MSI’s $1,800 gaming handheld feels like a warning for PC gaming’s future

I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time it was so expensive to surf the cutting edge of PC hardware.

I’ve been thinking about the ongoing pricepocalypse engulfing the computing industry all week, because here at PCWorld we’ve been testing the remarkably fast (and remarkably expensive) MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ in order to see how it stacks up against other handheld gaming PCs. And while the results are promising (more on that shortly), the $1,800 starting price ensures it remains out of reach for all but the most dedicated or well-to-do PC gaming fans.

So what’s a nerd of modest means to do when the world’s supply of key PC components is being gobbled up by AI-obsessed tech companies?

I don’t know about you, but I find myself slipping into a “hunker down and wait it out” frame of mind. The fact that brand-spanking-new hardware like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and Valve’s new Steam Machine cost hundreds of dollars more than I ever expected has killed a lot of their luster for me, and that’s a bummer I won’t soon recover from. Heck, I got into this hobby to play the latest and greatest games with performance that’s way better than anything you’ll find on a comparably-priced console.

But nowadays I find myself returning to old PC games or firing up my Xbox Series X at night instead of hopping on my gaming PC, in part because I’m afraid to put more wear and tear on it during a time when even replacing a dying hard drive could cost me through the nose. Shucks, if the RAM started to fail and I had to replace it all? Forget about it.

Valve

Now don’t get it twisted, I’m not out here advocating we abandon the PC and start gaming on consoles. No, the PC remains the best place to game not just because of the breadth and depth of software on offer, nor its unparalleled control and customizability, but because gaming consoles are also priced through the nose right now. Case in point: this week Microsoft raised prices on Xbox consoles for the third time in roughly a year. That means the Xbox Series X I paid $499 for at launch will now cost roughly $799, a price hike of over 50 percent that comes six years after the console debuted.

I don’t think I’ve ever been happier about being an early adopter, but this is not how things are supposed to work. And with component prices showing no signs of falling over the next few years, I’m not confident new hardware will get any less expensive anytime soon.

That makes a show like this week’s The Full Nerd even more interesting, because now pricing is a huge factor when discussing new hardware like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ or Valve’s second-gen Steam Machine. I’ve never been a voracious early adopter (Series X notwithstanding), and nowadays I wonder how folks who crave the latest and greatest are faring in our new reality.

In this episode of The Full Nerd

Prices may be skyrocketing but the show must go on, and there’s a lot of exciting new info to get into as PCWorld’s Adam Patrick Murray, Alaina Yee and Michael Crider weigh in on Steam Machine reviews and our benchmark tests of the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ in this episode of The Full Nerd. This is the first handheld to arrive packing Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme chipset, and our testing suggests it’s a beast.

PCWorld

You should watch (or listen to) the show for the full performance rundown and some insightful commentary, but the short version is this: Intel’s Arc G3 Extreme helps the Claw 8 EX AI+ blow past competitors in nearly every performance test we ran. While the original MSI Claw 8 and Lenovo’s Legion Go 2 got close, our tests show the G3 Extreme-driven Claw wins out in both synthetic and real-world performance tests. And with an asking price of nearly $2,000, it better!

Plus, the crew run down the first batch of reviews for the new Steam Machine, which include a slew of performance testing and some interesting insights into the build of Valve’s latest PC. I was surprised to learn that some of the very first Machines came with 16GB of RAM in two slots (so two 8GB sticks) while the rest have the full 16GB in one slot, for example, which means you’re losing the performance benefit of dual-channel RAM on the latter configuration. Valve has now confirmed to TechRadar that all Steam Machines for the foreseeable future will come with 16GB of RAM in a single slot.

Plus, the Full Nerd squad answers your questions about how to best spend your money on PC hardware, how to mitigate Bluetooth latency, and more!

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Don’t miss out on our other shows too—you can catch episodes of Dual Boot Diaries, The Full Nerd: Extra Edition, and Expedition: Handheld through our channel!

And if you need more hardware talk throughout the rest of your week, come join our Discord community—it’s full of cool, laid-back nerds like you!

Nerd news of the week

• I built a DIY rival to the Steam Machine for $150 less: Valve’s Steam Machine launched this month at a starting price of $1,049, which can feel a little steep. Unfortunately, the high price of storage and memory right now makes the price understandable and ensures the prospect of building something better is less appealing than usual, but PCWorld’s Michael Crider still managed to pull together a PC build that rivals the Steam Machine (on paper) for nearly $200 less.

Valve/Zalman

• Microsoft adds another year to Windows 10 extended update program: Did you take advantage of the Extended Update Program to keep using Windows 10 with full security updates? Good news: Microsoft just announced they’re extending the program by a year, so now it won’t expire until October 2027. Maybe if enough people refuse to switch to Windows 11 the company will just keep quietly extending support for Windows 10, eh? Worth a shot!

• Every time Norway scores at the World Cup, a city trembles: If you needed another example of how humanity impacts the planet without realizing it, researchers at the University of Bergen have discovered that the whole city trembles on a detectable scale whenever the Norway team scores a goal in the World Cup. Evidently the seismometer in the university basement recorded noticeable vibrations every time Norway scored a goal in games on June 17 and June 22-23, with researchers claiming a “particularly clear signal was observed when [Norwegian footballer] Erling Haaland scored.”

• A US military exercise in space got underway with barely anyone noticing: I never expected the ridiculously named “U.S. Space Force” to be anything other than a silly PR move, but evidently they’re at least acting like a real government agency. After announcing plans to conduct its first space-based military exercise (“Victus Haze”) back in 2024, the Space Force recently coordinated the launch of two small satellites that were used to test how quickly the U.S. could detect a new spacefaring object in orbit, then launch a satellite to go up and conduct an “uncooperative rendezvous” to see what it is. The launches were neither live-streamed nor widely publicized, but they seem to have been a success.

We’ve spent a significant chunk of this week (and this week’s podcast) talking about how to find the best Prime Day tech deals on Amazon, but by the time you read this there’s a good chance the choice Prime Day discounts will be gone — they disappear at midnight Pacific on Friday. That said, I expect many of the smaller discounts on cheaper products will stick around for a while, and there are some great deals on tech under $10 that are worth checking out if you could use a new HDMI cable or USB-C dock for your setup. Talk to you next week!

This newsletter is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and executive editor of hardware at PCWorld.