Sean Hollister’s Verge review of the MSI Claw 8 EX AI Plus is the first long look at Intel’s dedicated handheld chip (Panther Lake class) in a truly portable PC. His verdict is split on purpose: this is the most important Windows handheld since the Steam Deck, with class-leading power and battery for the size — and he still would not buy one. Some games stumble. The price is ugly in a year he calls RAMageddon.
That is the whole 2026 handheld market in one sentence. The silicon finally looks like it belongs in a tablet-that-plays-PC-games. The bill of materials, especially memory, does not. If 32GB boards cost a fortune, a $premium Claw becomes a luxury gadget instead of a Deck alternative. Intel needed this review to be a slam dunk against AMD Z-series and the SteamOS crowd. “Most important, would not buy” is not that slam dunk.
If you already live in Game Pass and Windows, wait for street prices and a second-wave BIOS. If you want the thing that just works, Steam Deck and Legion Go-class SteamOS boxes remain the boring answer. The Claw EX is a milestone chip in a machine the market may not be able to afford.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/games/977646/msi-claw-8-ex-review-intel-panther-lake-handheld
