I've never been more excited to get my hands on a new handheld: Intel's new graphics driver reportedly provides greater MSI Claw 8 AI+ performance

• Intel's new Arc Graphics Driver 32.0.101.6734 targets better handheld gaming PC power management
• It improves frame pacing while gaming at lower wattages
• This could improve playing sessions for users with less power consumption and better performance

The handheld gaming PC scene is expanding rapidly, and we still have plenty more to look forward to - most notably the upcoming Lenovo Legion Go 2 using AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU. However, one of the best handheld gaming devices right now, the MSI Claw 8 AI+, has just received an exciting update.

As reported by Notebookcheck, Intel's new Arc Graphics Driver 32.0.101.6734 optimizes power management for the Intel Core Ultra 200V series processors, specifically handheld gaming PC iGPUs: the key takeaway here is basically that the MSI Claw 8 AI+ and the MSI Claw 7 AI+ (both using the Core Ultra 7 258V) now have much better game performance.

The driver patch notes highlight improvements on 'frame pacing' at lower power modes, allowing users to game at lower TDPs (essentially lower wattages) while still providing great FPS and frame pacing results. The latter is ideal, especially when using features like XeSS Frame Generation: lower TDPs usually result in poor frame pacing, regardless of how high your fps is, leading to a less consistent gaming experience.

With Intel targeting this, XeSS Frame Generation may feel much smoother, especially if base frame rates are high enough (a recommended native framerate is usually around 40 fps or above). It could also help extend your gaming sessions, with the improved power management granting less battery consumption compared to older graphics drivers.

Now we just have to wait to see how AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme will perform...

Intel is currently taking the handheld gaming PC scene by storm, with its powerful SoCs providing exceptional performance on the new Claw AI+ devices. I've not had the privilege of testing it myself yet (pretty please, MSI?), but based on plenty of reviews and performance results, it appears to dominate its key competitors like the Asus ROG Ally X.

However, the verdict isn't final yet: AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme APU is set to hit the market sometime this year, likely appearing first in the Lenovo Legion Go 2. There are supposedly performance results available, which are likely based on the Z2 Extreme's rumored Radeon 880M or 890M iGPUs (since the actual chip hasn't been released yet).

I'm hoping that the Ryzen Z2 Extreme offers a significant performance boost over its Z1 Extreme predecessor - enough of a performance leap to challenge Team Blue's impressive Core Ultra 7 258V processor.

If it doesn't, there's still hope for AMD's new FSR 4 upscaling method to make its way to RDNA 3.5 hardware for performance and image quality in games. Right now, FSR 4 is exclusive to RDNA 4 GPUs (the Radeon RX 9000 series). Regardless, I'm glad to see that handhelds of this generation are getting the attention they deserve.

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