Acer Unveils Giant 11-Inch Nitro Blaze Gaming Handheld at CES 2025
Acer has just debuted its largest gaming handheld to date – the Nitro Blaze 11, alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, at CES 2025. Let's delve into the specs and that impressive screen size.
The Nitro Blaze 11: A 10.95-Inch Colossus
Acer is redefining "portable" with the Nitro Blaze 11, boasting a substantial 10.95-inch display. This behemoth, showcased alongside the Nitro Blaze 8 and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller, promises a powerful mobile gaming experience.
Both Blaze models share impressive hardware: WQXGA touch displays with up to 144Hz refresh rates, an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor paired with an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and a generous 2TB SSD. Acer highlights "cutting-edge performance," "versatile features," and "immersive visuals" as key selling points. Buyers also receive a three-month PC Game Pass subscription. The main difference? Screen size; the Blaze 8 features an 8.8-inch display.
However, the Blaze 11's size comes at a cost: it weighs a hefty 1050g. This is significantly heavier than competitors like the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). The Blaze 8, at 720g, is still substantial but more in line with other portable PC handhelds such as the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.
All three devices (Blaze 11, Blaze 8, and controller) will launch in Q2 2025, priced at $1099, $899, and $69.99 USD respectively.
No Z2 Steam Deck 2, Confirms Valve
While the Nitro Blaze series utilizes the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 chipset, it missed out on AMD's latest Ryzen Z2 processors designed for gaming handhelds. AMD's marketing materials initially suggested that future iterations of devices like the Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally, and Steam Deck would incorporate this new technology.
However, Valve, the creators of the Steam Deck, definitively stated that "There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck." Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified on Bluesky that a previously circulated slide implying otherwise was a general representation of the Z2's target market, not a specific product announcement.
This doesn't rule out a Steam Deck 2; Valve confirms its development but emphasizes the need for a significant, next-generation upgrade before its release.
