They’re going for it.
MSI’s Claw handheld gaming PC made a splash at last week’s CES. And you might think, with the Claw not even being out yet, that MSI would rest on their laurels, at least a little bit. After all, most comparable devices haven’t announced any real plans for further iteration (aside, maybe, from Valve, though that’s a considerable way down the line). But not MSI, no; they’re planning for at least 3 more iterations beyond the first model at this very minute.
In an interview with IGN, MSI’s System Product Manager Clifford Chun covered many topics in regard to the Claw’s inception. But one major bit was that the company plans for the Claw line to have a two-to-three-year lifecycle, “just like our laptops.”
So, just like our laptops, our aim for users who use this will be roughly two to three years because game titles demand a lot more every two or three years. So, at least minimum, that kind of stuff. Obviously, if you play retro games, you can play MSI Claw for 10 years.
So, this will be only the first version of our Claw. We are anticipating to come out version 2, version 3, version 4 down the road and it’s already in the pipeline.
Clifford Chun, MSI System Product Manager
While you might think that’s a bit too brisk for your liking (even at 3 years, that’s some short hardware life), it’s not necessarily wrong in relation to AAA PC titles. It’s also not set in stone; there are many hypotheticals that might get in the way of that becoming a reality. That said, the 2-3 year timeline is roughly similar to Valve’s plans for the Steam Deck, so it’s likely to be a competitive market going forward.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that the Claw could, though highly unlikely, flop, meaning none of this actually comes to pass. But the fact that they are trying to plan ahead is probably a good sign. After all, there are tons of YouTubers focused almost entirely on mini and handheld PCs, so it’s not hard to imagine the trend continuing for quite some time.
Source: PC World via MSN
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