Emulation on the MSI Claw (is Actually Pretty Good) 

Sorry for the jump scares around the 4-minute mark, my video editor was acting funky last night and I missed those! Also I mislabeled Dragon Blaze as Dodonpachi. This channel is really going downhill!

@retrogamecorps the idea that the review isn't valuable because it would be mostly negative due to the product not being ready for release misses the point. Situations like this are exactly the places where the review is the most valuable it can be. You are providing buying advice. Removing critical perspective from the conversation doesnt help your audience and MSI shouldnt get a pass for whatever state of product they chose to put out. There are many ways to update impressions or account for products that launch poorly but are turned around. This isnt one of them.

This is such a hard value proposition for emulation when the base Z1 ROG Ally can be had for less than half the price. Even the Z1 Extreme is often on sale at $599 with open-box units dipping into the mid-to-high-400s.

About PPSSPP freezing for a couple of seconds during gameplay when the games are stored in the SD card. The emulator allows you to load the whole game into the RAM before starting, you should enable that to circumvent the trouble of having to move your PSP games into internal storage.

But is the D-pad hadoukenable and shoryukenable is the $800 question

I've got to say I think you may be being overly kind to MSI. Don't forget, as far as I'm aware, no-one got an early review unit of the product. All the reviews came out after the handheld was on sale to the public. Never a good sign. Personally I could "Imagine" a world where MSI gets a call from Intel. "Hi MSI I hear you want to make a handheld. Everyone else is going AMD and we feel left out. Please make one with our parts. Pleeeaaase." No-one doubts that Intel chips can kick out the performance, it's just they often need to have the power to get there and power is at a premium with handhelds. What I'm saying is I'm not sure there will ever be super performance boosts, fixes and minor ones yes, but getting close to the Ally in general or the Deck for battery life I just can't see it.

LOLOL its not putting too much power into the CPU. The CPU REQUIRES that more power to barely work.

Damn you dropped this and I ain’t got no snacks around

Really random question, but what hair product do you use? Seems good and I can't find one strong enough to tame my mane

actually a great review! hopefully the driver update could make it a lot better

For an $800 price tag, I'm still of the opinion this device was rushed to the market. Personally, I'm tired of device manufacturers and game studios rushing half-baked products to the market and expecting us consumers to be patient while they fix their mess. Moving forward, I'm no longer pre-ordering anything without watching countless reviews first. I have no doubt the Claw will be optimized but I have already lost interest. I was ready to buy the Legion Go as I'm not a fan of the propriety eGPU port on the Ally, but Orange Pi announced their upcoming device with Manjaro Linux OS, no diss to Windows but let's face it, Windows on handhelds is cumbersome. I will wait a while for reviews of the Orange Pi before making a final decision, until then I still have my Vita and Switch to keep me company while in transit. Great review by the way.

Time to watch videos of handhelds I can’t afford! I always enjoy watching these things though. It is so cool watching handhelds approve overtime.

Thank you so much for sharing my videos, Russ! 🤗🤗

Elephant in the room.. I see what you did there! 😂

Thank you very much for the video. This gives me hope that the new Intel chips only need some more driver updates. :-)

Quick question is this at least a debloated windows? Because that may also make a huge difference as well

Originally I was looking at what kind of handheld I want. Recently, just saw MSI claw has promotion and also updated driver. So I had them and it worked really good🎉

It looks like the Retro Pocket 4 out emulates this device with 1/4th the size and 1/4th the price. Lol

Any plans on doing that threatened Surface Duo 2 video? I am fascinated by that thing. Thanks for all your excellent work!

Its mindboggling to me that products are released in an incomplete state

The price is the most disappointing thing about this handheld. Selling an inferior product for a higher price is just stupid and destined to fail.

Good analysis! I'll still stick with my Steam Deck as I'm more than happy with what it can do. Also, Russ has really good taste in games! 😅

It's amazing how chipzilla (Intel) is still miles behind the competition in an APU.

I was interested to see Intel finally entering the handheld market. Will be good to see them with further updates to improve the performance, maybe now that XeSS 1.3 has been released

I wonder how Chimera OS running linux would fair on thee MSI Claw

Battery life performance is what I care about most, it seems does great job and has a good software to control settings. like the display too, looks good enough for my indoor playing. I will wait a little bit to look intel and MSI update their performace, want to see more MSI Claw reviews.

Wow I forgot how expensive this was for such poor performance compared to its cheaper counterparts.

I've owned Power PC, Cyrix, AMD, Intel and everything in between. I wish Intel the best we can use competition. Just can't afford to be an early adopter. How do you spell adopter?

Did you try with new drivers?

I wonder what the performance would be like with overclocking the cpu and gpu with msi after burner with the cpu and gpu highest clock speeds at max tdp even though handheld and gaming laptop tdp devices are too low and running crysis remastered on max graphics sliders settings maxed out on the msi claw native resolution with no upscaling at all. I mainly play crysis remastered and I have the physical copy of crysis remastered for my nintendo switch. Crysis remastered is my benchmark and reference for 4k gaming on pc. On my 4k gaming laptop with the 3080 ti 16gb vram with crysis remastered can it run crysis mode in everything graphics settings with ray tracing always enabled with native 4k resolution with no upscaling at all, dlss always off, motion blur always off, v sync always off and ray tracing experimental boost always enabled. I'm getting around 20 fps or less. I have the 2022 razer blade 15 with 4k 144 hz display 1tb ssd, 32gb ram and 3080 ti 16gb vram with the intel core i9-12900h tdp 45 wattsis too low mobile cpu but it's desktop cpu at 125 watts is possible desktop cpu would have been way better since mobile cpu's are mediocre at best. The intel core i9-12900h is meh ok. The 2019 msi gt76 titan and the alienware area 51m back in 2019 both used the intel i9-9900k desktop cpu with 99 watt tdp while the 12900h mobile cpu has 45 tdp. I would still buy the msi gt76 titan because of the desktop cpu and overclocking all 8 cores at 5ghz with it's 4k display and 2080 gpu. None of the mobile processors can even overclock to 6ghz like the Intel i9-14900k. The mobile cpu's have finally reached up to 5.8 ghz clock speeds for overclocking. My end game pc is overclocking all performance cores at 10 ghz and all efficiency cores at 10ghz, dram at 10ghz with the tightest timings possible and lowest latency possible and gpu 10ghz while gaming in native 4k with no upscaling at all with ray tracing always enabled, no dlss, no motion blur, no v sync with can it run crysis mode in every graphics settings to demand every last bit of hardware because that's how I always game. I'm into hi res audio and 4k hi res for video games and movies. It's got to be the creme de la creme of hi resolution both for audio and video resolution since it's something that I'm already used to.

Anyone who is familiar with computer hardware is not currently buying a laptop or a handheld with an Intel CPU/APU (it is impossible to say exactly what will happen in the future).

If it's not an aberration, how do you see the current state of the MSI device compared to today's performance in Odin2 emulation?

Can you make a vid about Bazzite OS on any windows handheld they have builds for Rog ally Loki Max Lenovo legion go. It would help windows users see their other options thanks Russ

Just to put into perspective: the Odin 2 base model for $300 only consumes around 10% charge per hour playing PS2 games. That is 10 hours straight of playing any PS2 game vs 2 to 3 hours on the MSI Claw. I know the devices are different since one is an android handheld and the other is a PC one but the value proposition is just not there for the Claw.

I enjoy my Steam Deck so much, I forgot my iPhone SE 2022 a few days ago at home and I need it for work. I’ve never been so attached to a gaming device since maybe my PSP or PS1? Steam Deck has literally been my DAILY driver that I use it even more than my daily driver smartphone at times. Now what if I finally beat FF7 Remake? Would I play the Steam Deck as frequently again? Maybe not. Maybe I’m only using it so much now because I finally got to play Shenmue III and FF7 Remake that I never got a chance to play them on my PS4 nearly a half decade ago. But I believe I will continue to game on the Deck long after I beat FF7R. And if I’m bored with gaming, it can still be used for RU-vid and Netflix. It can still act like a laptop. I use my Deck so much, my brand new Switch Lite which I got two weeks prior to my Deck has been collecting dust. I might play the occasional Mario Kart 8 Deluxe race but that’s it. Same with my modded Vita, modded PSP, and all my Android smartphones. I recently charged all my Android smartphones because all their batteries had died thanks to only being on standby mode while never being used. I do wonder what the next Steam Deck will be? Valve makes a Deck to serve as a baseline for all PC handhelds. The next Deck doesn’t need to be super powerful. With indies being more fun and being released more frequently than AAA titles, what’s the point having all that power? I wouldn’t be surprised if the Deck 2 is only on par to the base PS5. Even slightly lower teraflops than the ROG Ally Z1 Extreme. Powerful performance is great to have but not if it means sacrificing power efficiency. No point owning a handheld that only offers an hour of battery life. And AAA titles seems to be dying out. Too risky to spend all that money while taking 4-5 years to make it. I look at current indies like 16-bit/32-bit gen games but with more modern graphics. Fun and highly replayable. More playing, less watching. Steam Deck changed the game. It wasn’t the first PC handheld. We had many PC handhelds during the mid 2010s. But Steam Deck is responsible for making PC handhelds becoming more mainstream thanks to the far more affordable price and Valve’s already established ecosystem and fanbase that supports other users. It’s like what iPhone and Android did for smartphones. Changed the industry forever. Prior to the Deck, you were paying $1200+ for a PC handheld. There’s no ROG Ally and Legion Go without the Steam Deck. And Valve seems to love their fans unlike a company based in Kyoto, Japan.

I accept the MSI Claw should improve with updated drivers, but for me, its biggest negative is the lack of 6-axis gyro support. So. if I am going to purchase a Windows gaming handheld in addition to the LCD and OLED Steam Decks I already own, it will be ASUS ROG Ally, which is especially tempting at the moment due to the discounted pricing for the Z1 Extreme model.

Does The Claw Has PS2 Wii/GameCube Original Xbox Gameboy Advance Emulators

the RGB on this looks so unneccessary. The D pad also seems kinda weird.

Any chance for a retro handheld spreadsheet like the one for mini PCs?

Msi claw cannot run batocera, How to solve it？😢

Can you review bsp d8 please

That's great 😁

There's simply no getting around it. Why get this Intel over any other AMD handheld?

Grabbing my favorite snack and drink RIGHT NOW.

The MSI Claw team definitely has some polishing to do in terms of performance. Overall, it's really quite disappointing to see an android handheld like the AYN Odin 2 Pro is outperforming a handheld PC in terms of Switch emulation, at the very least.

its 850-950eur where i live... the ally is 600eur, and the deck 350-550eur. Its a really easy pick, even if performance was the same

We need more reviewers that don't exclusively talk about positives. People need to hear when a product is half-baked. I bought a Steam Deck totally unaware of the pains that come with Linux/SteamOS because, for whatever reason, every review I saw was nothing but glowing praise. The same is especially true of the Windows trio of the Go, Ally and Claw.

What snack should I have with my Coffee?

As bad as it started, there may be a turn around for this device with some updates

I am glad Intel is getting in the game (yay more compitition!). It just doesn't seem like they are there yet.

Fear the Claw! - Lobster Johnston.

18:12 elephant in the room, elephant on screen, got it

I hope when you do a final review I hope steam os or a linux based OS is available to see if can be a choice for?purchase. With winOS no handeld is worth it since windows has issues of preformance since is a lot of bloatqare that drains battery and the cache of shaders for 3D graphics dx12 or any directX is terrible that makes machines to overheart since do not set resources in a smart way

FYI, Prince of Persia has a native PC build, so I dont see any reason to emulate that (outside of simply showcasing emulation for RPCS3 in the purpose of these videos).

How odd that Russ would recommend a 40min review.

Where I live this thing cost €899 at this price is absolutely ridiculous, I'm sure with updates it's going to improve but we need to value not only this handheld but EVERY product the moment they release, corporations WILL continue rushing things out and releasing broken stuff if we don't care.

It looks like my old Tiger Lake U has better performance per watt for emulation than this new Meteor Lake chip. Weird.

Why stop testing skate 3?

It's too expensive to be an emulator focus machine, not to mention it running windows which will also make the battery life not as good as it can be. A no go for me :D

Anyone willing to fill me in on certain emulation related issues?

Rumor is intel gave these chips to msi for super cheap, so why they're charging an arm and a leg for this thing has me puzzled. Even at 500, this thing would be a tough sell imo.

Love your content thank you. To me any handheld with windows is a no go, the os just isn't optimized for handhelds, heck even large screen tablets. A handheld without great battery life sucks in my book

Can you try battlefield on it please

can someone please test dx9 games on this. intel arc gpus suck on older titles. i might have to buy and create my own dam channel.

At 299 someone might consider this device, at 699 its DOA

“Pretty good “ on a device with this price tag is a damn shame

It should be. Any modern x86 chip is good enough to run emulation.

Inefficiently so. Intel is a few years down the road from AMD power/efficiency for portable. Milking fab tech to fatten exec bonuses caught up with them. MSI probably should not have bothered.

Fair critism about the product, but I feel like the big picture is promissing. More options in the hand held market = better competition = more innovation. Even if this first gen product is trash this will be good for the category in the long run!

I Hope It's On Amazon

Shows how impressive a steam deck is

Steam Deck Oled 👑 🏆

i love msi products, but missing cpu temp check is big no no, i have seen other reviews, the mentioned over 100C temps

russ jumpscare great video!

Would buy the Legion Go instead. Much more Value for your Money^^

Looks good

Thanks for the video, Russ. I have a feeling this product will flop though. Just a bad value proposition combined with a rushed launch. Glad to see another company throw its hat into the handheld pc ring though. Competition is always great for us consumers even if it’s not the best competition lol

Hmm, seems like my Odin 2 Max is better than this. I was looking for my next hand held emulation device to be a Windows OS, but it definitely wont be this.

Sell the claw around $400 and I'll buy one. 😊

What is it with tech companies nowadays? They are releasing physical products and giving them the DLC treatment of modern games!

Unfortunately Intel's drivers have always been not good on igpus. Somehow they git worse from Tigerlake to metor lake. But luckily intel has always had Solid Emulation performance.

Indonesia hadir bang

Graphics drivers are NOT going to fix the poor efficiency. The Alchemist family has always scored highly in benchmarks while performing poorly in actual games.

Wish this device came with a Ryzen chip option it's would have dethroned the Rog Ally from best windows handheld

even if software updates can fix performance and battery, Steam Deck is still better when it comes to cost and performance.

Yeah man I wanna skip the claw

This handheld doesn't have a single redeeming feature and has zero reason to exist. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever, unless you just like collecting these things, to throw money down the drain on it.

should of just stuck to a steamdeck

Too bad its inefficient af and Lacks AVX-512

Crawling in my skin These wounds they will not heal Fear is how I fall Confusing what is real There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface Consuming, confusing This lack of self-control I fear is never ending Controlling, I can't seem... To find myself again My walls are closing in (Without a sense of confidence) (I'm convinced that there's just too much pressure to take) I've felt this way before (So insecure) Crawling in my skin These wounds they will not heal Fear is how I fall Confusing what is real Discomfort endlessly has pulled itself upon me Distracting, reacting Against my will I stand beside my own reflection It's haunting how I can't seem To find myself again My walls are closing in (Without a sense of confidence) (I'm convinced that there's just too much pressure to take) I've felt this way before So insecure Crawling in my skin These wounds they will not heal Fear is how I fall Confusing what is real Crawling in my skin These wounds they will not heal Fear is how I fall Confusing, confusing what is real Confusing what is real (This lack of self-control I fear is never ending, controlling) Confusing what is real

MSI didn’t fight with ASUS they let Intel fight with AMD

Its nice to give MSI a chance but the reality is the product is already out - folks buying a claw will be at best hoping software saves the product

Respect your position, but if you're waiting for Intel to update their software your review might take a while to come out Interesting that emulators are already optimized

An $800 price tag and unfinished? Gaming has become a joke. Review the product as it was released to the general public, not on potential.

You shouldn't be afraid to crap on the product you bought. It makes it look like your doing PR for MSI if you only plan on giving it a positive review.

Even with emulation, this intel chip does not support AVX 512, which is required to almost double the performance for ps3 emulation. This has no redeeming qualities. Literally get anything else except this.

seems like MSI should of waited awhile

How can a gaming device have immaturity? XD

An $800 handheld plays decades old videos OK? No way. Software isnt going to do anything about how inefficient their architecture is.

_"I'm not doing a full review yet because it's current software is not performing near to it's capability"_ man, what an upstanding creator! 💚