MSI Claw handheld gets a performance update, MSI claims it's now 26% faster than the ROG Ally

The MSI Claw Windows PC gaming handheld stands out from the competition because it uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 processor 155H with integrated Arc graphics and not the AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme found in the likes of the ROG Ally from ASUS. This has led to a rocky start for the new handheld, with spotty and inconsistent gaming performance reported by those who went hands-on with a pre-release or launch version of the hardware.

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MSI Claw gaming handheld performance with the new BIOS 109 update, image credit: MSI.

Today, there's some very welcome news for MSI Claw early adopters. The company is releasing BIOS 109, which replaces BIOS 106, alongside a new version of the MSI Center M software. The latest BIOS and MSI Center M software deliver a massive 30% performance increase in titles like Forza Horizon 5.

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Other popular games like Fortnite and Helldivers 2 see a sizeable 20% increase in performance with the new BIOS and MSI Center M software.

MSI is touting this update as a milestone release for its gaming handheld that "significantly enhance[s] gaming performance." It's now taking the fight to the ROG Ally with benchmark results showcasing the MSI Claw beating its competitor by delivering "26% better performance" on average in the top 100 most popular Steam Games.

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MSI Claw is now faster than the ROG Ally for gaming, image credit: MSI.

On the high-end, Valheim runs 90% faster on the MSI Claw versus the ROG Ally, with popular titles like Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Diablo 4 running 20-30% faster. Per MSI's chart, the games where the Claw falls behind the Ally include Palworld, Apex Legends, and EA Sports FC 2024 - though the performance drop-off sits within 20%.

Performance was captured with games running at FHD 1080p with 'Low' settings, with XeSS (Xe Super Sampling) enabled where applicable.

MSI is also improving the overall MSI Claw experience with the new updates, which support BIOS updates through the Live Update feature in MSI Center M. The company plans to "actively push BIOS update notifications to users in the future."