India continued its dominance at the 45th Chess Olympiad with a convincing win over Iran in the Open section. Arjun Erigaisi, D Gukesh, and Vidit Gujrathi secured victories while R Praggnanandhaa settled for a draw. With this result, India maintains a perfect score of 16 points, reinforcing their pursuit of the gold medal.
During a Champions Cup match, Sarfaraz Ahmed attempted to rattle Babar Azam with sarcastic comments. However, Babar remained composed and scored an unbeaten century, amassing 104 runs off 100 balls. This effort propelled the Stallions to a total of 271 for 7. The Dolphins faltered and were dismissed for just 97 runs, resulting in a significant defeat by 174 runs.
Travis Head's unbeaten 154 guided Australia to a seven-wicket triumph over England in the series opener at Trent Bridge. Chasing a target of 316, Australia achieved it with ease and ample balls remaining. Marnus Labuschagne’s career-best bowling figures of 3 for 39 were instrumental in curbing England’s innings after their strong start.This week offers plenty for fans of the superhero genre in the form of two big releases: The Penguin, where the titular character from the Batman universe rises to power in Gotham City's criminal underworld, and Agatha All Along, where the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Agatha continues her journey after the events of WandaVision. On the homefront is a heartwarming comedy in the form of JioCinema's Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai and Netflix's comedy talk show, The Great Indian Kapil Show Season 2. Besides these, drama and family dynamics take centre stage in Elizabeth Olsen's His Three Daughters. This week's releases cater to all moods and preferences, from light-hearted humour to intense drama and dark fantasy.
With that, here are the top binge-worthy OTT releases of the week. Don't forget to scroll below for the complete list of releases from major streaming platforms this week.
Release Date: September 18
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Adventure
Where to Watch: Disney plus Hotstar
Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Joe Locke, Sasheer Zamata, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Paul Adelstein, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Okwui Okpokwasili, Debra Jo Rupp, Patti LuPone, Aubrey Plaza
Kathryn Hahn stars as Agatha Harkness, the wickedly charming witch from WandaVision, in this Marvel series. The nine-episode-long show follows Agatha's journey after being imprisoned by Wanda Maximoff in Westview. With her unique powers, Agatha gathers a coven of outcast witches and embarks on adventures exploring magic, identity, and reality. Blending dark humour, mystery, and fantasy. The first two episodes are available to stream on Hotstar; new episodes will be released every Thursday at 6:30 am.
Release Date: September 20
Genre: Drama
Where to Watch: Netflix
Cast: Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, Natasha Lyonne, Jovan Adepo, Jay O. Sanders, Rudy Galvan, Jose Febus, Jasmine Bracey
His Three Daughters is a bittersweet drama from Azazel Jacobs. Three sisters - Katie (Carrie Coon), a controlling mom; Christina (Elizabeth Olsen), a free-spirited parent; and Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), a quirky stoner - reunite in their father's final days. Over three volatile days, old grievances surface, and love shines through the cracks of their fractured family. The film explores complex family dynamics, humour, and heartache as the siblings confront mortality and their own differing lives.
Release Date: September 20
Genre: Comedy
Where to Watch: JioCinema
Cast: Paresh Rawal, Faisal Malik, Sonali Kulkarni, Nitesh Pandey, Amit Sial, Sonnalli Seygall, Harminder Singh, Satendra Soni, Aashish Dubey, Sejal Gupta, Ravi Shankar Jaiswal
Jo Tera Hai Woh Mera Hai is a heartwarming comedy that follows Govinda Lal Mehta (Paresh Rawal), a quiet older man whose life is disrupted by the cunning Mitesh Meghani (Amit Sial). Mitesh's relentless attempts to manipulate Govinda out of his house spark several hilarious moments, raising questions about morality and exploitation. As Mitesh starts succeeding in his plans, he must confront the unavoidable consequences of outsmarting a vulnerable senior.
Release Date: September 20
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Where to Watch: JioCinema
Cast: Alex Anagnostidis, Colin Farrell, Clancy Brown, Carmen Ejogo, Cristin Milioti, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Michael Kelly, Michael Zegen, Deirdre O'Connell, James Madio
The Penguin" is a gritty superhero spin-off series from The Batman (2022). Colin Farrell reprises his role as Oswald' Oz' Cobblepot, rising to power in Gotham's underworld. Set after Carmine Falcone's death, the eight-episode series follows Penguin's ruthless ambition to control the city's crime scene amidst opposition from Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti). Exploring the dark side of Gotham, this series bridges the gap between The Batman and its sequel.
Release Date: September 21
Genre: Comedy, Talk Show
Where to Watch: Netflix
Cast: Kapil Sharma, Sunil Grover, Kiku Sharda, Krushna Abhishek, Archana Puran Singh, Rajiv Thakur
Kapil Sharma's talk show returns with hilarious sketches, punchlines, and celebrity guests. The show follows the same format as season one, where Sharma used to interview celebrities and the rest of his team would keep popping in colourful roles. Some of the guests lined up for this season include Alia Bhatt, Karan Johar, Saif Ali Khan, Jr NTR, and Janhvi Kapoor. Episodes will be released weekly on Saturdays at 8:00 pm.
Looking for a new show or film that might cater to your niche interest? You are at the right place! Here are all the new films and series releasing on major streaming platforms this week. Also, don't forget to keep an eye out for upcoming releases on our Entertainment Hub and update your watchlist!
| Movie/Web Series | Streaming Platform | Language | Genre | OTT Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UnPrisoned Season 2 | Disney+ Hotstar | English | Comedy | 16-Sep-24 |
| Culinary Class Wars | Netflix | Korean | Reality | 17-Sep-24 |
| Live from the Other Side with Tyler Henry | Netflix | English | Reality | 17-Sep-24 |
| Deon Cole: Ok, Mister | Netflix | English | Standup Comedy | 17-Sep-24 |
| Envious | Netflix | Spanish | Comedy | 18-Sep-24 |
| What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates | Netflix | English | Documentary | 18-Sep-24 |
| I Am Georgina Season 3 | Netflix | Spanish | Reality | 18-Sep-24 |
| American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez | Disney+ Hotstar | Englsih | Biography, Drama | 18-Sep-24 |
| Reality+ | MUBI | Englsih | Drama, History | 19-Sep-24 |
| A Very Royal Scandal | Prime Video | Englsih | Drama | 19-Sep-24 |
| The Queen of Villains | Netflix | Japanese | Drama, Biography, Sport | 19-Sep-24 |
| Twilight of the Gods | Netflix | English | Action, Adventure, Animation | 19-Sep-24 |
| Monsters | Netflix | English | Biography, Crime, Drama | 19-Sep-24 |
| Tuirgabadara Saami | Aha | Telugu | Action, Drama | 19-Sep-24 |
| Jatt & Juliet 3 | Chaupal | Punjabi | Comedy, Romance | 19-Sep-24 |
| La Maison | Apple TV | French | Drama | 20-Sep-24 |
| Thangalaan | Netflix | Tamil | Action, Adventure, Drama | 20-Sep-24 |
| Thalaivettiyan Paalayam | Prime Video | Tamil | Comedy, Drama | 20-Sep-24 |
| The Judge From Hell | Disney+ Hotstar | Korean | Crime, Drama, Romance | 21-Sep-24 |
India's men's and women's chess teams kept their unbeaten records intact at the 45th Chess Olympiad. D Gukesh clinched a key victory over China's Wei Yi, while Vaishali Rameshbabu and Vantika Agarwal ensured wins for the women's team against Georgia. Both Indian teams now top the standings with 14 points after seven rounds.
Ahead of the upcoming five-Test series between India and Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, Aakash Chopra exposed how Australian media targets Indian players. He shared an incident from India's 2018-19 tour where broadcasters amplified a heated exchange between Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja to tarnish their image, revealing this on a podcast on YouTube.
In a historic Champions League match, Bayern Munich triumphed over Dinamo Zagreb with a 9-2 scoreline. Harry Kane netted four goals, including three penalties. Additional goals were scored by Michael Olise, Raphael Guerreiro, Leroy Sane, and Leon Goretzka. Despite Manuel Neuer's injury, Bayern achieved their record-breaking win.
Real Madrid kicked off their Champions League defense with a 3-1 victory over Stuttgart. Kylian Mbappe scored on his debut for the club, while Antonio Rudiger and Endrick added crucial goals. Despite Stuttgart's promising first half, Real Madrid secured the win with a strong second-half performance.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir will lead Team India in his first Test assignment against Bangladesh after a difficult ODI series loss to Sri Lanka. The squad, with new bowling coach Morne Morkel, is training in Chennai. Rohit Sharma stresses the significance of mutual understanding between coaches and players as they gear up for the World Test Championship.
Rohit Sharma's Indian cricket team is set to begin a demanding Test schedule against Bangladesh in Chennai. Strategies are in place to manage the workload of key bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. After facing Bangladesh, India will play New Zealand at home before heading to Australia for a five-match Test series.
Mumbai-born Saurabh Netravalkar, who once played for India's U-19 team, now plays for the US national cricket team while working as a Senior Software Engineer at Oracle. His dual roles saw him lead the US to an impressive win over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, balancing his tech career with his love for cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin shared insights on India's morale after being bowled out for 36 against Australia in Adelaide during the first Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. Coach Ravi Shastri boosted team spirit with a karaoke session. Under Ajinkya Rahane's leadership, India rebounded to clinch a historic series win, culminating in a victory at The Gabba.
India's hockey team, under captain Harmanpreet Singh, has excelled at the Asian Champions Trophy in China, remaining unbeaten through five league matches. As they prepare to face Korea in the semifinals, their robust defense and effective penalty corner tactics will be vital. Coach Craig Fulton expects improvements from his young strikers and midfielders.
Ireland claimed their first women's Twenty20 international win over England with a thrilling five-wicket victory in Dublin. Chasing England's total of 169-8, Orla Prendergast scored an impressive 80 off 51 balls. Despite needing seven runs from the final over, Ireland held their nerve to level the series at 1-1.
Indian cricketers have started intense practice sessions for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, beginning on September 19 in Chennai and continuing on September 27 in Kanpur. Top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are rigorously preparing. India is leading the World Test Championship standings and ranks seven places ahead of Bangladesh.
Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami is recovering from an ankle injury and emphasizes the need for complete fitness before his return. He plans to test his fitness in domestic matches for Bengal before rejoining the national team. Shami is expected to be a key player in India's upcoming series against Australia. The 34-year-old hinted that he would play domestic games before returning to the international scene.
Neeraj Chopra finished second in the men’s javelin throw at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, missing out on the title by just 0.01 meters. Anderson Peters of Grenada secured first place with a final throw of 87.87 meters, while Julian Weber finished third with a best effort of 85.97 meters.
Former CSK batter Subramaniam Badrinath recounted a rare instance of MS Dhoni losing his temper during an IPL match against RCB. CSK, chasing a modest target of 110 odd runs, unexpectedly lost the game. Dhoni showed visible frustration in the dressing room post-match, which was unusual for the typically composed captain.
India's Avinash Sable, a national record holder in the 3000m steeplechase, placed ninth in the Diamond League final in Brussels on his 30th birthday. He clocked a time of 8:17.09, falling short of his national record of 8:09.91 set earlier this year. Kenya's Amos Serem won with a time of 8:06.90.
SV Sunil, a former Indian hockey player, believes that coaches Terry Walsh and Roelant Oltmans set the stage for India's bronze medals in the 2020 and 2024 Olympics. Now serving as an assistant coach, Sunil stresses the importance of former players moving into coaching roles to share their expertise with future generations.
Dinesh Karthik downplayed Bangladesh's chances against India in the upcoming Test series, emphasizing India's home advantage. He discussed potential squad selections like young pacer Harshit Rana and predicted pace-friendly pitches for preparation against Australia. Karthik also commented on KL Rahul’s role as a batter instead of a wicketkeeper due to injury concerns.
Veteran cricketer Piyush Chawla suggests that Shubman Gill and Ruturaj Gaikwad are poised to take over from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma when they retire. Highlighting Gill’s strong technique and Gaikwad’s resilience despite injuries, Chawla believes these young talents can ensure a bright future for Indian cricket as Kohli and Rohit near the end of their careers.
Archie Vaughan, son of former England captain Michael Vaughan, claimed 11 wickets to propel Somerset to a crucial victory over Surrey in the County Championship. This win places Somerset just eight points behind leaders Surrey. Jack Leach's five-wicket haul was also instrumental. The result has intensified the competition for the championship title.
The ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 significantly impacted India's economy with a contribution of USD 1.39 billion, driven by tourism and media exposure. The event drew record crowds and created thousands of jobs, highlighting India's potential as a premier host for global sports events. The World Cup is expected to have long-term benefits too.
Australia triumphed over England by 28 runs in the first T20 international at Southampton. Travis Head’s aggressive innings of 59 off just 23 balls set the tone for Australia’s total of 179. Adam Zampa’s economical spell and timely wickets from Josh Hazlewood restricted England to 151 all out, despite a brief fightback from Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran.
After Argentina's 1-2 loss to Colombia in a FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, goalkeeper Emiliano MartÃnez is accused of slapping a TV cameraman in Barranquilla. The cameraman claims MartÃnez hit his camera while he was filming. Colombia’s sports journalists’ association has requested FIFA to take disciplinary action against MartÃnez.
At the Delhi Premier League T20, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir assigned Bollywood movie titles to cricketers like Virat Kohli ('Shahenshah') and Yuvraj Singh ('Badshah'). He also highlighted his positive relationship with Kohli. As India prepares for their Test series against Bangladesh, Kohli's return to the squad is highly anticipated.
Kris Srikkanth has endorsed KL Rahul for the No.5 position in India's batting lineup for the first Test against Bangladesh on September 19 in Chennai. Despite Sarfaraz Khan's commendable performances, Srikkanth favors Rahul owing to his experience and recent form, which is vital ahead of future series against New Zealand and Australia.
Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as head coach of the U.S. men's national soccer team, succeeding Gregg Berhalter. The former Tottenham and PSG manager will lead the team through the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Pochettino aims to develop a strong squad for a successful tournament on home soil.Technology might seem like it's constantly moving forward on a curve, but it's often cyclical. Flip phones, instant cameras, and record players have all made a comeback. Now it's the gaming handheld's turn. While Nintendo has always had a handheld in the market, Windows-based portable gaming devices seem to have taken off in the past couple of years, with major manufacturers rushing to bring their products to market.
MSI is one of those manufacturers. The Taiwanese firm unveiled the MSI Claw A1M, its Intel-powered handheld gaming PC, in the sea of AMD-powered handheld gaming PCs at CES 2024. The device was officially launched in India in March, days after its global release, but initial availability was suspect. Now, the Claw is available in the Indian market in three variants — a base model running on Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and packing 512GB of SSD storage, a middle-tier model with Core Ultra 7 chipset and the same storage capacity and a top-end Core Ultra 7-powered model with 1TB of SSD storage.
The Core Ultra 5 model of the MSI Claw A1M launched in India at Rs. 88,990, while the Core Ultra 7 models were priced at Rs. 96,990 and Rs. 99,990 for the 512GB and 1TB storage variants, respectively. MSI has since revised the pricing for the handheld, slashing it down considerably to Rs. 59,990 for the base variant, with the two Core Ultra 7 variants coming in at Rs. 66,990 and Rs. 69,990.
But is the Meteor Lake-powered MSI Claw A1M a worthy competitor to products from Asus and Lenovo that run on the AMD Ryzen Z1 series of processors built specifically for gaming handhelds? I spent an extended period of time testing out the MSI Claw A1M, and while there are a few things the handheld does well, there's a lot that misses the mark. As a Windows-based gaming handheld, the competition with the ROG Ally and the Legion Go, but it often feels like it's going against its flaws.
The MSI Claw is much bigger and beefier than the Nintendo Switch
If you picked up the Claw and ignored the MSI branding on the front and back, you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for the Asus ROG Ally. The Claw A1M arrived on the heels of the Ally, and you can't help but feel that MSI took a few notes. I didn't have the original ROG Ally at hand to compare, but the Claw sports a strikingly similar appearance to the ROG Ally X, especially since the refreshed handheld from Asus now comes in black.
The MSI Claw bears a striking resemblance to the ROG Ally
The Claw A1M is comfortable to hold despite weighing a little on the heavier side at 675g. My hands never tired of holding it up, even when I played on it straight for a couple of hours. The all-black plastic construction gives it a sturdy feel, and the grips' angular curves settle into your palms reasonably naturally. The handheld's ergonomic design and efficient layout ensure that you're never sweating and stretching to reach a button, even if you have short thumbs like me.
The handheld, however, lacks a design flair — something to make it stand out. The ABXY buttons aren't colour coded either, leaving the RGB lights to do the heavy lifting in terms of improving the overall dull look of the Claw. The ABXY face buttons and the Hall-Effect analogue sticks feel clicky and responsive, but the D-pad and the bumpers are a bit floaty and don't give satisfying feedback. The four quick action buttons hugging either side of the display that bring up View, Menu, MSI Center M software and Quick Settings overlay also lack pronounced feedback.
The MSI Claw sports vents on its backside
The Claw's 7-inch touch-enabled panel is a highlight. While this screen size is a little small for some Windows-based tasks (if you intend to use the handheld PC as a PC), it's more than adequate for gaming — especially smaller indie titles and platformers. The display also goes up to 500 nits of peak brightness — enough for when you're outdoors but not when you're under direct sunlight. You also might want to keep the brightness on the lower side when indoors and during nighttime to conserve battery.
The screen is crisp and has good colours and responsive touch functions. I found myself navigating the Windows maze with a combination of the left analog stick as cursor control in Desktop Mode (we'll get the two control modes later) and a touchscreen for basic input. The downside, however, is that the screen picks up fingerprints rather quickly, and a protector is recommended to help avoid scratches and smudges.
The Claw's top side comes with a microSD card slot, a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack
On the OS side, the MSI Claw A1M runs Windows 11 Home, with the handheld suffering familiar issues found in Windows-based handhelds. While Microsoft's OS offers versatility and flexibility, the operating system just isn't built to be intuitive on a 7-inch touchscreen. The constant bottlenecks, bugs, and run-of-the-mill Windows stuff prevent you from just picking up the handheld and playing. The never-ending Windows and Intel driver updates tend to make you groan every time they show up, and the handheld starts feeling like an insatiable beast that needs to be on a constant drip of updates to function.
Some OS-based issues also seem exacerbated on the MSI Claw A1M. In one instance, the taskbar stubbornly remained pinned inside the game window, with quitting and restarting the only measure that worked. In another instance, I'd keep getting notifications for an Intel driver update despite downloading the said update earlier. These issues, while small, tend to accumulate and become obstructive in the way of having fun. A handheld gaming device is all about convenience. It's about picking it up, playing on your couch or bed, and not worrying about fixing stuff before you get it up and running. That's where SteamOS on the Steam Deck, which offers a console-like intuitive experience, wins out over every other Windows-based handheld gaming PC.
The Windows OS and its never-ending updates can leave you frustrated
Windows-based gaming handhelds come with proprietary and custom software built by the manufacturer to streamline the user experience and act as a bridge to console-like intuitiveness. Asus puts the Armoury Crate SE software in the ROG Ally, and Lenovo offers the Legion Space interface on the Legion Go. These double as a central software hub from where you can launch your games across different services, tweak device settings, check for firmware updates, remap controller buttons, access captured media and more. While these don't adequately mimic the native OS experience, they do help tide over some of the frustrations connected with Windows.
The Claw A1M comes with a similar software, called the MSI Center M. Contrary to make the software experience more palatable, the interface ends up marring the experience further. When it works, it works fine, but the MSI Center M, in my experience, remained a buggy, unreliable mess. The launcher presented a laggy interface that kept running into input issues. The Center M software, which can be brought up at any point by tapping the Claw key on the left edge of the display, often failed to register the left analog stick and button input, leaving me to rely on D-pad and touch input. Restarting the device fixed the problem every time, but it happened so often that I practically stopped using the custom interface altogether, only going in to tweak some settings.
The MSI Center M software presented several issues
MSI's Quick Settings overlay was the worst UI/UX culprit on the device. To begin with, it often fails just to show up. I would press the Quick Settings key multiple times, only for the overlay to pop up seconds later. And bafflingly, when you tap on a particular option within the overlay to toggle it on or off, the touch input also registers on the window behind it. So, if you bring up the Quick Settings menu inside a game to monitor performance or take a screenshot, you're likely to end up triggering an in-game action.
Both the MSI Centre M and the Quick Settings interface let you swap between the two control modes — Desktop and Gamepad. The former is meant to be used outside of gaming while performing Windows-based tasks, while the latter is your primary control mode for playing games, essentially mimicking an Xbox controller. While you can manually change your control mode at any point, ideally, the handheld should detect the task you're performing and switch to the mode best suited to it. And the MSI Claw A1M does that — except it did it so unreliably and inconsistently that almost never had the controls switched to Gamepad mode when entering a game.
The Claw has trouble switching between the best-suited control mode
This would result in controller inputs not working, and manually switching the control mode wouldn't fix the issue, either. So, I resorted to fidgeting with the in-game menu with the help of the touchscreen and the on-screen keyboard to change input methods or just give up, quit and restart — I found myself going with the latter after running out of patience at some point.
Before talking about performance, I should mention that the Core Ultra 7-powered review unit I received had already been used and had some software installed on it. As such, performance results could vary from that of a retail unit. Performance on the Claw A1M, despite a host of updates, remains inconsistent.
The chipset works across a TDP range of 20-35W on DC power (battery) and 20-40W on AC (while charging). These PL1 and PL2 (lower and higher power limits under load) values can be manually adjusted in settings, or you can choose between a selection of five pre-defined power profiles, or as MSI calls it, “User Scenarios” — Performance, Balanced, Super Battery, Manual and AI Engine — that run across a TDP range of 20-35W when unplugged (which is how I mostly played). Performance is supposed to yield the best framerates but drains power quickly. It's best to use this profile while playing demanding modern games.
Playing Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut on High preset, for instance, yielded frame rates in the range of 40-45fps. The average frame rate dropped to the low 30s in busy areas or action-heavy sequences. At Medium settings, the frame rates climbed to the 45-50fps range, with the average hovering around the 47fps mark. Playing the game in Low settings did not recover a lot of frames, with the average frame rate settling around 50fps. These numbers were observed in the Performance user scenario with Intel's XeSS upscaling turned on in settings and the game running at 1080p resolution.
Switching the user scenario to Super Battery in a graphically demanding title like Ghost of Tsushima led to the frame rates taking a considerable hit. In this power profile, even on Low graphical present (albeit with 1080p resolution), performance stayed in the range of 35-45fps, with dips in busier areas. Changing the preset to High would bring performance firmly in the 30fps range, with the average hovering around the 33fps mark — certain sections would drag it further down in the 20s. Playing when plugging in the charger did not make a marked difference in performance while playing in any power profile.
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut on the MSI Claw
The MSI Claw A1M can run triple-A titles at respectable framerates, but the performance remained inconsistent, with stuttering and lagging a regular feature. The situation has improved since the handheld's launch, with MSI pushing updates to improve performance, but issues clearly persist. The Claw gives a much better account of itself when playing less demanding or older games. Portal 2, for instance, ran without any hiccups at framerates consistently above 100fps — even with all graphical settings on High and the user scenario set to Super Battery.
Performance on indie platformer Spiritfarer was consistently above 90fps, crossing the 100fps mark on the Performance power profile. On a slightly more demanding but older title like Dying Light, I got framerates in the 80-90fps range in the Performance profile with settings turned High. There were some dips, but it never went below the 60fps mark. In fact, even when I switched to the Super Battery profile, the game ran comfortably in the 60-70fps range with some graphical settings turned to Medium or Low.
There are a few things that the Claw gets right. Audio is implemented well; the front-firing speakers are loud and crisp but never tinny. The haptics are also a positive and, along with the audio, help bring a sense of immersion while playing.
The front-firing speakers are loud and crisp, utilising Nahimic audio
While unplugged and fully charged, the Claw A1M would drain fully in less than an hour playing Ghost of Tsushima on a Performance user scenario. In the Super Battery profile, the handheld would last over an hour but well below two hours. Playing demanding games with the console not plugged in chews through the battery, and you're likely to struggle to get one full hour of battery life from the device.
The best way to get the most juice out of the handheld is to stick to older or indie titles with the Claw running on Super Battery profile at 20W TDP and graphical presets set to Low or Medium. I could stretch that handheld to two hours of use while playing games like Portal 2 and Assassin's Creed Chronicles. Since the Claw A1M's launch, Intel has also pushed out driver updates that bring an Endurance Gaming feature within its Arc Control application, which promises to balance frame rate and power consumption to reduce battery drain.
The MSI Claw can handle older and indie titles quite well
The MSI Claw A1M feels firmly like a first-generation product that was rushed out when Asus put the ROG Ally on the market. More importantly, MSI's first-generation handheld suffers from inconsistent performance and fails to distinguish itself in the battery life department. Intel just launched its Lunar Lake processor, and the Claw A1M's Meteor Lake already looks outdated.
Asus has launched a refreshed version of the Ally, the ROG Ally X, with considerable upgrades. On the other hand, the Lenovo Legion Go (Review) offers more features with its detachable controllers and massive 8.8-inch QHD+ display. In the face of such competition, the MSI Claw A1M can end up looking like a pale imitation. And once you add the original ROG Ally and the Steam Deck OLED to the mix — both presently selling at a much lower price point than MSI's handheld, the Claw becomes a product impossible to recommend.
It's telling that MSI itself has announced its next generation of the Claw handheld running on Lunar Lake. In fact, MSI is already thinking about Claw 2, Claw 3, and Claw 4. So, if the company is already so decidedly over its first-generation product, why should the consumer stick around?
Pros
Cons
Ratings (out of 10)
Rishabh Pant shared details about Suryakumar Yadav's crucial catch that secured India's win against South Africa in the ICC T20 World Cup final, ending an 11-year ICC trophy drought. He also reflected on his aggressive play style, relationships with coaches Ravi Shastri and Rohit Sharma, and his comeback after a road accident.
Navdeep Singh clinched gold in the F41 para javelin event at the Paris Paralympics 2024 after Iran’s Sadegh Beit Sayah was disqualified for violating rules. Navdeep's journey from finishing fourth in Tokyo to standing atop the podium in Paris is a testament to his resilience and hard work, with significant support from his coach Naval Singh.
The Paris Paralympics wrapped up with a vibrant closing ceremony at Stade de France, featuring performances and speeches. China dominated the medal tally with 94 golds, followed by Britain and the USA. The Netherlands retained their women's wheelchair basketball title. Despite initial ticket sale worries, the event attracted large crowds.
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Pathum Nissanka's unbeaten fifty has placed Sri Lanka in a promising position against England in the third Test at the Oval. By the end of the third day, Sri Lanka need just 125 more runs to secure victory, with Nissanka and Kusal Mendis leading their pursuit following England's significant batting collapse.
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Navdeep Singh clinched gold in the men's javelin throw F41 final at the Paris Paralympics after Iran's Beit Sayah Sadegh was disqualified. Initially placing second with a throw of 47.32 meters, Navdeep was later declared the winner. This achievement marks India's first-ever gold in this category.
India's Simran clinched the bronze medal in the women's 200m T12 final at the Paris Paralympics with a personal best time of 24.75 seconds. Despite narrowly missing out on a podium finish in the 100m dash, her determination led to this victory. Her journey has been filled with impressive performances and overcoming personal hardships.