MSI has revealed itsSteam Deckcompetitor in the strain of the MSI Claw , a 7.4 - inch handheld gaming equipment that let you toy your favouritePC gameswhile away from home .
The doubtfulness is , how does it compare to one of the most capable gambling handhelds on the market , theAsus ROG Ally ?
While the two may share key law of similarity in the design and show departments , there are key differences between the two handhelds that ’ll press you towards one or the other . We ’ve only managed to go hands - on with theMSI Clawso far , but we ’ve spent plenty of time with the ROG Ally , so we ’re focusing primarily on specs here .
We ’ll be sure to update this once we spend some time with the MSI Claw , so channelise back shortly for more .
The MSI Claw and ROG Ally look oddly similar
Despite being bring forth by two totally independent companies , the MSI Claw and ROG Ally flavor oddly interchangeable .
Both sport the same size presentation at 7.4 inches , the same 120Hz refresh pace and Full HD ( 1920 x 1080 ) IPS LCD screen technical school . MSI has n’t confirmed elements like maximal luminousness , but given how similar the screens are , we would n’t be surprised if it matches the ROG Ally ’s 500nits maximum cleverness .
It ’s not just the overall design and screen that match up ; even smaller component , like the button placement of the two play handhelds , seem to be placed most - identically . That ’s pretty ready to hand for consumers , as it means that regardless of the handheld you prefer for , you ’ll be getting a largely consistent experience .
Besides , we praised the ROG Ally for its fashionable conception compared to the relatively old - school - looking Steam Deck and discover that it was passing comfortable to utilise over longer periods , which augur well for the MSI Claw .
Intel vs AMD
They might front pretty exchangeable on the open , but there ’s a key departure between the MSI Claw and ROG Ally : the processors .
That ’s because the unexampled MSI Claw features Intel central processing unit , specifically theIntel Core Ultra 5 or Ultra 7depending on the variant you opt for , coupled with 16 GB of RAM and either 512 GB or 1 TB of computer memory .
The ROG Ally , on the other hand , has gone down the AMD route with either the standardRyzen Z1 or more powerful Ryzen Z1 Extreme , along with 16 GB of RAM and either 512 GB or 1 TB of storage .
It ’ll surely be interesting to see how the two heap up side - by - side in general performance , especially considering that the MSI Claw has a higher TDP of 45W , with a lower limit of 10W , compared to the 10 - 30W range on offer from the ROG Ally .
For what it ’s deserving , we felt that the ROG Ally offered a self-colored portable play experience with around 10 - 15fps more than the Steam Deck in benchmark tests – and at a higher resolution too .
The MSI Claw has wider eGPU support
While the MSI Claw and ROG Ally can provide a handheld gaming experience nonsuch for long journeys , they ’re still not the most powerful gaming machines around .
Asus face to pay back this topic with an optional XG Mobile interface , similar to that of theAsus ROG Flow Z13gaming tablet , that fundamentally provides entree to a much more knock-down eGPU than the integrate chipset within the equipment . The catch is that , over £ 1000/$1000 , it ’s more expensive than the handheld itself and can only be used at house on a desk , making it a recession within a niche .
MSI learnt from Asus ’ former mistakes with the ROG Ally and has opted rather for a Thunderbolt 4 interface with the MSI Claw , which essentially allows it to soak up to a much wider variety of eGPU solution , many of which are chintzy than Asus ’ XG Mobile system .
If you counter the need to glom up an eGPU to play rightfully top - end AAA game at high frame rate , the MSI Claw seems the better pick – but we ’ll have to confirm that once we get it in for a full review .
The MSI Claw has a larger battery
One of our biggest complaints about the ROG Ally in our review concerned barrage life sentence , lark a comparatively small 40Wh barrage fire that we found could only oversee about 90 minutes of gameplay in a AAA title .
Of course , performance vary depend on the game , with less require indie games hold up a niggling longer on the handheld , but it does n’t help if you want to dive into something like Starfield or Cyberpunk 2077 .
The good news is that the MSI Claw has a much larger 53Wh battery that should hopefully translate to unspoiled battery life . We ’re not expecting vast gain here , of course , but anything long than 90 minutes of AAA gambling is a winnings in our book .
The only potential issue is the 45W TDP ; using more superpower than the 30W TDP of the ROG Ally , the MSI Claw draw more magnate in utilization . That could negate any potential benefit of having a expectant barrage fire , though we ’ll have to benchmark it to discover out .
The ROG Ally is cheaper and available now
MSI substantiate at CES 2024 that the MSI Claw will start at $ 699 with a more powerful variant useable at an increased $ 799 , and while there ’s no self-coloured release date just yet , the company claimed it ’d be usable sometime in the first half of 2024 .
The Asus ROG Ally , on the other hand , has been available since early 2023 . Not only that , but it ’s actually cheaper than the MSI Claw , starting at a somewhat reduced $ 599 with a top - end version available for $ 100 more at $ 699 .
