We’re just around the corner from the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ release date on June 23, and pre-orders for the device went live earlier this week. Priced at $1,699 at third-party retailers and $1,799 at the official MSI store, you may be surprised to hear that it sold out incredibly quickly. This may suggest stock is limited, but either way, MSI admits that the new Claw “is not a cheap handheld”.

In a recent interview, MSI has spoken about its decisions surrounding the Claw 8 EX AI+, noting that it “will be a tough year for us and for the gamers” due to supply issues. The EX model arrives as the first Intel Arc G3 Extreme-powered handheld. Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 was another Arc G3 machine to be announced at Computex, though that won’t be arriving until October.

Handheld prices aren’t improving, so MSI is sticking with premium hardware

Speaking to FRVR, MSI product marketing lead Andy Chu explains “it’s a really difficult year” for itself and Intel, referring to the costs forced upon them due to the shortage of “key components” such as memory and storage. Chu says the company has received a lot of questions about launching a handheld in such a difficult climate, but thinks premium models still deserve a place.

“This is the first time we see that a new platform on the handheld [market] promises zero compromise between the resolution and graphic settings and also the frames [per second],” says Chu. As we said, this is the first Intel Arc G3 Extreme handheld on the market, placing it in a unique spot against the sea of AMD-based competition.

In terms of pricing, Chu says, “I don’t know how the market will go, but I would say that the handheld market is now entering a time where it’s time to take a closer look at what it can offer”. Previous handhelds were more focused on affordability – Chu specifically mentions the Steam Deck – but even Valve has been forced to hike prices way up. MSI’s latest Claw essentially accepts the market situation and offers premium hardware instead of trying to be overly budget-friendly.

“All I can say is we have tried every approach to get the memory and also storage at a lower cost. Like, deepen the relationship between us and also those suppliers, like to have some deals… and I think we have done everything we can do to make our system as affordable as possible. But unfortunately, I think the situation, the result is what you see right here. So, I would say, yes, it will be a tough year for us and for the gamers.”

Andy Chu, Product Marketing Lead at MSI

Worryingly for anyone hoping to wait until things blow over, Chu says, “I would say there’s much room for another price hike, at least from my own observation”. Despite the inflated costs, he explains that handheld sales remain stable, suggesting there are plenty of people still willing to get the best of the best – at a cost. The fact that we’ve seen pre-orders sell out seems to back that up.

We had the opportunity to test out the Claw 8 EX AI+ during Computex in early June and were impressed by what it offers – a generational uplift for the handheld market. That was before we knew how much it would cost. We’ll have to wait for full review benchmarks, but our time playing F1 2025 averaged around 40 FPS at max settings, native resolution, and zero help from XeSS.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.