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Thinking of buying the handheld? Read this honest Claw a1m-052us handheld portable gaming review before you spend money.

by lusdo
01/04/2025
in PC
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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Alright, so the Claw A1M-052US finally landed on my doorstep. Been hearing bits and pieces about these new handhelds, figured I’d give one a whirl myself. The box was pretty standard stuff, nothing too fancy. Got it open, pulled the device out.

First thing I noticed? It felt… substantial. Not heavy like a brick, but solid, you know? Like it wouldn’t snap if I looked at it wrong. The plastic felt okay, maybe a bit plain, but the overall shape felt pretty good in my hands right off the bat. The buttons had a decent click to them, joysticks felt smooth enough under the thumbs. Screen looked bright enough indoors when I first powered it on.

Getting it Going

Powering it up led to the usual Windows setup dance. Gotta say, doing Windows setup on a small handheld screen with touchscreen and controller inputs is always a bit fiddly. Took me a bit longer than I expected, poking at the small keyboard, getting Wi-Fi connected. It wasn’t terrible, just, you know, part of the process with these Windows handhelds. Once Windows was happy, I had to deal with the MSI software overlay thing, MSI Center M, I think it’s called. It’s there to make things more game-friendly, launching stuff and tweaking settings. It’s… fine. Does the job mostly, though sometimes felt like another layer to click through.

Downloaded Steam, logged in. That part was easy enough. Grabbed a few games I usually play, a mix of older stuff and a couple of newer indie titles I was curious about. Downloads took their usual time, depending on the game size.

Actually Playing Games

Okay, the main event. Fired up something relatively light first. Ran smooth, no surprise there. Controls felt responsive in-game. The Hall effect joysticks are supposed to be better long-term, no drift and all that. Felt precise enough to me during gameplay. The triggers also felt pretty good, nice travel distance.

Then I threw something a bit more demanding at it. Had to fiddle with the settings, obviously. Couldn’t just crank everything to ultra. Dropped resolution a bit, maybe medium settings. It ran okay. Framerate wasn’t buttery smooth 60fps all the time, had some dips, but it was playable. The fans definitely kicked in. You can hear them whirring away when the machine’s working hard. It gets warm too, especially around the back vents, but didn’t feel uncomfortably hot to hold, which is good.

  • Screen: Looked decent. Colors were nice, brightness was okay even near a window. It’s an IPS panel, does the job. 1080p resolution on this size screen looks sharp.
  • Sound: The speakers are alright. Loud enough for personal play, but nothing amazing. Used headphones most of the time anyway, which worked fine.
  • Battery: This is always the kicker with these handhelds. Playing those more demanding games really chewed through the battery. Maybe got an hour and a half, two hours tops before I was looking for the charger. Lighter games or emulation did better, stretched it out longer. It’s got a decent sized battery on paper, but that new Intel chip can be thirsty when pushed.

Living With It

Used it on and off for a few days. Took it on the commute once. It’s portable, sure, but it’s not exactly pocket-sized. Need a bag for it. Ergonomics felt pretty good even after an hour or so. Didn’t get any major hand cramps. The weight is noticeable if you’re holding it up for a long time without support, but resting it on my lap or a table was fine.

The MSI software tries to help, lets you adjust power modes and fan curves. I mostly left it on a balanced setting. Seemed like the best compromise between performance and noise/heat/battery life. Sometimes navigating Windows with the controller can still be a bit awkward outside of Steam Big Picture or the MSI launcher, but that’s just Windows on a handheld life.

So, What’s the Verdict?

Look, it’s a capable little machine. It plays games, feels pretty well-built, and the controls are solid. The screen is nice. It does what it says on the tin – it’s a portable Windows gaming PC. The Intel chip is interesting, different from the AMD dominance we’ve seen. Performs alright, though battery life is definitely something to keep in mind if you plan on playing demanding stuff away from an outlet for long.

Is it perfect? Nah. Windows on handhelds still has its quirks. The MSI software is okay but not revolutionary. Battery life is always a trade-off. But did it work? Yeah. I loaded games, I played games. It handled them decently enough after tweaking settings. It feels like a solid first attempt from MSI in this space. It works. Does the job. Just gotta know what you’re getting into with battery life and the Windows experience on a small screen.

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