How to Desire Between an MSI Claw and a Steam Deck

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Credit: Product images courtesy of Top doubtless Purchase and Steam / Canva

The PC gaming handheld market continues to expand, with the latest handheld coming from MSI, a successfully-identified and depended on name in the PC market. Wearing a extra extremely efficient area of specs and Dwelling windows 11, the MSI Claw is a solid handheld PC, nevertheless is extra energy ample to unseat the Steam Deck from its place as one among probably the most productive handheld gaming PCs? Here’s what you want to know.

Gain and specs

When place facet-by-facet, the Steam Deck and the MSI Claw share a lot of similarities. Each feature large 7-lunge displays in the guts of their bodies (with a 7.4-lunge display in the Steam Deck OLED). They also each feature the same two-sided controller system, although they contemplate a bit totally different as the Steam Deck’s joysticks and buttons are situated in a totally different way. The Steam Deck is also the fully of the two to provide the touchpads on the controllers, making it easy to simulate mouse movements with moral a swipe of your finger.

From there, although, things start to deviate a shrimp. The MSI Claw, for instance, has powerful extra pointed corners, while the Steam Deck remains rounded at the perimeters. Reckoning on what style you want, one may be extra comfortable than the various. I personally want the extra rounded contemplate of the Steam Deck, and it has never felt uncomfortable to retain, even after I’ve played for hours at a time. Those pointy corners on the Claw, although, may dig into your hands a bit in case you retain onto the console tightly.

As for specs, I’ve already talked about that the MSI Claw features extra spectacular specs, taking notes from the ASUS ROG Ally. Despite those improved specs, the Steam Deck offers easier gaming access thanks to its extra streamlined Linux-based SteamOS system. Here’s a total contemplate at the specs for each handheld.

MSI Claw specs:

• Intel-based Ultra Core processor

• CPU: Intel core CU7 155H-Intel Arc, Intel core CU5 135H-Intel Arc

• GPU: Intel Arc Graphics

• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5

• DISPLAY: 7-lunge, 1920 x 1080 LED display with 120Hz refresh rate

• SD CARD SLOT: Certain

Steam Deck specs:

• AMD APU (upgraded 6nm APU in the Steam Deck OLED)

• CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz (up to 448 GFlops FP32)

• GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32)

• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5

• DISPLAY: 7.4-lunge, 1280 x 800 HDR OLED display, with 90 Hz refresh rate and 1,000 nits peak HDR brightness (Steam Deck OLED); 7-lunge 1280 x 800 LCD display with 60Hz refresh rate)

• SD CARD SLOT: Certain

As you can watch, each devices feature some key variations, with probably the most notable being the greater refresh rate on the MSI Claw, as successfully as the powerful extra extremely efficient Intel processor. The Steam Deck’s included AMD APU is already aging, and it doesn’t provide as powerful energy, nevertheless it absolutely does advance with some perks, which we are able to talk about rapidly. No longer powerful on the original LCD Steam Deck is totally different than the upgraded Steam Deck OLED (the display is the largest upgrade), nevertheless you can watch the plump list of Steam Deck OLED upgrades in case you want a extra in-depth contemplate.

Suitable taking a contemplate at things from a technical and hardware point of view, there’s almost no reason to prefer to Steam Deck over the MSI Claw. However, as we all know, what is written down on paper is now now not always the plump story.

Ease of gaming

To essentially procure probably the most out of your handheld gaming PC, you’re going to want something that is easy to work with and that you can easily navigate. In that admire, the MSI Claw and the Steam Deck couldn’t be anymore totally different. Obvious, in case you choose to carry out any roughly modding or emulating, you’re going to need to procure extra familiar with Linux. However, in case you moral care about installing Steam games and playing them, the Steam Deck offers the easiest opt-up-and-play choices.

That’s because SteamOS is constructed from the bottom up to make it as easy as imaginable to soar in and start gaming. And it does that really successfully. On the various hand, the MSI Claw, because it uses Dwelling windows instead of SteamOS, requires you to bumble your way via the clunkiness of Microsoft’s prized operating system. It isn’t necessarily probably the most troublesome thing to carry out, nevertheless it absolutely does require extra clicks and movements to procure games downloaded and to launch them. 

Those extra steps carry out advance with a bonus, although: Because the Claw works off Dwelling windows, it is miles compatible with a lot extra games, appreciate those outdoor of the Steam marketplace. This means games appreciate Fortnite, Genshin Impact, and any totally different game that hasn’t released on Steam are powerful easier to download and play on the MSI Claw. You can still play them on the Deck, nevertheless this can require a lot extra work to procure it taken care of.

Also, the Steam Deck has a ton of performance profiles freely available on the internet to assist you optimize your games for the Deck, and many are even starting to launch with “Steam Deck” atmosphere choices that assist you procure probably the most performance with out shedding too powerful visual quality. No longer all games are somewhat to that point yet, nevertheless it absolutely is a leg-up that the Deck has over the Claw. On the opposite hand, the extra extremely efficient CPU and GPU repeat in the Claw will absolutely provide larger performance and visuals in most games. Ultimately, it’s about selecting which operating system you want to determine of. For those that moral want the quickest and smoothest option that enables you to soar into games as like a flash as imaginable, the Steam Deck is the clear winner, although.

Designate

When it comes to stamp, the Steam Deck and the MSI Claw aren’t all that totally different. The Steam Deck OLED retails for $549 for a 512GB storage option, nevertheless there’s also a 1TB storage option that you can glean for $649 in case you feel you want the extra space. The MSI Claw, on the various hand, begins at $699.Ninety 9 for a mannequin with an Intel Core CU5 135H and 512GB of storage nevertheless goes up to $799.Ninety 9 for probably the most productive mannequin, which features an Intel Core CU7 155H with 1TB of storage. There’s also a center option with the CU7 that fully has 512GB of storage for $749.Ninety 9.

Each the Steam Deck and the MSI Claw provide solid PC gaming experiences, and each advance with expandable memory via SD cards that can assist you carry extra games around. For those that want probably the most extremely efficient of the two and don’t ideas paying a shrimp extra, the MSI Claw is a surefire wager that will pay off in the prolonged bustle. However, in case you moral want the easiest-to-exercise gaming PC handheld on the market, the Steam Deck remains my clear recommendation.