MSI's PC Gaming Handheld Leaks Out Ahead Of Expected CES Reveal

Since the release of Valve's Steam Deck portable gaming PC in 2022, numerous other prominent players in the PC scene have been looking to get a piece of the portable action. Big names in prefab PC manufacturing like ASUS and Lenovo have released their own gaming handhelds, with built-in muscle enough to compete with their other offerings. Earlier this week, MSI, another familiar face in gaming PCs, released a teaser on its Instagram page hinting at a portable offering of its own, to be revealed in full at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. However, it seems someone has pulled the trigger a bit earlier than planned.

Eagle-eyed representatives of VideoCardz.com spotted a teaser image of the prospective device on X, formerly Twitter, revealing the name of the device as the MSI Claw. Not only that, but early specs on the device have leaked out, courtesy of Geekbench, painting an early picture of a portable gaming PC powered by the latest hardware from Intel and enough muscle to stake its claim in this burgeoning sector of PC gaming.

Leaked MSI Claw specs

According to the leaked specs, the MSI Claw will be powered by one of the latest processors from Intel's Meteor Lake line, specifically the Core Ultra 7 155H. This processor features 16 cores and 22 threads, which is not only impressive in its own right, but double the power of the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor present in both the ASUS ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go handheld PCs. The leaked specs also claim that the device will feature 32 GB of onboard memory, more than ASUS and Lenovo's offerings.

Unfortunately, that is all of the information presently available on the MSI Claw. We're still missing some vital stats, including the device's onboard storage capacity, screen size, battery life, and perhaps most importantly, the price. MSI has not commented on the leaks or the Claw since its initial announcement, so the remaining data is likely being kept under lock and key until the formal debut at CES 2024. With the initial impression from the processor and memory, however, it's safe to say that MSI is aiming high with this device.

The 2024 Consumer Electronics Show will be running next week from Tuesday, January 9, to Friday, January 12. MSI has not divulged when exactly it will be presenting new information on its upcoming products, presumably including the Claw.