Ryzen Z2 Extreme–powered MSI Claw appears online — the sticker shock is impossible to ignore

MSI’s next handheld gaming PC could cost more than a washing machine, a fridge-freezer, or a month’s worth of groceries for a small family.

Despite being unveiled at Computex back in May, the MSI Claw A8 still lacks official details regarding its price and shipping date in the United States. The gaming handheld appeared for pre-order at some European retailers in July, and now it has been spotted on the US version of Newegg.

VideoCardz found a retail listing for the MSI Claw A8 that shows a jaw-dropping price tag of $1,149. There's always a chance that price is a placeholder, but I suspect it reflects the true cost of the device.

The MSI Claw A8 runs on the new AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. It shares a lot of features with its sibling, the MSI Claw 8 AI+. Most notably, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ runs on an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor and Arc 140V graphics.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ costs $1,099.99 at Best Buy as of today (that model has 32GB of RAM). It launched at $899 but has gone up in price, which is unfortunately a common trend across the industry due to a variety of factors. The 32GB of RAM in that model is not cheap.

That's all still a bit cheaper than the excellent Lenovo Legion Go 2, for $1,099 (16GB/1TB) at Best Buy, also with Z2 Extreme, but its larger 8.8" 144Hz OLED display and removable controllers go a long way to make up for it.

RAM prices are surging. Dell just announced a price hike, and more cost increases are expected across the board.

There are some other design differences between the two expensive MSI gaming handhelds, but both have 8-inch displays that support up to a 120Hz refresh rate and 1920 x 1200 resolution.

The MSI Claw A8 is also available in a rather vibrant lime green color. Many of the best gaming handhelds are white or black, so that's one way to stand out. For those who like the MSI Claw A8 but prefer a more neutral design, the portable gaming PC will also be available in white.

The MSI Claw A8 spotted by VideoCardz has a Ryzen Z2 Extreme, 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a 1TB NVMe SSD. It also supports Wi-Fi 7 and runs Windows 11 — facts that come as no surprise.

MSI has not confirmed a US release date for the MSI Claw A8, but it could be in the near future based on the Newegg listing.

In the meantime, you can check out our best handheld gaming PCs and what the differences are between them.

Follow Windows Central on Google News to keep our latest news, insights, and features at the top of your feeds!

Forget Windows

Save $120

Lenovo Legion Go S (Z2 GO, SteamOS): was $649.99 now $529.99 at Best Buy

This is the least powerful Legion Go S (SteamOS) configuration with an AMD Ryzen Z2 Go chip, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. Still, it's capable of playing any game that can run on Steam Deck and offers a much better display with higher resolution. It also has Hall Effect joysticks that won't drift.

Windows Central review:⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

View Deal