These days, the market is flooded with PC gaming handhelds, but Acer’s new Nitro Blaze lineup is aiming to make a splash with its oversized displays. The Nitro Blaze 8 sports an 8.8-inch screen, while the Blaze 11 comes with a 10.95-inch screen. Both models boast a stunning 2560 x 1600 resolution. The smaller Nitro Blaze 8 offers a 144 Hz refresh rate, whereas the bigger sibling settles for a 120 Hz refresh rate. Needless to say, these devices are packed with pixels.
Now, those ultra-clear, high-refresh IPS screens will certainly push the limits of existing technology, especially when it comes to handling those heavy-hitting AAA games. Acer opted for AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU to power these handhelds, which is similar to the 780M from the Z1 Extreme chip found in the Asus ROG Ally. As a result, you might find yourself leaning on AMD’s upscaling technology for those demanding titles.
In terms of battery life, both models feature a 55 Whr battery—more juice than the original Ally’s 40 Whr and the Steam Deck OLED’s 50 Whr, but it doesn’t quite match up to the Ally X’s 80 Whr heft. Coupled with 16GB of RAM and storage options up to 2TB, these devices come well-equipped, running on their Ryzen 7 processors. The touchscreens reach a brightness of 500 nits, and although Acer highlights the chip’s 39 AI TOPS, don’t expect a groundbreaking experience in frame rates or battery life. However, these devices are notably larger than most competitors.
One unique feature of the Blaze 11 is its removable controllers, making it a beefed-up competitor to Lenovo’s Legion Go. However, it seems to lack a built-in mouse sensor and dedicated cursor control, so you might be doing quite a bit of tapping and swiping on the Windows 11 Home OS, away from Acer’s Game Space software.
With larger displays comes a bit more heft. The Nitro Blaze 8 weighs in at 1.59 pounds, whereas the Blaze 11 stretches that to 2.31 pounds—a noticeable difference.
During a hands-on session, the Blaze 11 seemed less bulky in person than its press photos might suggest, though it’s far from something you’d casually carry around. Much like larger gaming laptops, it’s better suited to home use. The main worry with the Blaze 11 revolves around its battery life. A large, high-res screen demands more power, though typically you’ll be near a charger at home, so it might not be a major issue.
As for availability, Acer has slated the Nitro Blaze 8 and 11 for release sometime in the second quarter. Pricing is aligned with their size—starting at $899 for the 8-inch model and $1,099 for the larger 11-inch version.
