Can iPhone 17 Pro Replace My Handheld Gaming PC?

Can the iPhone 17 Pro replace a gaming handheld? Paul Antill puts Apple’s latest flagship smartphone through a full iPhone 17 Pro gaming review, comparing it directly to the MSI Claw 8 AI+ handheld gaming PC. With the powerful A19 Pro chip, a new vapor cooling chamber for sustained performance and a larger battery, we test whether this is the best gaming phone of 2025.

From AAA console ports like Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Resident Evil Village, and Death Stranding to the expanding Apple Arcade lineup, Paul benchmarks FPS, graphics, thermals, and battery life to see how the iPhone 17 Pro really performs for serious gaming. He also dives into Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now to find out if cloud streaming makes the iPhone a true replacement for portable gaming consoles.

If you’re wondering whether the iPhone 17 Pro is good for gaming, how it stacks up to dedicated handhelds like the MSI Claw 8 AI+, which iPhone accessories you need for the best gaming experience or if, simply, Apple finally made a true gaming phone, you've come to the right video.