Since the advent of portable PC consoles, with the Steam Deck and the ROG Ally, all the players have turned to a single supplier for their APUs, AMD. In most cases, this involves a Z1 or Z1 Extreme chip. But one brand decided to try Intel's adventure in this market segment: MSI with its MSI Claw equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 155H.
It's an understatement to say that the console hasn't been a resounding success. As a result, MSI decided to change tack and succumb to the charms of AMD. Their new portable console, the MSI Claw A8, announced at Computex 2025, is equipped with the new AMD chip, Ryzen Z2 Extreme.
A classic configuration
The console integrates 24GB of DDR 5 RAM and 1TB of M.2 storage, which suggests that it will be possible to expand the capacity even further if desired. It is also equipped with the traditional 8-inch 120Hz screen that we see on all the machines on the market. Two colors are available: white and lime green.
MSI and Intel probably don't want to completely throw away their efforts of the last few months. This is why another Intel-powered console has also been announced, the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus, "Polar Tempest" edition. Behind this somewhat convoluted name hides a console powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and equipped with 2TB of NVMe storage.
For now, MSI has not announced any pricing or availability dates. Computex should see its share of PC consoles announced. The ROG Ally 2 is for example expected, with a possible Xbox version.
Source: The Verge
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