Three handheld gaming machines have arrived at a moment when the category is crowded and the choices are getting harder to read. Asus's ROG Xbox Ally X, Lenovo's Legion Go 2 and MSI's Claw A8 share the same AMD silicon beneath their shells, so what separates them is the sort of thing a player feels in the hands and the eyes over long evenings: how the screen glows, how heavy the machine rests, and how much of Windows is allowed to get in the way. Tom's Guide has weighed them before the final verdicts are in, offering a provisional lean rather than a ruling. The question underneath is an old on
Asus ROG Xbox Ally X vs Lenovo Legion Go 2 vs MSI Claw A8: Which Next-Gen Handheld Is Worth Buying?
Same chip, three very different handhelds
Mark
All three use the same AMD chip. So why is this even a contest?
Mimi
Because everything around the chip differs. Screen size and type, weight, battery, and especially software. The Legion Go 2 has an 8.8-inch OLED, the Xbox Ally X weighs 1.6 pounds, and the Claw A8 sits in the middle.
Mark
The Xbox Ally X gets the AI version of the chip. Does that matter?
Luke
Nobody knows yet. The writer says outright he's unsure what the NPU does for game performance. Developers might use it later, but that's a possibility, not a result.
Mimi
Right, it's a bet on the future more than a present advantage.
Mark
What about the software claim?
Mimi
Microsoft stops Windows background processes on the Xbox handheld, which have often hurt battery life. That's the main reason the writer leans toward Asus.
Luke
But he says he doesn't know how big the effect is. The evidence is friends' hands-on tests showing improvements. That's anecdotal, not measured.
Mark
And the performance numbers?
Luke
The 60+ FPS in Spider-Man 2 came from a quick test on the Claw, not lab benchmarking. The Zen 5 gains come from leaked testing. Treat both as early signals.
Mimi
And the software edge may not last, since Microsoft confirmed the handheld Windows build is heading to other devices.
Mark
So the pick might change?
Luke
Possibly. Full reviews are still pending, so the lean toward the Xbox Ally X is provisional.
Le Pouls
- Three handhelds run the same Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip, so the contest is being decided on screens, weight and software rather than raw power.
- The Legion Go 2's 8.8-inch OLED display stands out sharply, but its 2.1-pound weight pulls against that appeal.
- The Xbox Ally X is the lightest and smallest of the three, and it boots into an Xbox interface instead of the Windows desktop to cut background drag.
- Final hands-on reviews have not yet arrived, so the early lean toward the Xbox Ally X remains provisional.
- Microsoft's handheld-focused Windows build may reach other devices soon, which could narrow the software advantage that now favours one model.
Three handheld gaming machines have arrived at a moment when the category is crowded and the choices are getting harder to read. Asus's ROG Xbox Ally X, Lenovo's Legion Go 2 and MSI's Claw A8 share the same AMD silicon beneath their shells, so what separates them is the sort of thing a player feels in the hands and the eyes over long evenings: how the screen glows, how heavy the machine rests, and how much of Windows is allowed to get in the way. Tom's Guide has weighed them before the final verdicts are in, offering a provisional lean rather than a ruling. The question underneath is an old one for any tool: whether a device is shaped first for the person holding it, or for the system it happens to run.
Three handheld gaming PCs have gathered at the top of a crowded field, and they share more than their prices suggest. The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and the MSI Claw A8 all run AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip with Radeon 890M graphics and a 1TB SSD. This comparison is built on specs, leaks and brief hands-on time, not final verdicts, so it reads more like a careful first look than a settled judgment.
The three diverge most in how they feel to use. The Xbox Ally X is the smallest and lightest at 1.6 pounds, though its gamepad-style grips make it the thickest. The Legion Go 2 offers the finest screen, an 8.8-inch 1200p 144Hz OLED, and its detachable controllers suit shared play, but at 2.1 pounds it asks for a strong arm. The MSI Claw A8 lands in the middle, with an 8-inch 120Hz LCD, improved grips and the slimmest profile at 0.94 inches. Memory favours the Legion Go 2 with 32GB, while the other two carry 24GB. In a brief test, the Claw A8 held above 60 frames per second in a demanding title like Spider-Man 2, though the writer was careful to call that a quick check rather than lab work.
Battery and software bring the picture together. The Claw A8 and Xbox Ally X both carry 80Wh cells against the Legion's 74Wh, and that larger OLED may narrow the gap in practice. The Xbox Ally X also boots straight into an Xbox interface and will stop Windows background processes, which are often blamed for weaker battery life than on SteamOS machines. The benefit is not yet confirmed, but early reports from other testers are encouraging.
For now, the writer leans toward the Xbox Ally X for its tailored software. Yet Microsoft's handheld Windows build is heading to other devices, and a leaked beta suggests it may arrive soon, which could let Legion Go 2 buyers and Claw A8 owners share much of that gain. The practical choice is clear enough: the Legion Go 2 for the best display if its weight is acceptable, the Xbox Ally X for portability, and the Claw A8 for balance. Full reviews are still to come, and Microsoft's rollout is the thing to watch.
Three handheld gaming PCs sit at the top of this year's crowded field, and they share more under the hood than their price tags might suggest. The Asus ROG Xbox Ally X, the Lenovo Legion Go 2 and the MSI Claw A8 all run AMD's Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip with Radeon 890M graphics, and each carries a 1TB PCIe SSD. Tom's Guide set out to sort them before full reviews are in, which means this is a comparison built on specs, leaks and limited hands-on time rather than final verdicts.
The differences start with the chip itself. Asus gets the AI-enhanced version of the Z2 Extreme, essentially the same processor with an NPU added. The writer says plainly that he doesn't yet know what that does for game performance, though developers might eventually use it for machine-learned frame generation or improved fidelity. The Z2 Extreme family moves to a Zen 5 architecture that unlocks RDNA 3.5, and the piece points to leaked testing as evidence of what that upgrade delivers. The older Z1 Extreme, by comparison, offered 8 cores and 16 threads.
Memory splits the field slightly. The Legion Go 2 has 32GB of LPDDR5X, while the Xbox Ally X and Claw A8 each have 24GB. In his own quick test of the Claw A8, the writer saw frame rates above 60 FPS in demanding AAA games such as Spider-Man 2. He stresses that this was a short test, not lab benchmarking.
Design is where the three diverge most. The Xbox Ally X is the smallest, with a 7-inch 1080p, 120Hz LCD, and at 1.6 pounds it's also the lightest. It is the thickest at 2.00 inches, because of side grips shaped like a traditional gamepad's. The writer hasn't gone fully hands-on with it yet but likes the design. The Legion Go 2 has the best screen: an 8.8-inch, 1200p, 144Hz OLED. Its controllers detach, which suits local multiplayer or simply setting the display down. That costs weight, though, at 2.1 pounds. The MSI Claw A8 sits between them, with an 8-inch, 1200p, 120Hz LCD, blockier grips that improve on the previous Claw, and a weight of 1.7 pounds. It is also the thinnest of the three at 0.94 inches.
On battery, the Claw A8 and Xbox Ally X both use 80Wh cells, against 74Wh in the Legion Go 2. The gap is small, but the Legion's larger, more demanding OLED screen could widen it in practice. The Xbox Ally X may also gain an edge from software. It boots directly into an Xbox interface rather than the Windows 11 desktop, and Microsoft will stop Windows background processes from running. Those processes have often been blamed for poor battery life on Windows handhelds compared with SteamOS devices. How much that helps is unconfirmed, though the writer says friends running other hands-on tests are seeing performance improvements.
The writer's early lean is toward the Xbox Ally X because of that tailored software. But Microsoft has confirmed that this handheld-focused version of Windows 11 is coming to other devices soon, and a recent beta build leaked it. If so, the Legion Go 2's OLED buyers and those wanting a somewhat bigger screen in the Claw A8 could get much of the same benefit.
The practical split is simple: the Legion Go 2 for the best display if you can live with the weight, the Xbox Ally X for portability, and the Claw A8 for balance. Full hands-on reviews of all three are still to come, and Microsoft's handheld Windows rollout is the thing to watch in the meantime.
Citations marquantes
Microsoft has confirmed that its handheld-focused version of Windows 11 is coming to other handhelds soon.— Tom's Guide
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