The MSI Claw has been in a world of trouble ever since its launch, with plenty of reviews and buyers both criticizing it for its inconsistent gaming performance, poor optimization, and more. But now it seems the handheld’s luck is finally looking up, thanks to a brand new update.
According to MSI, its latest GPU and BIOS driver updates — the E1T41IMS.106 BIOS (referred to as 106) and 31.0.101.5445 GPU driver (referred to as 5445) — have increased performance by up to 150%. The update also apparently smooths out performance issues, allowing players to “smoothly play the top 100 popular games on the Steam platform.”
MSI seems to be very aware of the optimization issues concerning the CPU, as it mentions working with Intel to stabilize the handheld better. The updates also let users update straight from the Windows environment without having to use a USB drive or dock the system.
You can download the latest BIOS from the MSI official website and the newest GPU drivers from the Intel ARC official website.
Is it too little too late?
While the new updates and continued support are admirable, users are finally getting them over a month after its official release. Meanwhile, other PC gaming portables like the Steam Deck and Lenovo Legion Go work right out of the box with solid and stable performance, especially the former which continues to be the gold standard.
Not to mention how expensive the MSI Claw is, which makes it more concerning that it launched in such a state and needs to be continuously patched and updated to even meet the standard of an older and less powerful portable like the Steam Deck.
At this point, though MSI and Intel are working together, we still don’t know whether it boils down to Intel’s processors or MSI-related issues, though the upcoming launch of the Intel-equipped AOKZOE A2 Ultra should give us a better sense of where the problem lies.
Hopefully, MSI learns from this and if it releases a Claw 2, it ensures that the OS and general performance are up to snuff before its launch.