I WAS WRONG: An Unhinged Review of the MSI Claw's BEST Feature📢

[@retrohandhelds]

Which X86 handheld has the BEST speakers in your opinion? In my comparison speaker testing I came away with Claw > Ally X > Ally > Steam Deck > Legion Go > Win600 Notes: in the included audio app, turn on volume leveling, music mode, virtual surround (optional) and up the bass a little to get my preferred settings from the video. 🫡

[@KyleRuggles]

Wow, sound takes higher priority than mostly everything else? MSI Claw > Ally/X, Steam Deck and the Legion Go?? Factor in your last video, being on the road and all, is the claw something you'd use on the go? Or at home? Great vid, I'd personally go for the Steamdeck, given it's price etc etc etc. If only they could get an 80wh battery in there lol. I'd say Ally X > Steamdeck > Ally > Legion Go > Ayn Loki... it needs some love too. :P

[@retrohandhelds]

@@KyleRuggles I think for travel, i'd pick something smaller and plug in headphones for improved audio. Of those choices, Ally X is my pick! For playing around the house, or just around town, with the speakers blasting, Claw all the way! Steam Deck is another great choice, just cramps my hands after a while, otherwise i'd say it has the best screen for colors, and the most user friendly overall.

[@X862go]

ROG ally gen 1 I know the x is supposed to be better but I feel like my gen one is louder.

[@retrohandhelds]

@@X862go Oh Gen 1 is fantastic for audio, I feel like the X (once tuned in the audio app with volume leveling), does edge it out ever so slightly.

[@piercewiederecht5135]

I agree but I’d put both Ally models above the Claw.

[@RetroGameCorps]

Nice shirt homie I agree, the MSI Claw has the best audio I've experienced in a handheld.

[@retrohandhelds]

One of my comfiest shirts! It's almost time for me to buy a new one. I am delighted to learn you are part of team #speakers

[@KeiRetroGaming]

What a fantastic review! I love the way you did this one, it just feels different and more casual. I was super excited for this at launch but the Ally kinda killed it for me... Part of me wonders what it could've been like to try it. Great to see you having fun with the Claw Stubbs!

[@retrohandhelds]

Thank you Kei sir!! Yeah I think this is a style i'll try more. Only thing I didn't love here, ironically, was my mic audio quality (will try a lav mic connected to the dji mic 2 next time maybe). I whole heartily recommend testing out a Claw, or wait for the new model.

[@michaelbenny659]

Car cast! I could totally see Stubbs walking around the park with that lifted in his shoulders like a 1980s boom box

[@retrohandhelds]

Bless you for understanding me. Please tell my wife I am very cool actually.

[@Zero-tm5xk]

Just ordered mine. So excited! Thanks, Stubbs.

[@Sadtiric]

They really do sound pretty good, even after going through a mic and then KZbin's compression. I still have yet to use any other PC handheld other than the Steam Decks, maybe one day... Your passion is measurable! It's nice to see ya so excited! 💚

[@retrohandhelds]

🙏🙏🙏

[@reeeformat3843]

I agree!!! I owned an ally, steamdeck, Legion go and now ally x and a claw. Speakers are so good on the claw. The screen contrast is also better. And this may just be me, but the RGB and the customization of it on it.....just sticks out the best.

[@baldlyrudy]

05:40 that's the Stubbs I wanted to see.

[@retrohandhelds]

We NEED to have a handheld speaker party at CES

[@baldlyrudy]

@@retrohandhelds I'll bring my Claw if you do!

[@KyleRuggles]

LOVEly video. ^_^ Good to hear some positive aspects of this handheld which could have used more time in the oven.

[@retrohandhelds]

Thanks Kyle! Stoked for the new one now (i'll keep enjoying this one in the meantime).

[@GregNice76]

Boom Boxes needed to make a comeback. And it plays games? Nice.

[@retrohandhelds]

THIS TBH

[@ironcladcobra]

Great video Stubbs! When I got my Ultra Core 5 (135H) CLAW last July during the Amazon Prime Day sale for $499, most people disagreed with me, as you shared in your video, for that price, the CLAW is an awesome device with insane audio quality! 😉

[@retrohandhelds]

Absolutely!! Thanks Iron man, I want to try a 135H too! What a killer device for the price.

[@EightPieceBox]

Kudos to your wife for agreeing to appear on your channel to show her disapproval.

[@retrohandhelds]

😆

[@marclorenz27]

I was looking for this kind of review - focusing on the audio playback. I really think that the MSI Claw is really good for media consumption due to its screen and its awesome speakers. I suggest that you should also try installing Apple Music on the device and try playing music in the highest quality with the lossless library available on the platform. Maybe it's also possible to stream Hi-res audio on Apple Music via this device. Again, thank you and don't forget to have a great day!

[@retrohandhelds]

You too!! That's a great Idea, I'll have to try. Glad I could be of help here 🫡

[@JeffBreyer]

Absolutely love the speakers on the claw. They're almost worth the price of admission on their own.

[@retrohandhelds]

@@JeffBreyer this guy gets it!

[@fiekz79]

I recently picked up one just for pure curiosity and tbh, it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Yes it's not the most optimized machine out there but it works pretty well.

[@retrohandhelds]

This was my experience also, the early reviews had turned me off. I know it was fairly unoptimized out of the gate.

[@coolmodee]

It was really bad at launch .It's not that great compared to the competition mainly due to the intel chip.

[@Makotoyuki31]

It works pretty well now with latest updates.

[@Xanduur]

I also got “The Claw”! And I focus on older JRPGs, Beat’em Ups, and Schmups.

[@Vinceteunissen]

i can comfirm that the speakers are just magnificent, i love them , they give a whole other gaming expierence.

[@Makotoyuki31]

Yeah loving the speakers of our msi claw, and latest updates works well now.

[@retrohandhelds]

This tbh!

[@deathetech3070]

I bought one to test handhelds and I kept the Claw over the Ally, Ally X, and Legion Go - it's not the best performer, but it's the most comfortable and it performed the best with a Thunderbolt eGPU dock for me (typing on it right now)

[@CornyPuddle]

I like these ride alongs with stubbs

[@retrohandhelds]

More to come, friend! I figure if the one big thing holding me back from making timely videos is being able to schedule proper time in my studio, i'll just film while i'm doing my life stuff

[@HELLienadO]

I've just ordered the 135H version for about $415 here in Poland in a big retailer, and also the carrying case. I only intend to play very old/light/2D games, probably also some emulation, it should be more than fine for that. Maybe later I also get the msi nest (dock) or another cheaper one to connect to the TV. Cheers!

[@retrohandhelds]

Niice, that's a killer deal. It is more than great for that use case!

[@CEONo1984]

Cyberpunk 2.13 with FSR and framegen averages above 80+ fps in 720p. That's plenty of power.

[@retrohandhelds]

@@CEONo1984 Oh wow!! I need to try this one out. Thanks for the tip.

[@CEONo1984]

@@retrohandhelds that's in benchmark. In actual game fluctuates more, Dogtown being probably the worst case scenario. But 60+ fps is no longer a dream. SteamDeck preset with Crowd set to High and FSR Balanced or Performance. If you lower most settings to Medium it can hit even 100 fps in some parts.

[@crestofhonor2349]

The MSI Claw is the only one of the main Pc Handhelds I never owned. I have used the MSI Claw in a Microcenter but I never bought one. My order from my favorite to least favorite is the Ally X > Steam Deck OLED >= Ally > Legion Go

[@sanwell4409]

I finally have msi claw,and yes tha speaker is so freaking good,when i play monster hunter world i can feel like i in the game,the surrounding sound is really good,the performance not di disappointed after all the update msi and intel give to msi claw,i really happy with my msi claw

[@retrohandhelds]

Ah that's cool to hear! Crazy what high quality sound does for the game experience.

[@cho-v4n]

Good to hear that someone likes this thing. My son watched this with me and of course his eagle eyes saw an empty child seat in the back so his question for you is where are your kids? 😂

[@retrohandhelds]

Haha they are at home luckily, I don't think they'd enjoy being quiet while Dad rants about consumer electronics during a Portland rainstorm. Thanks for watching, your son has great eyes!

[@abevigoda69]

Joseph know you're biting his whole 'UNHINGED' deal? 🤣

[@retrohandhelds]

he has allowed it, THIS ONCE

Thanks for the video! Just a quick side question: what game is it we see at 1:10 in your video?

[@retrohandhelds]

Hey there, of course! That's one of my favorite RPG's "Star Ocean 2nd Story R"

[@iamnotyourbuddyGUY]

The power of suggestion in this hobby is strange. TD did a video over the OG miyoo mini now everyone has an WTB posting

[@retrohandhelds]

He's not wrong. It's true though, Russ just convinced me I need a gaming pillow

[@iamnotyourbuddyGUY]

@@retrohandhelds I was just going off while you didn't use at first. I think the win600 got the same treatment

[@piercewiederecht5135]

Ally does it better….You reach for it now simply because you’re amused by the novelty of playing games on Intel graphics. No matter how bad a device is, you can always find something to love. Go retest the Ally models now and you’ll see they’re both objectively better.

[@clem9808]

I'm only streaming movies on it. Good or bad , it's still a friggin pc with 16 threads of horsepower. That's why I chose it over Rog ally.

[@retrohandhelds]

Absolutely this. Love the use case!

[@xkxxxx]

Not unhinged enough! You didnt even mention what flavour of Fritos you have in your back seat!!

[@retrohandhelds]

Please accept my shortcomings! THEY ARE REGULAR STYLE, although my kids left them there for later, i'm more of a Chili Fritos man myself

[@xkxxxx]

@@retrohandhelds those sound delicious! Sadly in Canada, we dont have a big fritos selection, wildest flavour we've had was Jalapeño hoops. Hoops are def my jam!

[@NoBodysGamer]

Hello, why would you care about sound or speaker? Ill take a handheld without speakers if it means larger battery or lighter weight or some other bonus,. All you need is headphone jack, BT or USB-A port [for wireless headphone dongles] Even with regular audio jack headphone, you have virtual surround, you DONT hear the fan or the AC and can boost the fan speed to whatever you need to make the device preform better, without headphones the fan will always be an issue

[@crestofhonor2349]

@@NoBodysGamer speakers are super important. Pretty much all of them have them for a reason. You are barely saving any space inside if you left them out

[@ragecandy]

or get a $100 handheld that plays pretty much the same stuff + a $300 set of studio monitors and a $100 set of IEMS for the same price lol

[@retrohandhelds]

Very FAIR point as well, but can you hold the studio monitors in your hands as you play? Bonus rumble I tells ya, I do!

[@X862go]

Unhinged is correct lol!

[@retrohandhelds]

[@hetmanpolnykoronny1918]

Have my own one for 300 £ to the collection (i5). Haven't test it yet but have moderate expectations.