Finally, the MSI Claw A8 is almost here to rival the Switch 2 and other handhelds – just be ready to pay a hefty sum

• The MSI Claw A8 is now available for pre-order in China
• It has an official price of 6,999 RMB without subsidy, which is roughly $970
• It's expected to launch this July in China, and potentially the same in other regions

MSI announced its latest handheld gaming PC at CES 2025 without any word on release date or pricing, so official details have been a long time coming – but it looks like we may finally have our answer.

As reported by VideoCardz, the MSI Claw A8 is now available for pre-order in China, with a confirmed launch this July. Its official price (according to its China pre-order listing) is 6,999 RMB, which is roughly $970 (including tax), making it even more costly than its MSI Claw 8 AI+ predecessor.

There's also a subsidized price at 5,949 RMB (around $737), thanks to the Chinese government offering a 15% subsidy on some products, but this likely won't be relevant for other regions.

As the first handheld to use AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor (if it releases before the ROG Xbox Ally), it's expected to outperform most handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally X, Lenovo Legion Go, and the Nintendo Switch 2. However, if the converted price is accurate for its retail price when it becomes available in the US and other regions, some prospective buyers could be put off.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+, the Claw A8's predecessor, is already an expensive handheld; it can be argued that it backs up its pricing with great gaming performance, but that doesn't change the fact that it prices out most gamers.

The Claw A8 potentially having a higher price would suggest the Z2 Extreme is the more powerful chip than the Claw 8 AI+'s Core Ultra 258V – but it's hard to see it selling well if it's pushing even closer to a $1,000 price point.

Analysis: Don't muck this up please, MSI...

While nothing is confirmed for other regions just yet, I'd say it's highly likely that the purported price based on its Chinese listing (or somewhere within that ballpark) is accurate.

It's hard to believe that the Claw A8 will be significantly cheaper than the Claw 8 AI+, especially if the Ryzen Z2 Extreme turns out to be the better option for performance. It would have been unreasonable to expect a major price shift, then, but that doesn't mean the pricing won't affects its appeal.

If it's pricier than the handheld that's already difficult to buy (since the Claw 8 AI+ is scarce), then we can forget about it truly challenging other handhelds and the Switch 2.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is already pushing it with its $899 / £899 / AU$1,799 price tag, and it's worse with price rises due to tariffs. I have no doubts that it will be one of the best handhelds on the market in terms of performance, but I can't say I'm not worried about the impression its cost will leave on consumers...

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