The MSI Claw A8 has recently made waves in the gaming community, even though it has not yet launched in the Western markets. This innovative handheld device has officially hit the shelves in China and is now available for pre-order in Taiwan, further emphasizing its premium price tag. As the first handheld to feature the powerful AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor, the Claw A8 is set to redefine portable gaming.
What makes the MSI Claw A8 particularly noteworthy is its use of the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. While the Z2 series has already been introduced with the Legion Go S, that model utilizes the less powerful Z2 Go variant, which did not perform as well against the previous generation Z1 chips. In contrast, the Z2 Extreme represents a significant upgrade, promising enhanced performance for gamers. This processor will also feature in the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X set to launch this holiday season.
Recent benchmark tests for the MSI Claw A8 have surfaced on Geekbench, showcasing both CPU and graphics capabilities via OpenCL and Vulkan APIs. These benchmarks allow for a comprehensive comparison with the average performances of the Z1 Extreme and the GPU metrics of the original ROG Ally using the Z1E. It’s important to note that the benchmarks for the Claw A8 were conducted on a Balanced power plan, with the Ryzen Z2 Extreme clocking in at 4.3GHz, below its maximum advertised speed of 5.0GHz. As these benchmarks are preliminary, we anticipate more extensive real-world gaming tests as the handheld becomes more widely available.
Initial reviews from Chinese testers suggest that the MSI Claw A8 delivers an impressive gaming experience. For instance, while playing Ghost of Tsushima, the device maintained smooth gameplay performance, drawing between 11-13W and providing over 3.5 hours of battery life. Additionally, the Claw A8 was able to sustain a consistent 30 FPS in the game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. These early performance metrics indicate that the Z2 Extreme benchmarks could also offer insights into the expected performance of the forthcoming ROG Xbox Ally X.
With both the MSI Claw A8 and the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally X utilizing the same AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor and equipped with 24GB of LPDDR5X-8000 RAM, the future of handheld gaming looks promising. As more benchmarks and real-world gaming experiences emerge, it will be fascinating to see how these devices shape the portable gaming landscape.
