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

I don’t find out about you, however I can’t bear in mind the final time it was so costly to surf the slicing fringe of PC {hardware}.

I’ve been fascinated with the continued pricepocalypse engulfing the computing trade all week, as a result of right here at PCWorld we’ve been testing the remarkably quick (and remarkably costly) MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ with a view to see the way it stacks up towards different handheld gaming PCs. And whereas the outcomes are promising (extra on that shortly), the $1,800 starting price ensures it stays out of attain for all however essentially the most devoted or well-to-do PC gaming followers.

So what’s a nerd of modest means to do when the world’s provide of key PC parts is being wolfed up by AI-obsessed tech firms?

I don’t find out about you, however I discover myself slipping right into a “hunker down and wait it out” mind set. The incontrovertible fact that brand-spanking-new {hardware} just like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and Valve’s new Steam Machine price a whole bunch of {dollars} greater than I ever anticipated has killed a whole lot of their luster for me, and that’s a bummer I gained’t quickly recuperate from. Heck, I acquired into this pastime to play the newest and biggest video games with efficiency that’s means higher than something you’ll discover on a comparably-priced console.

But these days I discover myself returning to previous PC video games or firing up my Xbox Series X at evening as a substitute of hopping on my gaming PC, partly as a result of I’m afraid to place extra put on and tear on it throughout a time when even changing a dying arduous drive may price me by way of the nostril. Shucks, if the RAM began to fail and I needed to exchange all of it? Forget about it.

Now don’t get it twisted, I’m not out right here advocating we abandon the PC and begin gaming on consoles. No, the PC stays one of the best place to sport not simply due to the breadth and depth of software program on provide, nor its unparalleled management and customizability, however as a result of gaming consoles are additionally priced by way of the nostril proper now. Case in level: this week Microsoft raised costs on Xbox consoles for the third time in roughly a yr. That means the Xbox Series X I paid $499 for at launch will now price roughly $799, a value hike of over 50 % that comes six years after the console debuted.

I don’t suppose I’ve ever been happier about being an early adopter, however this isn’t how issues are purported to work. And with part costs displaying no indicators of falling over the following few years, I’m not assured new {hardware} will get any inexpensive anytime quickly.

That makes a present like this week’s The Full Nerd much more attention-grabbing, as a result of now pricing is a big issue when discussing new {hardware} just like the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ or Valve’s second-gen Steam Machine. I’ve by no means been a voracious early adopter (Series X however), and these days I ponder how people who crave the newest and biggest are faring in our new actuality.

In this episode of The Full Nerd

Prices could also be skyrocketing however the present should go on, and there’s a whole lot of thrilling new information to get into as PCWorld’s Adam Patrick Murray, Alaina Yee and Michael Crider weigh in on Steam Machine evaluations and our benchmark checks of the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ in this episode of The Full Nerd. This is the primary handheld to reach packing Intel’s new Arc G3 Extreme chipset, and our testing suggests it’s a beast.

You ought to watch (or hearken to) the present for the total efficiency rundown and a few insightful commentary, however the quick model is that this: Intel’s Arc G3 Extreme helps the Claw 8 EX AI+ blow previous rivals in almost each efficiency check we ran. While the unique MSI Claw 8 and Lenovo’s Legion Go 2 acquired shut, our checks present the G3 Extreme-driven Claw wins out in each artificial and real-world efficiency checks. And with an asking value of almost $2,000, it higher!

Plus, the crew run down the primary batch of evaluations for the brand new Steam Machine, which embody a slew of efficiency testing and a few attention-grabbing insights into the construct of Valve’s newest PC. I used to be shocked to be taught that a number of the very first Machines got here with 16GB of RAM in two slots (so two 8GB sticks) whereas the remaining have the total 16GB in a single slot, for instance, which implies you’re dropping the efficiency good thing about dual-channel RAM on the latter configuration. Valve has now confirmed to TechRadar that each one Steam Machines for the foreseeable future will include 16GB of RAM in a single slot.

Plus, the Full Nerd squad solutions your questions on how one can greatest spend your cash on PC {hardware}, how one can mitigate Bluetooth latency, and extra!

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Don’t miss out on our different exhibits too—you’ll be able to catch episodes of Dual Boot Diaries, The Full Nerd: Extra Edition, and Expedition: Handheld by way of our channel!

And when you want extra {hardware} speak all through the remainder of your week, come be part of our Discord group—it’s filled with cool, laid-back nerds such as you!

Nerd information of the week

• I constructed a DIY rival to the Steam Machine for $150 much less: Valve’s Steam Machine launched this month at a beginning value of $1,049, which may really feel a little bit steep. Unfortunately, the excessive value of storage and reminiscence proper now makes the value comprehensible and ensures the prospect of constructing one thing higher is much less interesting than ordinary, however PCWorld’s Michael Crider nonetheless managed to drag collectively a PC construct that rivals the Steam Machine (on paper) for almost $200 much less.

• Microsoft provides one other yr to Windows 10 prolonged replace program: Did you make the most of the Extended Update Program to maintain utilizing Windows 10 with full safety updates? Good information: Microsoft simply introduced they’re extending this system by a yr, so now it gained’t expire till October 2027. Maybe if sufficient individuals refuse to modify to Windows 11 the corporate will simply maintain quietly extending help for Windows 10, eh? Worth a shot!

• Every time Norway scores on the World Cup, a metropolis trembles: If you wanted one other instance of how humanity impacts the planet with out realizing it, researchers on the University of Bergen have found that the entire metropolis trembles on a detectable scale each time the Norway group scores a purpose within the World Cup. Evidently the seismometer within the college basement recorded noticeable vibrations each time Norway scored a purpose in video 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 navy train in house acquired underway with barely anybody noticing: I by no means anticipated the ridiculously named “U.S. Space Force” to be something aside from a foolish PR transfer, however evidently they’re a minimum of performing like an actual authorities company. After asserting plans to conduct its first space-based navy train (“Victus Haze”) again in 2024, the Space Force just lately coordinated the launch of two small satellites that had been used to check how shortly the U.S. may detect a brand new spacefaring object in orbit, then launch a satellite tv for pc to go up and conduct an “uncooperative rendezvous” to see what it’s. The launches had been neither live-streamed nor broadly publicized, however they appear to have been successful.

We’ve spent a big chunk of this week (and this week’s podcast) speaking about how one can discover one of the best Prime Day tech offers on Amazon, however by the point you learn this there’s an excellent likelihood the selection Prime Day reductions shall be gone — they disappear at midnight Pacific on Friday. That mentioned, I count on most of the smaller reductions on cheaper merchandise will stick round for some time, and there are some nice offers on tech below $10 which are price trying out when you may use a brand new HDMI cable or USB-C dock on your setup. Talk to you subsequent week!

This e-newsletter is devoted to the reminiscence of Gordon Mah Ung, founder and host of The Full Nerd, and government editor of {hardware} at PCWorld.