As CES 2024 begins to wind down, some of the biggest headlines of this year's show include MSI announcing the Claw, its first handheld gaming PC that will retail for $699.
Aside from the fact that MSI will soon enter a market that was mainstreamed nearly two years ago with the release of Valve's Steam Deck, MSI Claw is also a noteworthy device as it is the first in the market to use Intel as both its CPU and GPU. It also has a slither of AI, a growing trend and one of the common themes for CES, with several computers implementing it in some capacity.
With the emerging market hybrid between PCs and handhelds ramping up, expect this to be something other than MSI's only outing. MSI told us during this interview that it is playing the long game with Claw, and you should expect future iterations of this device.
IGN had the opportunity to chat with Clifford Chun, MSI's System Product Managing Director, where he briefly discussed the creation of the MSI Claw, confirmed a few things the device will include, and its future.
Read on for our full MSI Claw interview below. For more on MSI Claw, check out our hands-on preview.
MSI Claw will launch in the second half of 2024.
Valve recently released the Steam Deck OLED. Was there a reason you all decided not to put an OLED display on the Claw?
Clifford Chun, System Product Managing Director: So currently, we don't because we really want to use the 120Hz panel right now. But who knows, down the road, if we are going to use different panels.
Speaking of that, when did development on the MSI Claw officially begin?
Chun: So, it officially began two years ago. We actually planned this down the road. The reason why we waited until now to launch the product is because we want to have a two-hour battery life, and we need to find the correct battery alongside the CPU. The Intel Core Ultra actually helps us to achieve that, and that's the reason why we didn't launch the product until now.
What influenced the Claw's design? Whether it was previous handhelds, ones currently on the market, or just older handhelds that weren't PCs?
Chun: One of the ideas that we want is that it has to feel good, and it has to be playable for a long time period. That's why I said earlier about two-hour battery life. And with the two hours, we need to make sure that it's light enough that you can handhold it for two hours without really stretching your hands. So, that was the bottom line that we were planning on.
And then, out of it, we want to ensure the user experience is great. We do have a lot of software, like MSI Center, alongside the rest of the AI and everything else to make it all better. The outlook itself is we want to make sure that you don't have to learn how to use this thing. You want to be someone that just, hands-on, it feels right. That's how we designed the idea of it.
Let's talk about its lifespan. How many years do you expect to support the MSI Claw? Is there a possibility you guys may release an upgrade that might include an OLED display, or update the specs?
Chun: So, just like our laptops, our aim for users who use this will be roughly two to three years because game titles demand a lot more every two or three years. So, at least minimum, that kind of stuff. Obviously, if you play retro games, you can play MSI Claw for 10 years.
So, this will be only the first version of our Claw. We are anticipating to come out version 2, version 3, version 4 down the road and it's already in the pipeline.
Oh, it's already in the pipeline! So, what is the release window between each model getting released after the previous one?
Chun: It really depends on, for example, the CPU or a graphic upgrade down the road. So, just keep in mind, and then just check it out. When something like this happens, do a refresh, and then you will anticipate that MSI will come out with something similar.
We know joystick drift is a growing problem in the industry. I just want to confirm. MSI Claw includes Hall Effect joysticks, correct?
Chun: Yes. And also not just the stick, but also the triggers. So, it has the best experience. As I say, the bottom line for us is have to be good experience for end users, and we don't want to just cheap out on any parts. This is the major input for games.
Hall Effect is an emerging add-on to gadgets in recent years. Can you explain a little bit more about what the Hall Effect triggers do for those who might not be familiar with it?
Chun: So, other triggers might only have on and off. This one, you can actually have multiple levels, and the feeling is much more user-friendly, or the user experience is much better. It feels right for the people who used to play consoles and who used to have controllers, and that's why we want to pick something the best out of the best in the market.
Would you say that the triggers are somewhat akin to something on the DualSense, where it has adaptive triggers if somebody had to understand the core concept?
Chun: Yeah, somewhere down that line. The whole idea is that if you're a console player or a controller player, you will have the same feeling and experience when using the Claw.
I have one more question for you. AI is one of the hot themes of CES this year. I saw MSI Claw has a smidge of AI. How is AI incorporated into this device?
Chun: So, one of the major things on AI is, number one, where it will notice what you are doing. So, just like our laptop, we have an AI engine. So, what you do is, when it's realizing that you're playing a game, it will change the game mode for higher performance, for higher frame rates. When it is just watching videos, it'll kick into a lower state so that you have a longer battery life.
So before, it was really annoying for end users to switch to different profiles when they did different things, and seriously, most end users didn't do it. They just want to forget it. But for this, now you actually have all the experience without even thinking about it.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
