You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here The bulky-but-powerful Steam Deck competitor MSI Claw is reportedly abandoning its Intel SoC for AMD in a new 2025 refresh. Following the majority of handheld PCs, an upcoming refresh of the handheld will no longer be powered by the beefy Intel chips the handheld is known for. According to Igor’s Lab, MSI is considering a switch to the AMD Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme APU for its next-generation MSI Claw handheld. The current incarnation of the handheld—the MSI Claw 8 AI—uses an Intel Core 7 258V and offers some great performance, but the new AMD chips could prove even better. MSI Claw AMD could be one powerhouse handheld Via the report, unofficial benchmarks of the Ryzen Z2 AI Extreme at a 17 watt TDP offers around 20% better performance compared to the ASUS ROG Ally X. As the current king of handheld PC power, this means that the new Claw would be a substantial upgrade, especially as the APU could be set to a massive 35 watts should users want that extra power. With Valve opening up SteamOS for other handhelds, the new MSI Claw could even launch with a SteamOS variant, offering up even more performance. While it would trade-off compatibility with some titles, performance has often been proven to be slightly better for games via Proton than natively running through Windows. As potentially the most powerful PC handheld on the market, we’re only set to wonder what Valve’s eventual Steam Deck 2 will look like. As the company has shut down the prospect of constant revisions, it’s going to be years until we see an official Steam Deck follow-up, this time in a very stacked market. Additionally, Xbox is also entering the handheld market with its own bespoke PC portable. While the Steam Deck is still, by far, the most convenient handheld, it’s also placed in a much busier market than ever before. Related Topics MSI Claw Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share