Some links on this page are affiliate links.
The MSI Claw A1M is a 7.0 inch 16:9 Windows handheld that plays everything up to Wii U well. It came out in March 2024 at $699. Inside is the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H with 16 GB of RAM.
Who it's for
Buy it if
- You want to play everything up to Wii U.
- You want a 7.0 inch screen and carry it in a bag or a jacket.
Skip it if
- You want something light: it weighs 675 g.
- You only play up to PS1: handhelds under $60 do that.
MSI Claw A1M videos
What it plays
Plays up to: Wii U. Chip: Intel Core Ultra 5 135H.
Scores out of 100. 100 means the system runs at full speed with no known issues on this device. 80 or more plays well (green), 50 to 79 plays partly (yellow).
What the specs mean
16:9 screen
PSP and Switch games fill it. 4:3 home consoles show bars at the sides, and Game Boy games look small.
Based on: Display math: native screen shapes of each system
Sharpest fit: GBA
At 6x, GBA fills 67% of the screen with even pixels. Filling the rest means stretching, which some people smooth with a filter.
Based on: Display math: largest whole-number scale that fits the screen
DS on one screen
DS games show both screens shrunk side by side, or one big screen you swap. The touch screen stands in for the stylus.
Based on: Layout data: single screen with touch
Rating
How we score: what it plays 30%, how many players own and recommend it 20%, screen 15%, price compared with handhelds that play as much 10%, controls 10%, size and weight 10%, battery size for its chip 5%.
Good
- Plays everything up to Wii U well
- 120 Hz screen
- Hall effect sticks, so no stick drift
- Video out to a TV
- Analog triggers
Not so good
- Heavy at 675 g
- High-end price
- Small 53 mAh battery
Screen fit
Screen: 7.0 inch, IPS, 16:9, 1920 x 1080.
| System | Original | Sharpest scale | Screen filled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy | 160 x 144 | 7x (1120 x 1008) | 54% |
| GBA | 240 x 160 | 6x (1440 x 960) | 67% |
| NES and SNES | 256 x 224 | 4x (1024 x 896) | 44% |
| Genesis | 320 x 224 | 4x (1280 x 896) | 55% |
| PS1 and N64 | 320 x 240 | 4x (1280 x 960) | 59% |
| DS, one screen | 256 x 192 | 5x (1280 x 960) | 59% |
| PSP | 480 x 272 | 3x (1440 x 816) | 57% |
Whole-number scales keep every pixel the same size. Screen 1920 x 1080.
Size
294 x 117 x 21.2 mm, 675 g. Too big for a jeans pocket
- MSI Claw A1M (294 x 117 mm)
- iPhone 15 (71.6 x 147.6 mm)
True scale, front view. Jeans pocket = front no bigger than an iPhone 15 Pro Max in a case (160 x 82 mm).
Specs
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Chip | Intel Core Ultra 5 135H |
| CPU | Intel Meteor Lake, 4x P Cores |
| Cores | 14 |
| Clock speed | 700 MHz - 4.6 GHz |
| GPU | Intel Arc |
| RAM | 16 GB LPDDR5 |
| Cooling | Yes |
| Screen | |
| Size | 7.0" |
| Type | IPS |
| Resolution | 1920 x 1080 |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz |
| Pixel density | 314 ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Touch screen | Yes |
| Dual screen | No |
| Controls | |
| D-pad | Disc, Lower placement |
| Analog sticks | Yes |
| Stick layout | Double, asymetrical |
| Hall effect sticks | Yes |
| L3 / R3 | Yes |
| Shoulder buttons | Stacked |
| Analog triggers | Yes |
| Rumble | Yes |
| Gyroscope | Yes |
| Connectivity | |
| Storage | 512 GB |
| SD card | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes (7) |
| Bluetooth | Yes (5.4) |
| USB-C | Yes |
| Video out | Yes |
| Headphone jack | Yes |
| Build | |
| Form factor | Horizontal |
| Dimensions | 294 x 117 x 21.2 mm |
| Weight | 675 g |
| Battery | 53 Wh |
| Shell | Plastic |
| Speakers | Front |
| Software | |
| Operating system | Windows |
| Windows version | 11 |
Questions
Can the MSI Claw A1M play PS2 games?
Yes. PS2 scores 100 out of 100 on our emulation scale.
Is the MSI Claw A1M good for GBA?
GBA runs at full speed. At 6x it fills 67% of the screen with even pixels.
Does it have a headphone jack?
Yes.
How big is the battery?
53 mAh. The middle Windows handheld in our database has 65 mAh.
Can it connect to a TV?
Yes, it has video out.
How much does the MSI Claw A1M cost?
It launched at about $699 in Mar 2024. Prices on the used market change, so check current listings.
Price and newer models
$699 at launch $250 and up
The newest in its line in our database, out since Mar 2024.
Similar handhelds
Specs and emulation scores from the retrocatalog.com handheld database. The score out of 10 is our own.