray tracing and XeSS 3 image upscaling. That's Intel's answer to AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution, which powers rivals like the ROG Ally X and the Lenovo Legion Go 2.
The 8-inch display runs at 1920×1200 and 120Hz. Backing it up is an 80Wh battery — larger than most handheld competitors — alongside dual Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 3.5mm combo jack, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6.0. MSI also revised the chassis for this generation, adding a new linear haptic motor and repositioning controls for longer play sessions. Storage is a single NVMe M.2 slot with up to 1TB included; RAM tops out at 32GB LPDDR5X.
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ with Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor
The price problem
At this price, MSI is squarely targeting enthusiasts rather than mainstream buyers. The Steam Deck OLED, which recently rose to $950 for its 1TB model, is less than half the cost. Even the older Claw 8 AI+ launched at $899 — less than half the new model's ask.
Intel's track record in handhelds has been uneven. Earlier Claw devices drew criticism for driver instability and efficiency shortfalls compared to AMD's Ryzen Z1 Extreme. The Arc G3 Extreme is a clean-sheet design, but real-world benchmarks haven't been published yet; hands-on impressions from Computex were positive on ergonomics and cooling, though performance comparisons against the Ryzen Z2 Extreme remain untested, as Notebookcheck notes.
What to expect
Pre-orders are live at Best Buy and Newegg now, though MSI hasn't confirmed shipping dates. UK availability hasn't been announced; Currys currently stocks only the older Claw 8 AI+. If Intel's new silicon delivers on its paper specs, the Claw 8 EX AI+ could make a genuine case for premium handheld gaming — but at $1,700-plus, buyers will want to wait for full reviews before committing.
