Acer unveiled its largest gaming handheld yet at CES 2025: the Nitro Blaze 11, alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8. Read on for a closer look at their impressive specs and that massive screen!

Acer's Newest Gaming Handheld: Go Big or Go Home

The Nitro Blaze 11: 11 Inches of Gaming Glory

Acer is redefining "portable" with the Nitro Blaze 11, boasting a massive 10.95-inch display. Showcased alongside the Nitro Blaze 8 and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller at CES 2025, this powerhouse is ready to change the handheld gaming landscape.

Both Blaze models share impressive hardware: WQXGA touch displays with up to a 144Hz refresh rate, an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor paired with an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and a spacious 2TB SSD. Acer promises "cutting-edge performance and versatile features," delivering immersive visuals in a portable, foldable form factor. Buyers also receive three months of PC Game Pass. The key difference? Screen size—the Blaze 8 features an 8.8-inch display.

However, the Blaze 11's substantial 1050g weight is a consideration. Compared to the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g), it's significantly heavier. The Blaze 8, at 720g, is more comparable to other portable PC handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.

All three devices launch in Q2 2025, priced at $1099 USD for the Blaze 11, $899 USD for the Blaze 8, and $69.99 for the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller.

No Z2 Steam Deck 2, Says Valve

While the Nitro Blaze series utilizes the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 chipset, it missed out on AMD's newest Ryzen Z2 processors designed for gaming handhelds. AMD's promotional slides featuring the Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally, and Steam Deck fueled speculation about Z2-powered updates.

However, Valve clarified that a "Z2 Steam Deck" is not in the works. Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais stated on Bluesky that the promotional slide likely represented the processor's broader applicability to gaming handhelds, not specific device plans.

This doesn't rule out a Steam Deck 2, though. Valve confirmed its intention to release a sequel, but only after a significant, next-generation upgrade.