Acer Unveils 11-Inch Handheld at CES 2025

Acer just unveiled its largest gaming handheld yet—the Nitro Blaze 11 and its sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, at CES 2025. Dive in to discover more about their specs and massive screens!

Acer’s Newest Gaming Handheld Is Huge

Nitro Blaze 11: 11 Inches of Gaming Glory

Acer is redefining the concept of "portable" with their upcoming Nitro Blaze 11 gaming handheld, which boasts an impressive 10.95-inch display. Unveiled at CES 2025 alongside the smaller Nitro Blaze 8 and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller accessory for mobile gamers, these devices are set to shake up the handheld gaming market.

Both the Blaze 11 and Blaze 8 will feature the same powerhouse components, including WQXGA touch displays with refresh rates up to 144 Hz, 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" with these specs, delivering "immersive visuals" in a portable, foldable package perfect for gaming on the go. Plus, buyers will enjoy a complimentary three-month subscription to PC Game Pass. The primary difference between the two models is the screen size, with the Blaze 8 featuring an 8.8-inch display.

However, the Blaze 11's hefty 1050g weight may pose a challenge for extended gaming sessions, significantly heavier than the Steam Deck OLED at 640g and the Nintendo Switch at 297g. The Blaze 8, weighing in at 720g, aligns more closely with other portable PC handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.

All three devices are slated for release in Q2 of 2025, with prices set 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 leverages the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 chipset, they missed out on incorporating the latest AMD Ryzen Z2 line, designed to power a new generation of gaming handhelds. Devices like the Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally, and the Steam Deck have been highlighted in AMD’s promotional materials, suggesting future models might feature these new chips.

However, Valve has confirmed that there will be no "Z2 Steam Deck." In a social media post on Bluesky, Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified that a now-deleted promotional slide did not indicate a Z2-powered Steam Deck. He emphasized that the slide was meant to represent the processor line's suitability for gaming handhelds in general.

This doesn't rule out a Steam Deck 2 entirely—Valve is open to the idea but awaits a significant next-generation upgrade before proceeding.