MSI prices its latest handheld at $1,800 as exec says ‘it will be a tough year for us and the gamers’
MSI has announced the price of its Claw 8 EX AI+ handheld gaming PC at $1,799, exceeding earlier estimates of approximately $1,500. The device features Intel’s latest mobile processors, including an Arc G3 Extreme CPU and Arc B390 graphics, complemented by 32GB of LPDDR5x memory, an 8-inch IPS touch screen, and 1TB of SSD storage.
According to MSI’s product marketing lead Andy Chu, the company faced significant cost pressures when pricing the device. Chu warned that “it will be a tough year for us and the gamers,” suggesting that additional price increases may be unavoidable. These comments indicate that MSI grappled with substantial manufacturing costs and supply chain challenges that limited pricing flexibility, prompting concerns about affordability for consumers.
The Claw 8 EX AI+ is positioned as a premium offering in the handheld gaming PC market, competing with established alternatives such as Valve’s Steam Deck. The combination of advanced hardware specifications and AI-focused branding targets consumers seeking high-performance portable gaming, though the $1,799 price point represents a substantial investment for the handheld gaming segment.