MSI has officially announced the Claw A8 handheld console, powered by the Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor. Launch is scheduled for this month, with pre-orders already open in Asia.
The Claw A8 is the first console listed with Ryzen Z2 Extreme, while Lenovo and ASUS had launched the first models with Ryzen Z1. MSI, which previously collaborated with Intel, is thus going for a new approach.
A change has been noted in the specifications: the console finally embeds Wi-Fi 7, whereas the specifications announced at Computex evoked Wi-Fi 6E. This brings the console’s connectivity closer to that of future systems equipped with Lunar Lake processors.
To date, neither ASUS nor Lenovo have released their Ryzen Z2 Extreme models. ASUS is preparing the ROG Xbox Ally and Lenovo is working on the Go 2. Only a few specialist stores offer consoles with Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, often at higher prices.
Other consoles running Ryzen Z2 are in the works at AMD, but little information is available beyond the ASUS and Lenovo announcements.
