Handheld gaming PCs had a fantastic year in 2025; dare I say they've almost become mainstream, which is fantastic for a relatively expensive and niche category of gaming hardware.
• Start: Tuesday, January 6, 2026
• End: Friday, January 9, 2026
• Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
• More info: CES 2026
But when you look at the sea of handheld gaming PCs on offer, you're mostly met with a sea of black or white devices, like the Steam Deck, Legion Go 2, Xbox Ally X, Legion Go S, and even the original MSI Claw.
Thankfully, we've gotten more color added to the mix during CES 2026. This week, MSI revealed a new Glacier Blue Edition of the Claw 8 AI+.
In case you aren't already aware, MSI's Claw devices stand out from rivals since the company offers some of the only handhelds from a major OEM (like Lenovo, ASUS, etc.) that utilize Intel processors rather than the more typically used AMD Z2 Series chips.
The MSI Claw 8 AI+, specifically, features an 8-inch IPS display, Intel Core Ultra 7 258V with integrated Intel Arc 140V graphics, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD. It's unclear if the Glacier Blue Edition's specs are any different. We'll likely learn more from MSI in the coming months.
Now, I previously reviewed the original device (see my MSI Claw 8 AI+ review), and I was blown away by its fantastic performance. MSI creates some truly impressive Intel handhelds, but only if you can actually manage to get one.
Love the color, but it will be hard to get
Yes, it might be hard to get your hands on this beautiful new handheld — the reason being, MSI handhelds have historically been hard to find in stock in the US and UK, due to stock shortages.
I spent several months last year waiting for the MSI Claw 8 AI+ to become available after writing up my review. Long story short, it took several months after the device launched for it to regularly stay in stock at any local retailers in the US, and this wasn't a demand issue; there just wasn't enough supply sent to stores.
Case in point, the MSI Claw A8 AI+ (note the A in this handheld's name) was supposed to have launched in August 2025, but I've never seen it in stock. As such, I'm not expecting to see the new Glacier Blue Edition at US retailers any time soon.
On top of that, 2026 just isn't going to be a good year for gaming hardware in general, if things don't change soon. Between ongoing US-China tariffs (where most hardware is made), RAM price increases, and the GPU shortage problem, it's going to be hard to find devices at reasonable prices. Hell, it might be hard to find a lot of hardware in stock at all.
What do you think about the new Glacier Blue Edition Claw 8 AI+ handheld? Are you interested in seeing more handhelds with vibrant coloring? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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