Can MSI’s Steam Deck rival claw its way to handheld gaming success?

The handheld gaming space grew by one as MSI unveiled their Steam Deck competitor, the Claw A1M. The portable gaming console is the first to be built with Intel’s new Core Ultra chipset, which uses advanced AI algorithms and on-chip video codec support for enhanced video quality while streaming games as well as improving performance under heavy workloads. And while some first-look specs are impressive, a few of MSI’s decisions leave me scratching my head. 

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For the GPU, the Claw A1M uses an Intel Arc card, which is pretty much a beefed-up, standalone version of their readily available integrated Xe graphics chips. Here’s what makes this interesting: The Intel Arc support forum is bursting with complaints of Arc cards causing crashes and glitches, as well as flat-out not working with a whole host of games. 

The problem seems to stem from various driver updates being incompatible with various games and launchers, so we’ll have to wait and see if Intel addresses the issue before the Claw launches pre-orders. 

However, there are a few bright spots: The 7-inch IPS display provides 1080p full HD resolution as well as a 120Hz refresh rate, the Claw A1M has a built-in fingerprint reader for added security, and it supports Wi-Fi 7 for faster, more stable online gaming.  

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So, if the MSI Claw A1M caught your attention, how does it stack up against the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally?

While the MSI Claw A1M has some promising specs, the known issues surrounding the Intel Arc graphics drivers is going to make it a hard sell in a market that is already dominated by the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck.