With the influx of PC gaming handhelds in today’s market, Acer is making a bold attempt to distinguish itself with its latest models: the Nitro Blaze 8 and Nitro Blaze 11. The Nitro Blaze 8 boasts an 8.8-inch display, while the Nitro Blaze 11 features a substantial 10.95-inch screen. Both models claim some of the largest displays available for devices in this category. They are equipped with an impressive screen resolution of 2560 x 1600, and the smaller model offers a 144 Hz refresh rate, with the larger device providing 120 Hz. It’s clear that these devices are designed to deliver a stunning visual experience.
With these high-resolution, high-refresh rate IPS screens, the devices are aimed at pushing the limits of what current gaming processors can handle, especially with demanding AAA titles. Disappointingly, Acer hasn’t introduced any new processing technology with these handhelds. They’re powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU, the same processor you’ll find in Asus’ ROG Ally. So, gamers should prepare to rely heavily on AMD’s upscaling technology to get the best performance from these devices.
In terms of power, both Nitro Blaze models include a 55 Whr battery. This offers more juice than the original ROG Ally’s 40 Whr and the Steam Deck OLED’s 50 Whr but falls short compared to the Ally X’s 80 Whr. You’ll find 16GB of RAM and up to a massive 2TB of storage across the board, along with touchscreens that reach up to 500 nits of brightness. Acer also highlights the CPUs’ 39 AI TOPS, yet, when it comes to raw performance like frame rates or long battery life, don’t expect the Nitro Blaze to outshine its rivals—though their sheer size might.
The Nitro Blaze 11 model steps up with detachable controllers, reminiscent of Lenovo’s Legion Go, but likely without the embedded mouse sensor feature. However, these controllers don’t seem to include a dedicated cursor control, so you’ll be tapping and swiping quite a bit when navigating Windows 11 Home outside of Acer’s dedicated Game Space.
These bigger screens do have a trade-off in terms of weight. The Nitro Blaze 8 weighs in at a manageable 1.59 pounds, while the Nitro 11 comes in at a heftier 2.31 pounds. During a hands-on session, despite initial photos making the Blaze 11 appear dauntingly large, the device felt less overwhelming in person. Nonetheless, it’s not designed for on-the-go use like smaller gadgets. Fortunately, home use won’t likely stress its battery capacity too much, seeing as you’d typically game near a power source via USB-C charging.
As for availability, Acer plans to release the Nitro Blaze 8 and 11 in Q2. Pricing is set to mirror their sizes—$899 for the 8-inch version and $1,099 for the 11-inch model.
