MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ hands-on: powerful but too large even for big hands

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I have fairly large hands. For that reason, I've been waiting patiently for the current slate of gaming handhelds to reach the shelves. After a few years of these portable PCs being a hot commodity, manufacturers have finally realised that comfort is just as important as portability and power. Rounded grips, bulkier devices, and better button sizes are now being welcomed with open arms, but after going hands-on with the new MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, I think we've gone as far as we need to.

For context, I review controllers, and I'm an OG Asus ROG Ally X owner, so despite my excitement, I'm a little salty about the fact that Asus, Acer, MSI, and Lenovo have all launched updated versions of their handheld devices that have much, much more ergonomic grips. The ROG Xbox Ally devices have properly rounded grips, which fix the comfort woes I have with their predecessors. Acer and MSI have reworked their grip designs accordingly, giving things a much more curved, comfortable hold that spreads their weight and makes them so much more enjoyable to hold during longer sessions.

Future / Duncan Robertson Future / Duncan Robertson Future / Duncan Robertson Future / Duncan Robertson With Acer's new Predator Atlas, I loved how much inspiration was taken from the best PC controllers . The handheld just felt broader , and like the ergonomics had been given just as much attention as the new Intel APU innards.

The MSI Claw handhelds were always a bit beefier since they have larger displays - or at least, that's been the case since the original Claw A8, which I tried out at IFA a few years ago. With the latest iteration I demoed out at Computex, the grips had a curve on their backs, as well as an expanded drop at the bottom to provide room for your pinkies. The controls felt really premium, and F1 2025 ran like an absolute dream, but I was actually finding myself struggling to make the reach from the palm of my hand up to the top of my index finger to work the triggers - which is a first for me.

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson) Maybe it was due to the fact I was holding a very expensive prototype model in an overly crowded exhibition booth, maybe it was the fact I was holding it extra carefully, and maybe it was because I was playing a game that relied on my use of the triggers to accelerate and brake on a moment's notice. But for one of the only times in my hardware-reviewing career, I found myself thinking, "Man, this thing is actually uncomfortably large for my hands".

Like I said at the beginning of this article, I consider myself part of the big-hand gang when it comes to gaming peripherals. I tend to enjoy controllers that have been designed with broader, bigger builds in mind. The only time I felt a controller was too big for me was maybe the Thrustmaster eSwap line, and even then, I could still use it pretty comfortably. While trying to grip the Claw 8 EX AI+, I struggled to keep my hands positioned over the face and back buttons, while also reaching up to the triggers and bumpers.

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson) I'm all for more comfort, but making things too big also increases the risk of you dropping your very pricey portable PC. Prices definitely come into things with this generation of handheld PC, but more on that in a bit.

If the size of this thing is an issue for me, I expect it to be an almost prohibitive problem for anyone who considers their hands to be on the smaller side when using modern gaming gear. It makes me think that the design of the latest claws hasn't just been about combating the comfort levels of the Xbox Ally X , but that potentially the larger display size has actually gotten in the way.

The latest Claw sports an 8-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is slightly larger than the 7.4-inch size on the Xbox Ally. Interestingly, the Predator Atlas 8 has a similar 8-inch display, but it didn't feel like quite the same stretch for me to use, so there are definitely subtle differences between the two devices, despite their shared processor.

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson) So the real toss-up, in my opinion, is how much power you want versus something that's not too unwieldy. The Claw certainly has the beefy innards you need to play games like F1 2025 at smooth frame rates with really surprisingly clear visual fidelity. I wasn't able to access performance monitor details during my hands-on test, but MSI claims you can get a 66% higher frame rate in F1 using 1200p / Medium settings / XeSS3 + MFG over last gen.

Of course, the elephant in the room here is that the Claw will let you back well over a grand on either side of the Atlantic, and beyond its size being a prohibitive factor for some gamers, its pricing is even more so.

Elsewhere, there's an 80Whr battery for 5 hours of play, an Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor running the show, Hall effect thumbsticks, and hyperflow cooling. I'd argue it's the smoothest performing handheld I've gone hands-on with, but based on how much work my hands had to do to use it and stay comfortable, I think I'd take the similar specs of the Acer Predator Atlas 8 instead.

Once again though, affording either of these PCs will be the real struggle since they cost more than the controversially pricey Steam Machine.

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