With ASUS ROG and Lenovo Legion having their own gaming handhelds, MSI also joins the fray with the unveiling of the Claw at CES 2024. The design of the Claw makes it more of a potential ROG Ally rival with its form factor that includes fixed controllers and dual analog joysticks.

(READ MORE: ASUS ROG Ally Review Philippines)

How does the Claw stack up against the Ally? For starters, MSI opted to go for Intel’s Core Ultra processors, with options that include an Ultra 5 125H and Ultra 7 155H. Using Intel processors mean that the Claw supports Thunderbolt 4 unlike the Ally and Legion Go.

Unlike the Ryzen Z1 series that’s designed for gaming handhelds, the Core Ultra processors are meant for laptops. We’re curious at how laptop processor will fare on a gaming handheld, but MSI claims that their dual fan and heatpipe design should keep the Claw cool even on heavy, sustained loads.

Like the Ally, the Claw comes with Windows 11 out of the box, which might be a bit of a challenge navigating it through its 7-inch 120hz Full HD IPS display. The Claw beats the Legion Go by packing a 53wHr battery inside while being physically smaller. MSI quotes a two-hour battery life, but that mileage may vary depending on several factors.

The MSI Claw starts at $699(~Php 39k) with a Core Ultra 5 125H processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB storage. The Core Ultra 7 155H variant will cost $799(~Php 45k) and doubles storage to 1TB. The Claw’s pricing makes it competitive with both the Legion Go and ROG Ally–though it remains to be seen if MSI’s decision to use laptop-based Intel processors will pay off.