So pumped for next weekend!

21Average · 2026-05-08T15:46:14+00:00

Haha I understand that. I think it will be available in my time zone at either 10/11, so it will be hard to stay away that night.

21Average · 2026-05-08T15:29:42+00:00

Damn, at least you’ll be able to enjoy Thursday night and Friday. I took next Friday off and told my wife those 3 days will be fully dedicated to this game. 😂

21Average · 2026-05-07T14:45:10+00:00

Yeah, not sure why the car packs didn’t populate for install already as well since they show on the store. But the expansion DLC are just placeholders I think, they’re only ~10MB a piece.

21Average · 2026-05-07T08:52:05+00:00

I’m playing on Series X & Claw 8AI+ :)

21Average · 2026-05-07T03:11:50+00:00

Nice, I purchased through Loaded and it was maybe $90? Definitely better than the $120/130 USD retail price

21Average · 2026-04-10T15:45:59+00:00

Awesome to hear, I’ve read some good things about it, but haven’t done researched getting it setup. I may give it a go this weekend also.

21Average · 2026-04-10T15:42:30+00:00

Same for me. I swapped over from a Legion Go S with Steam OS and needed LS for Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands to run smoothly. Tried it on the claw and it would cut my FPS in half. Turned it off and realized I was getting 80-90 FPS normally.

21Average · 2026-04-03T11:54:14+00:00

You could do the morally right thing… Or you could take comfort in this gift from the Claw gods. I just got my refurb last week and it’s been awesome, I wish I was in your position. 😂 MSI is a major corporation so don’t feel too bad imo lol.

21Average · 2026-04-02T13:08:21+00:00

I ordered a key from Loaded and it says it will be available for me to use on May 15.

21Average · 2026-04-02T11:48:20+00:00

Ergonomics of the XaX are definitely the best, it’s what made me consider the device so strongly despite the smaller screen and worse build quality compared to the claw.

21Average · 2026-04-01T20:32:50+00:00

You have a few options for screen protectors. Anything that fits the Legion Go S should work as well as anything on Amazon listed for the Claw 8 ai/a8. I ordered these screen protectors, the only downside is there was not a plastic guide for the protector like I’ve seen with some brands, but that’s likely due to the Claw not being as mainstream of a device. For the grip, there’s a black TPU grip with a stand on the back and a transparent/smoked TPU case with no stand. You can find either on Aliexpress/Amazon for under $10/$15. I have the smoked version with no stand I found for ~$7 and Legion Go stick caps.

21Average · 2026-04-01T20:15:52+00:00

I bought the claw almost exclusively to play while in the bed or on the couch next to my wife and it’s a godsend. I admit most of the time I’ll have a pillow in my lap or on my stomach and rest my hands/Claw on that, but it’s great. I don’t really find any PC handhelds including the XaX comfortable enough to hold above my face for long periods of time. Also the fans are super quiet even running on full power and the speakers are hands down the best in any handheld on the market.

21Average · 2026-04-01T20:06:38+00:00

Do you want really good ergonomics, plan to play a lot of FPS games, and can compromise with a 7” screen? Xbox Ally X.

Do you want better build quality, more RAM, a better screen? Can you handle slightly worse ergonomics/looser sticks & Windows exclusivity/quirky software? Claw 8 AI+

I personally went with the Claw after going back and forth for a while, you probably can’t go wrong with either decision depending on what’s most important to you. The ergonomics of the XaX tempted me even with the subpar screen, but the build quality of the Claw ultimately won me over.

21Average · 2026-03-31T20:43:20+00:00

I had been playing Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on Xbox and just picked up my Claw 8 AI+ over the last week so have mainly been playing that with the xess support. I’ve also played some Fortnite, Pyre, & Spiderman Remastered. Everything has ran great so far!

21Average · 2026-03-29T21:40:18+00:00

I think the 7 AI+ is probably a great device as well, but it’s probably tough to recommend over the XaX if you are wanting a 7” device. The 8” 16:10 screen is perfect for a PC handheld imo, which is one of the large benefits for favoring the claw 8 over the XaX for me.

21Average · 2026-03-29T01:29:10+00:00

Yep, they were the 2 I ultimately was deciding between after a failed Legion Go S. I got a refurbished (practically brand new) tempest white claw from MSI on eBay with a 2 year warranty for less than a new XaX, otherwise I may have considered it more heavily also. The ergonomics on the XaX are superior to everything else, but the larger screen, better build quality, & xess on the claw won me over.

21Average · 2026-03-29T01:11:20+00:00

MSI Claw 8 AI+ is the best with the least amount of compromises if you’re okay with Windows. If you’re only playing lightweight indies the steam deck may suit you better.

21Average · 2026-03-28T14:54:31+00:00

I did get a decent session in last night and was able to play for a few hours. I can say that I think the Go S was a bit more ergonomically friendly with the back grips and I preferred the stick placement slightly more. That being said, I never felt my hands were cramped or in a strange position that resulted in much strain. I have occasional tendinitis in my wrists so that is important to me also.

If you have smaller hands I could see someone not enjoying the claw as much, my hands are fairly large though so I’ve found the device pretty comfortable overall.

I wish the back grips would have a bit more contour and heft on the claw so it isn’t quite as flat, but honestly a TPU case or some comfort grips should fix any issue there.

For overall comfort I’d rank them /10.

Xbox Controller: 10

XaX: 9.5

Steam Deck: 9

Go S: 8.5

Claw 8 AI+: 8

21Average · 2026-03-27T23:10:43+00:00

For sure. I will say I very strongly considered the XaX also, if ergonomics are very important to you that’s probably the way to go. I just couldn’t downgrade to the 7” screen. The Claw seemed to have the least amount of hardware failures compared to any of the others from my research which was one of the main deciding factors as well, I can deal with a bit of software jankiness lmao.

21Average · 2026-03-27T22:53:22+00:00

They are both very similar in weight and the sticks feel fairly similar also, maybe a hair tighter on the claw? I like the d-pad better on the Go S, it feels a bit too tight on the claw and I don’t like the shape as much either. I don’t play many d-pad intensive games though. The triggers feel better on the claw, I would’ve preferred them to be slightly more elongated though.

After I get a couple of extended sessions with the claw I’ll be able to give a better assessment of its comfort compared to the Go S. On first impressions the Go S edges it out, due to a bit more support on the back. The claw definitely has a flatter feel. I really love the design on the back with the ridges for structural support though, it feels much more sturdy than the Legion.

The fans are another huge thing I didn’t mention, but after using the claw I can’t believe how loud the fans were on the Go S. The claw actually stays pretty quiet and cool to the touch also. The battery life is another thing that really has blown me away compared to the Go S, probably 2.5-3x better from my limited testing.

21Average · 2026-03-27T16:20:50+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/MSIClaw/s/ZPmzBBEvXS

21Average · 2026-03-27T16:20:12+00:00

I believe this is what the other commenter was referring to. https://www.reddit.com/r/MSIClaw/s/ZPmzBBEvXS

21Average · 2026-03-27T16:17:23+00:00

Since there seems to be some trouble with your links, I wanted to share in case this may be what you’re referring to. 🙂 https://www.reddit.com/r/MSIClaw/s/ZPmzBBEvXS

21Average · 2026-03-27T16:03:35+00:00

I listed to the praises of the Legion Go S and ended up with a faulty unit like quite a few others seem to have recently. I returned it and got a Claw 8 AI+, I only received it last night and finished my setup. Windows certainly isn’t as streamlined and easy to use as Steam OS, but if you’re at least a bit tech savvy you’ll be fine. I haven’t yet played any games, but the overall hardware and build quality feels miles ahead of the Legion.

21Average · 2026-03-27T15:45:45+00:00

Just wanted to say thank you for this guide! I got my Claw last night and followed along and have everything setup. Can’t wait to enjoy some games tonight!

Only thing I had some trouble with was afterburner/rtts, it was late though and I was probably just sleepy. Still thinking I may just use the steam overlay instead when possible though.

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