MSI, Newegg, and Best Buy Confirm the Arc G3 Extreme-Powered Claw 8 EX AI+ Will Cost at Least $1,699
Gaming handhelds have been getting super expensive since the time when DRAM and storage drive prices began to soar due to the AI boom. MSI’s current-gen Claw 8 AI+ handheld was already an expensive gaming device that started at $899, but it appears that the next-gen handhelds won’t come under $1,000. Considering we are already moving forward with faster chips and the RAM/SSD market has been pushing PC prices upwards, it’s obvious that the devices, particularly handhelds, will cost much more than they used to in recent years.
As far as the Claw 8 EX AI+ is concerned, it’s already upgraded with the latest Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip, which is a Panther Lake variant exclusively made for gaming handhelds. As per the latest listings, it’s confirmed that the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ won’t cost below $1,699. On the MSI website, the price tag is even higher at $1,799, making it the most expensive MSI handheld of all time. Newegg has also confirmed that its listing of the handheld corresponds to a $1,699 price tag.
Best Buy has also recently added the Claw 8 EX AI+ handheld on the website, listing it at $1,699. So, we can conclude that it’s the final price, considering MSI has officially stated it on the official website. At $1,699 or $1,799, users will almost pay double the amount they would be paying for the Claw 8 AI+ handheld that runs on the Lunar Lake SoC. Surprisingly, you do not get any increase in the RAM or SSD capacity since there is a massive shortage of consumer parts already.
At $1,699/$1,799, the Claw 8 EX AI+ brings 32 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 memory and 1 TB of PCIe Gen 4.0 storage. The handheld brings a good 8-inch display that runs at 120 Hz and boasts a 1200p resolution. Since it is powered by the Arc G3 Extreme, it’s going to be much faster in performance, both computing and gaming, than the current Lunar Lake-based Claw 8 AI+. However, we expected the price tag to be no more than $1,500, but we were wrong.
News Source: MSI, Newegg, Best Buy, Videocardz
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