Taiwanese hardware giant MSI has shown its hand in its bid to rival the Nintendo Switch 2, announcing its newest PC gaming handheld, the MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM, at Computex 2025. Running on Windows 11 and powered by an AMD CPU, it's the company's latest effort to compete against Valve's Steam Deck and other handhelds in the category.
In a press release, MSI details the MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM as having an AMD Z2 Extreme CPU with up to 24GB LDDR5 memory, an 8-inch 120Hz display featuring a 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 1TB M.2 SSD, and much more. The gaming handheld also comes in two colors: white or lime green, which might not sound like a lot, but it's offering one more option than a lot of the other Steam Deck alternatives out there.
But MSI didn't stop there. It also announced an MSI Claw 8 AI Plus 'Polar Tempest' Edition, which is powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU and a 2TB M.2 SSD. Both of these handhelds come with Windows 11, meaning you'll be able to play games like Fortnite and Dragon Ball Z: FighterZ straight away, something that SteamOS cannot do yet due to the anti-cheat measures these games feature. According to MSI, "This dual launch empowers gamers with the freedom to choose between AMD and Intel platforms, tailoring their experience to their preferences."
The company has stopped short of announcing both a price and release date for these new handhelds, but they will be playable at Computex 2025 throughout the event, held in Taipei between 20 and 23 May.
It's safe to say that MSI's newest effort could move up its standing in our best handheld console list. With newer CPUs in both the MSI Claw A8 BZ2EM and the MSI Claw 8 AI Plus 'Polar Tempest' Edition, it could mean that running games like Doom: The Dark Ages at high settings on the go could be more than possible.
However, as we said in our MSI Claw 8 AI+ review, Windows 11 could still be a big detriment to these handhelds due to a lack of optimization compared to Valve's SteamOS operating system. Nevertheless, with MSI giving players the option between an Intel or AMD gaming handheld, it makes us wonder what Valve and others may have up their sleeve for the category in the near future.
Not sold on MSI's newest handhelds? Check out our Steam Deck 2 hub to see what Valve may be planning for its next gaming handheld. Or, if you're looking at the Nintendo Switch 2, take a look at our Nintendo Switch 2 hands-on preview before it launches on June 5.