MSI
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
- Price
- $1,800
- OS
- Windows 11
- Released
- Jun 2026
- Up to
- Switch
- Screen
- 8.0 inch IPS Touchscreen
- Weight
- 785 grams
No reviews yet
0 collectors
Device comparison
MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ vs. Valve Steam Deck
Compare specs, emulation support, community reviews, ownership, and play history.
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Shown to scale from each device’s real-world dimensions.
Quick verdict
- Best value
- Steam Deck
- Better screen
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
- More portable
- Steam Deck
- Newer model
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+
Main differences
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has similar emulation coverage to Valve Steam Deck.
- Valve Steam Deck is about $1,401 cheaper based on catalog pricing.
- Valve Steam Deck is roughly 9% smaller and 14% lighter.
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has a 120 Hz IPS Touchscreen screen, versus 60 Hz LCD Touchscreen on Valve Steam Deck.
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ runs Windows 11; Valve Steam Deck runs SteamOS 3.0 (Arch Linux), Windows 11, etc.
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is highlighted for Switch, PS3, Wii U, 3DS; Valve Steam Deck is highlighted for Wii U, 3DS, PS2, Wii.
Details
Valve
Steam Deck
- Price
- $399
- OS
- SteamOS 3.0 (Arch Linux), Windows 11, etc
- Released
- Feb 2022
- Up to
- Switch
- Screen
- 7.0 inch LCD Touchscreen
- Weight
- 674 grams
No reviews yet
10 collectors
Specs
BetterWorse
| Spec | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Steam Deck |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,800 | $399 |
| OS | Windows 11 | SteamOS 3.0 (Arch Linux), Windows 11, etc |
| Screen | 8.0 inch | 7.0 inch |
| Aspect ratio | 16:10 | 16:10 |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1200 | 1280 x 800 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Panel | IPS Touchscreen | LCD Touchscreen |
| Chipset | Intel Arc G3 Extreme | AMD Aerith / Van Gogh |
| CPU | Intel Panther Lake | AMD Zen 2 |
| GPU | Intel Arc B390 | AMD RDNA 2 |
| RAM | 32 GB LPDDR5X | 16 GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | Internal 1 TB 2280 SSD, External MicroSD | Internal 64 GB eMMC or 256/512 GB NVMe SSD, External MicroSD |
| Battery | 80 Wh | 40 Wh |
| Weight | 785 grams | 674 grams |
| Dimensions | 296 mm x 130 mm x 25 - 48 mm | 298 mm x 117 mm x 49 mm |
| Video out | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Hall effect sticks | Yes | No |
| Analog triggers | Yes | Yes |
| Touch screen | Yes | Yes |
Emulation
Excellent › Good › Playable › Limited › Unsupported
| System | MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ | Steam Deck |
|---|---|---|
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| Wii | ||
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| Modern systems | ||
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| Switch | ||
| Wii U | ||
| PS3 | ||
Emulation source notes
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ DS: Nintendo DS: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck DS: Nintendo DS: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ 3DS: Nintendo 3DS: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck 3DS: Nintendo 3DS: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ GBA: Nintendo Game Boy Advance: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck GBA: Nintendo Game Boy Advance: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ N64: Nintendo 64: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck N64: Nintendo 64: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ NES: Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck NES: Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ PS1: Sony Playstation: All games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck PS1: Sony Playstation: All games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ PS2: Sony Playstation 2: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck PS2: Sony Playstation 2: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ PS3: Sony Playstation 3: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck PS3: Sony Playstation 3: Most games playable but mostly with frameskip, struggles with harder to emulate games
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ PSP: Sony Playstation Portable: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck PSP: Sony Playstation Portable: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Wii: Nintendo Wii: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck Wii: Nintendo Wii: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ SNES: Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck SNES: Super Nintendo Entertainment System: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Wii U: Nintendo Wii U: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck Wii U: Nintendo Wii U: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Saturn: Sega Saturn: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck Saturn: Sega Saturn: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Switch: Nintendo Switch: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck Switch: Nintendo Switch: Most games playable at full speed, a few games have lower frame rates but still mostly playable with frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Genesis: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck Genesis: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Game Boy: Game Boy / Game Boy Color: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck Game Boy: Game Boy / Game Boy Color: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ GameCube: Nintendo GameCube: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck GameCube: Nintendo GameCube: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Dreamcast: Sega Dreamcast: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
- Steam Deck Dreamcast: Sega Dreamcast: Almost all games playable at full speed without frameskip
Frequently asked
- What's the difference between the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and the Valve Steam Deck?
- MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has similar emulation coverage to Valve Steam Deck. Valve Steam Deck is about $1,401 cheaper based on catalog pricing. Valve Steam Deck is roughly 9% smaller and 14% lighter. MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ has a 120 Hz IPS Touchscreen screen, versus 60 Hz LCD Touchscreen on Valve Steam Deck. MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ runs Windows 11; Valve Steam Deck runs SteamOS 3.0 (Arch Linux), Windows 11, etc. MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is highlighted for Switch, PS3, Wii U, 3DS; Valve Steam Deck is highlighted for Wii U, 3DS, PS2, Wii.
- Which is cheaper, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ or the Valve Steam Deck?
- The Valve Steam Deck is the cheaper of the two at around $399, roughly $1,401 less than the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ based on catalog pricing.
- Which is newer, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ or the Valve Steam Deck?
- The MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ is the newer model, released in 2026.
- Which is more popular on retroshelf, the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ or the Valve Steam Deck?
- The Valve Steam Deck is in more collections on retroshelf right now, with 10 collectors tracking it.
