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It's new handheld time at Computex, where Intel has already revealed its Arc G3 and G3 Extreme handhelds from partners Acer and OneXPlayer. A few days later, MSI made its own Arc G3 Extreme announcement with the Claw 8 EX AI+, while Asus stuck with AMD for its limited edition ROG Xbox Ally X20. Here's what you need to know about each option.
First, the new ROG Xbox Ally X20 is a limited edition sold exclusively in a bundle with Xreal R1 AR glasses. However, the significantly upgraded spec sheet is one that any would-be Xbox Ally owner would love, with a 1400-nit OLED display, MicroSD Express support, TMR sticks and a d-pad that toggles between four-way and eight-way modes.
Add on upgraded chipset cooling, more ergonomic improvements and a sensational smoke black translucent case with gold accents, and you've got the ultimate version of the already excellent ROG Xbox Ally X - even if it has the same Z2 Extreme chip and other internals as the original version.
Pricing and availability details haven't been confirmed, but somewhere in the region of $2000/£1750 for the handheld and glasses (which are $850/£750 on their own) seems likely.
By contrast, the Claw 8 EX AI+ is likely to be more reasonably priced, and as we mentioned earlier the Arc G3 Extreme chipset it's equipped with could be a good performer - though we'll have to wait for real hands-on testing to be sure. The device has an eight-inch 1920x1200 120Hz 500 nit VRR IPS display, 32GB of memory, PCIe 4.0 SSD storage (likely 1TB) and an 80Wh battery. Like other Arc G3 machines, you can make use of XeSS 3.0 for upscaling and multi frame generation.
MSI also mentions Hall Effect triggers and sticks for the new Claw, plus an upgraded d-pad and "a new high-end linear motor" for force feedback. I dig the "void purple" colourway too, which stands out a bit from the sea of black and white handhelds.
Once again, pricing and availability is to follow later, though I'd expect MSI to arrive at a similar time to Acer's October release date, which is just four months away now that we're into June.
What do you make of the latest handhelds to be announced at Computex? Let us know in the comments below.
[source rog.asus.com, via msi.com]
Comments 3
I see this pair of Xreal do not have a dial for adjusting the lenses for us folks that wear regular glasses. I didn't see anything, but I assume you can buy prescription lens inserts that you can add to the glasses to make them usable. But that's another cost on top of the already high $850 (plus tax) cost of the glasses alone.
I already own an Xbox Ally X, so I'll be skipping this iteration that has zero improvements on performance side but a nice OLED screen.
If I didn't already have one, I may have considered it if it was sold without the glasses for a reasonable price.
I have a feeling the Xbox Ally X will be able to run most everything for a few more years, just like the Steam Deck before it. I do not see a point of yearly upgrades if the performance improvements are not significant versus previous generation
@WaveMaster I think this is less about a "yearly upgrade" and more of a case of the supply chain having caught up such that they can do an OLED screen. I'm not expecting this to continue each year though maybe I'm wrong.
The MSI claws looks promising. I'm glad they decided to have the grips shaped as an xbox pad. Obviously, I'm eager to read the reviews on that. I intend on sticking to Forza Horizon 6 for the forseeable future and being able to work on the weekly playlist on the go while having a visual presentation that still looks excellent is very exciting. The price is not gonna be pretty though if the rumours are correct but that's to be expected at this point.
As for the ROG ally, sure it's limited but that 2000 USD price is way too much for what you're getting. TMR sticks (or hall effect) should have been in the regular xbox ally to begin with. And the AR glasses? 6 year old me would have probably loved that, lol, but me? Now? What's the point?
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