With the growing number of PC gaming handhelds out there, Acer is making a big splash with its latest offerings, the Nitro Blaze 8 and Nitro Blaze 11. These handhelds boast some of the largest screens we’ve seen in this category, with the Nitro Blaze 8 featuring an 8.8-inch display and the Nitro Blaze 11 coming in at a hefty 10.95 inches. Both devices impress with a 2560 x 1600 resolution, and they pack a punch with refresh rates of 144 Hz for the smaller device and 120 Hz for its larger counterpart.
While these vibrant, high-resolution IPS screens promise stunning visuals, they will certainly stretch current hardware capabilities when running AAA titles. Acer has stuck to AMD technology, equipping both devices with the Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU—the same processor found in the Z1 Extreme chip inside Asus’ ROG Ally. So, if you’re set on playing top-tier games, expect to make good use of AMD’s upscaling tech.
Battery-wise, both the Nitro Blaze 8 and 11 come with a 55 Whr power pack, surpassing the original Ally’s 40 Whr and the Steam Deck OLED’s 50 Whr, yet still falling short of the Ally X’s 80 Whr capacity. Each device is outfitted with 16GB of RAM and can house up to 2TB of storage, paired with their Ryzen 7 chips. Their touchscreens shine bright with a 500-nit rating. Curiously, Acer highlights the CPUs’ 39 total AI TOPS, though in terms of performance and battery longevity, these handhelds might not be game changers. What they do have going for them is definitely their size.
Taking a closer look at the Blaze 11, it offers removable controllers, a nod to Lenovo’s Legion Go, but likely sans a built-in mouse sensor. The device lacks specialized cursor controls, leading you to tap and swipe through Windows 11 Home OS and Acer’s Game Space interface frequently.
Naturally, bigger screens lead to heftier handhelds—the Nitro Blaze weighs in at 1.59 pounds, with the Nitro 11 stepping up to 2.31 pounds. In a quick demo, the Blaze 11 didn’t seem as cumbersome as some promotional images suggested. However, this isn’t a device you’ll pop into a backpack without a second thought. Its substantial screen demands more power, which understandably raises concerns about battery life. Given its size, you’ll likely find it resting at home with a USB-C charger nearby, much like the larger gaming laptops.
Acer plans to launch the Nitro Blaze 8 and 11 in the second quarter, with prices that reflect their sizable screens: the 8-inch model starts at $899, while the 11-incher begins at $1,099.
