- The MSI Claw A8 has been spotted on Newegg in the US for $1,149
- Neither action suggests that the price could have been a placeholder.
- If legit, the MSI Claw A8 could join other mainstream portable devices that cost more than $1,000.
Major handheld device makers have recently priced new devices within unaffordable price regions, well above the model set by Valve with its Steam Deck, and unfortunately, it looks like that trend won’t stop anytime soon.
As reported by VideoCardz, the MSI Claw A8 Ryzen Z2 Extreme handheld was spotted on Newegg, listed for $1,149, without any sign of stock. The handheld has had a staggered launch in other regions, notably Asia, and is currently available in the UK for £849, but hasn’t seen a US launch in months.
It’s important to note that the $1,149 may be a placeholder, but we’ve seen cases of early listings before, and that’s enough to suggest that this price may be legitimate once stock is available.
This could be the third portable gaming PC to cost more than $1,000 in the US if the current price holds, which would make the MSI Claw A8 join the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and Asus ROG Xbox Ally X as possibly overpriced laptops. The prices of these particular devices are major points of contention, as the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme processor is not a huge leap over its predecessor Ryzen Z1 Extreme in power and performance.
There is no doubt that both tariffs and RAM price increases have influenced whether this is the real price. However, similar prices for portable hardware still existed before the current crisis and, frankly, consumers probably won’t be happy regardless of the reasons.
The Steam Deck’s affordable pricing model is apparently becoming a thing of the past, and while Valve’s profits from the Steam store made it possible for Steam Deck sales to suffer losses, handheld device manufacturers should try to stay close to that model. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that will be the case, even after this RAM price crisis finally ends.
Analysis: The only thing that will change high laptop prices is a drop in sales
Aside from a drop in DRAM prices through an eventual collapse of the current AI boom, the only way to put an end to ridiculous handheld prices is if sales drop significantly, meaning consumers must stop paying unreasonable prices for handhelds.
I’ve argued that there are portable gaming PCs that warrant prices of $1,000 or just over, but they’re not from major manufacturers, and the devices are equipped with processors that literally challenge laptop GPUs, notably the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395.
The Ryzen Z2 Extreme that powers both the Legion Go 2 and the Asus ROG Xbox Ally No They guarantee the high prices they have, and the same applies to the MSI Claw A8, if the Newegg price remains the same.
As long as sales stay within a decent range for companies like MSI, Asus and Lenovo, we will continue to see cases of overpriced devices, and that’s unfortunate, as I don’t think consumers will feel strong enough to resist buying new devices.
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