These days, there’s no shortage of handhelds for PC gaming, but Acer aims to make a significant impression with its latest offerings: the Nitro Blaze 8 and Nitro Blaze 11. The Blaze 8, with an 8.8-inch screen, and the Blaze 11, boasting a 10.95-inch display, feature some of the most expansive screens we’ve come across in such devices. Both models deliver stunning visuals, courtesy of their 2560 x 1600 resolution displays. The smaller device supports a 144 Hz refresh rate while the larger one offers 120 Hz, ensuring you have plenty of pixels to enjoy.
Now, with these sharp and high-refresh IPS screens, pushing the performance envelope for many AAA titles will indeed challenge the current hardware. Unfortunately for those anticipating a breakthrough in power, Acer’s handhelds rely on AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU—the same chip that powers Asus’s ROG Ally Z1 Extreme. As a result, you’ll be leaning on AMD’s upscaling technology quite often to achieve optimal gaming performance.
Both devices pack a 55 Whr battery, which surpasses the original Ally’s 40 Whr and the Steam Deck OLED’s 50 Whr but falls short of the Ally X’s substantial 80 Whr. Alongside the Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, you get 16GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage. Their touchscreens offer a vibrant 500 nits of brightness. Interestingly, Acer is highlighting the CPUs’ 39 total AI TOPS, though this might not translate to standout frame rates or battery longevity. Nevertheless, these devices are certainly more sizable compared to much of their competition.
The Nitro Blaze 11 sets itself apart with detachable controllers, making it a larger take on Lenovo’s Legion Go, albeit probably minus the built-in mouse sensor. However, it seems the controllers lack a dedicated cursor control, so navigating Windows 11 Home outside of Acer’s Game Space software will involve plenty of taps and swipes.
Expectedly, the bigger screens do add to the devices’ heft. The Nitro Blaze tips the scales at a relatively light 1.59 pounds, while the Blaze 11 is a heftier 2.31 pounds. In our brief hands-on with the Blaze 11, it didn’t feel as unwieldy as some of Acer’s promotional images suggested. But, it’s not the most portable option out there—much like larger gaming laptops. My primary concern with the Blaze 11 is its battery life. Its large, high-res display is bound to demand more power than other handhelds. But, given its size, it’s likely to be used mostly at home, meaning your USB-C charger should always be within reach.
Acer plans to launch the Nitro Blaze 8 and Blaze 11 in the second quarter of the year. They come with price tags reflecting their screen sizes: starting at $899 for the 8-inch model and $1,099 for the 11-inch variant.
