MSI Claw 8 AI+ A2VM Glacier Blue Edition-250NL

I definitely think it's a top-notch product! Very powerful, and many AAA games can easily run for up to 3 hours on battery power. Lighter games can often last much longer. I've already played Baldur's Gate 3, Clair Obscur, Elden Ring, 7 Days to Die, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Stardew Valley, and more for many hours. I play on low to moderate graphical settings on battery power, or up to high settings in some games when I'm charging. Everything runs smoothly, even at full resolution. XeSS works very well, but not many games utilize it yet. FSR works well. Separate apps, like LossLessScaling via Steam, also work well to get the most out of the device. Of course, it doesn't match the performance of a dedicated gaming laptop or desktop setup, but you wouldn't expect that from a handheld device.

The device is large and relatively heavy, but it fits comfortably in the hand. Easy to play on the couch, on the train, or on a plane. It's easy to install Steam, Epic games, GoG, etc., so there are plenty of options to play your existing game catalog (a big advantage compared to a Nintendo Switch, for example). Because the device runs on Windows, you can install mods for your games. The screen isn't OLED, which is a bit of a shame, but it still looks really nice.

Windows also has a Full Screen Experience (via their Xbox app), which works very well! The device boots in a kind of mini-Windows that uses less battery and is easier to use with controllers. It's easy to switch to regular Windows when needed, but that's less user-friendly with just the controller and touchscreen.

Initially, setting up the device requires a lot of work. Updates must be done through Windows itself, via the MSI Center (which wasn't even installed initially), or through Intel itself. It's important to follow the correct update order to get maximum performance out of the device. There are tons of settings in Windows, the MSI center, Intel drivers, and even the BIOS that significantly impact battery life and how graphically intensive your gaming experience can be. I found it easily took hours of work to perfect. There are plenty of tutorials online to follow.

Overall, I highly recommend it! Playing Baldur's Gate 3 at full resolution while relaxing on the couch is a unique experience :) It's currently the top device in terms of battery life, I think, but only if you put in the work to fine-tune everything.

Great device, feels/is premium, all the games you could want. Just a bit too big and heavy.

I had the Legion Go 1 before this, and I really liked it. The MSI Claw 8 Ai+ improved all the downsides of the Legion Go for me. For example, I never used the detachable controllers.