MSI expands availability of Z2 Extreme-equipped Claw A8 gaming handheld

MSI launched the Claw A8 as its first AMD-based gaming handheld, and the device became available to purchase in China in July 2025. While the company expanded the availability of this Ryzen Z2 Extreme-powered Legion Go 2 competitor later down the line, there was no concrete word on when it may launch in the US.

Now, months after the MSI Claw A8 was first available to purchase, the gaming handheld is available to US buyers. It can be purchased directly from the official US store at $1,149, and it's even enjoying a pre-order discount on ExcaliberPC, where it's currently available for $1,099.

At the time of writing, the gaming handheld is also listed on Newegg, but there's no purchase option. It's still unclear what took MSI so long to launch its Ryzen Z2 Extreme gaming handheld in the US. To look back, the Legion Go 2 with the same APU became available in October 2025, and Asus released the ROG Xbox Ally X in the same time frame.

For those interested in the gaming handheld, it did relatively well in our in-depth review. The battery life stood out as a major upgrade over the first-gen MSI Claw, and the display impressed us as well. However, there's 8 GB less RAM than the MSI Lunar Lake alternative, and we noted that the company could have done better with the overall ergonomics.

Still, in terms of performance, the MSI Claw A8 is in line with other gaming handhelds that are powered by the AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme. However, for those who don't mind a slightly smaller 7-inch display, the ROG Xbox Ally X might be a better purchase, which has a slightly lower retail price of $999.99 (non-X curr. $499.99 on Amazon).