MSI Claw Evaluate: An Embarrassment

Nobody can buy an MSI Claw. It's not technically damaged: The primary 7-inch Intel Core Extremely moveable gaming PC doesn't crash often or something like that. However the Claw is so removed from the competitors that it's successfully useless on arrival.

In nearly each method, the $750 MSI Claw appears like an inferior clone of the Asus ROG Ally – besides it prices extra, not much less! You might get a a lot better expertise whereas saving lots of of when you go for an OLED Steam Deck as a substitute.

I spent weeks on the lookout for a silver lining. In the long run, I discovered simply three small ways in which Claw betters the competitors.

I didn't begin my MSI Claw journey by operating benchmarks. My expectations had been already excessive, so I began with a better check: making the Claw my each day driver for the not-so-intense video games I already performed on different handhelds. I began the PC port of Studio Ghibli Ni No Kuni, Dave the Diverand Fallout New Vegas — a recreation that’s nearly 14 years previous.

Every of them runs easily on a $549 Steam Deck OLED. Neither ran easily on the $749 MSI Claw. They might stutter or freeze even when the system informed me it was hitting 60fps or extra and regardless of a 48-120Hz variable refresh fee display that ought to have smoothed issues out. The claw would additionally drop frames when the deck remained secure and delivered fewer frames to start with.

So, I created some extra repeatable benchmarks. How dangerous might the Intel Core Extremely 155H actually be in comparison with the rivals? Right here's a glance:

In case your jaw hasn't hit the ground but, let me let you know: the cheaper Steam Deck OLED utterly wiped the ground with the MSI Claw in energy. and efficiency.

The Claw, set to full energy and plugged right into a wall for a turbo increase, ran some video games extra slowly than it did on my Steam Deck on battery energy alone. Are you able to think about paying 2 hundred extra to play video games like that Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 45 fps as a substitute of 60 — and solely when linked to the wall?

In opposition to moveable Home windows gaming units, the Claw didn't fare any higher: rivals Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go delivered 10% extra efficiency as much as over double perf relying on recreation and energy mode.

There was one vivid spot: Return, one of many extra intense PC titles we've tried, truly carried out higher on Claw than Deck or Ally. However not ok to be playable… and after I sat right down to play for an hour at a time Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Cyberpunk 2077, I didn't discover them playable both. Each may be performed on the Steam Deck, ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go at an identical (low) settings, so the Claw has no excuse to ship a uneven mess.

I even fired up 3DMark Time Spy and Fireplace Strike to see if MSI had by chance despatched me a lemon, however no – my Claw scored barely increased than MSI's personal inner benchmark. And sure, I ran these benchmarks on the newest Intel graphics driver that was supposed to supply huge enhancements, not the one the Claw initially shipped with.

A minimum of Claw doesn't appear to have worse battery life than Home windows. MSI gave it a 53 watt-hour battery, barely bigger than the Legion Go and notably bigger than the Ally, and we noticed about the identical 1.5 hours of Shadow of the Tomb Raider on a cost. I’ve 2 hours and 25 minutes of Fallout New Vegas and achieved a most run time of four hours and 19 minutes in Balatro, one of many least demanding video games I've ever performed on a handheld. (My first run lasted three.25 hours; I bought an additional hour by setting the system to Tremendous Battery mode and aggressively lowering the display.)

However in comparison with the Steam Deck OLED, which may simply final twice as lengthy Balatro and letting Lara Croft raid tombs for over two hours isn't nice – and I do not know how MSI can justify the truth that the Claw “lasts 50 p.c extra” than the typical handheld in its advertising marketing campaign .

It’s price noting that MSI made put a good quantity of thought into Claw's UX. Whereas the hardware can look like a low-rent Batman version of Asus' ROG Ally, with the very same button structure and many of the identical curves, it will possibly really feel somewhat higher within the palms. I respect its bigger grips, extra substantial face buttons, and Corridor-effect joysticks and triggers for longevity. Just like the Ally, the Claw has a number of the greatest audio system on a gaming handheld, right here enhanced with surprisingly good Nahimic digital encompass sound, which supplied pleasant echoes round me whereas I couldn't penetrate by graves.

I want MSI hadn't adopted a stiffer however sloppier D-pad or added so many pointless spikes to its vents – they repeatedly prevented me from discovering its port charging right into a darkish bed room. The Claw's rumble additionally feels terrifying. A minimum of MSI helps you to flip it off!

However the primary factor I want to disable is Home windows.

It's been nearly a full yr since Asus launched the ROG Ally and over two years for the reason that Steam Deck, however Microsoft hasn't finished something vital to make its OS extra gamepad pleasant. Principally, I might copy/paste my criticisms from the ROG Ally overview: I've had the very same issues invoking digital keyboards and gaming – issues that largely solely work on a Steam Deck, regardless of and/or due to Linux help.

And, I've skilled sleep points similar to these I've seen with the Lenovo Legion Go: I simply can't belief that this pocket book gained't wake itself up after I put it down or throw it in a bag. Solely right here, it's a bit worse, because the MSI Middle utility tends to crash when it wakes from sleep – typically disabling gamepad controls till I restart it.

Whereas MSI Middle additionally buries essential options like remappable controls, I like that it consists of launchers for each main PC gaming platform, it comes with tons of helpful fast entry shortcuts that work proper out of the field (like a swap that turns off RGB lighting), and it's comparatively quick. Deck, Ally, and Legion Go all had crappier and slower interfaces at launch.

Right this moment, nevertheless, they're all rather more full, and all can help you set up updates natively – whereas Claw nonetheless expects you to navigate to MSI's web site and manually obtain essential bits, or anticipate Home windows Replace to ship the products .

MSI Claw is just not worst gaming laptop computer i’ve ever touched. Years in the past I performed with some that weren't even price a overview, handhelds so poorly thought out and narrowly marketed that I didn't really feel the necessity to warn you. However shops like Finest Purchase truly carry the MSI Claw — and in at this time's tradition of competing handhelds, it's the worst purchase of all.

Photograph by Sean Hollister/The Verge