Wait, what? Black Friday is over, but this MSI Claw deal is probably the best value on a handheld gaming PC you’ll see all year

I’d never heard of ‘Cyber Week‘ before today – it feels like the sales are getting a little out of control, to be honest. Prime Day isn’t even just one day anymore! But you know what? I’ll take whatever nonsense retailers want to pull if it means we keep getting deals as good as this one.

The MSI Claw A1M is currently on sale at LaptopsOutlet for a ridiculously low price of £314.99 (was £799.99) – that’s not only the cheapest it’s ever been, but it’s even cheaper than Valve’s competing Steam Deck (the handheld I generally recommend for anyone who wants PC gaming on a budget).

I seriously cannot stress enough how good this deal is. The listed sale price is £349.99, which is already better than half price, but then the discount code CLAW10 nets you another 10% off, leading to that frankly unbelievable £314.99. If you didn’t already pick up a new handheld PC or gaming laptop over Black Friday weekend, this is one deal you’ll want to snap up before it’s gone.

Today’s best MSI Claw A1M deal

If you’re wondering why the MSI Claw A1M is so cheap, there are probably several factors at work here. Initial pricing was a bit steep, leading to poor sales despite it being a generally solid competitor to PC gaming handhelds like the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally. MSI was also quick on the draw with a new model, the Claw 7 AI+, which effectively superseded this version.

In other words, we’re probably looking at LaptopsOutlet dealing with a stock surplus here; these last-gen Claws have most likely been sitting in a warehouse, and now need to go – even at a heavily discounted price. The retailer’s loss is our gain, though: the Claw A1M is still a perfectly capable handheld that should outperform the base configuration of the popular Steam Deck while also offering a superior display and four times the storage.

I’m a big proponent of PC gaming handhelds (I personally own an Asus ROG Ally, which I adore), and quite frankly this is one deal that’s too good to pass up – if I didn’t already have a handheld I’d leap at it.

Christian is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing Editor. He came to us from Maximum PC magazine, where he fell in love with computer hardware and building PCs. He was a regular fixture amongst our freelance review team before making the jump to TechRadar, and can usually be found drooling over the latest high-end graphics card or gaming laptop before looking at his bank account balance and crying.

Christian is a keen campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights and the owner of a charming rescue dog named Lucy, having adopted her after he beat cancer in 2021. She keeps him fit and healthy through a combination of face-licking and long walks, and only occasionally barks at him to demand treats when he’s trying to work from home.