Acer Unveils Giant 11-Inch Nitro Blaze Gaming Handheld at CES 2025
Acer has debuted its largest gaming handheld to date – the Nitro Blaze 11 – alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, at CES 2025. This behemoth boasts a substantial 10.95-inch display, redefining the concept of portable gaming.
Both Blaze models share impressive specifications: WQXGA touchscreens with 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 promises "cutting-edge performance and versatile features" alongside "immersive visuals." Buyers also receive a three-month PC Game Pass subscription. The key difference? Screen size; the Blaze 8 features an 8.8-inch display.
However, the Nitro Blaze 11's size comes at a cost: it weighs a hefty 1050g, significantly heavier than competitors like the Steam Deck (approximately 640g) and Nintendo Switch (around 297g). The Blaze 8, at 720g, is still substantial but more comparable to other PC handhelds such as the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.
All three devices (including the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller at $69.99) will launch in Q2 2025, priced at $1099 for the Blaze 11 and $899 for the Blaze 8.
No Steam Deck 2 with AMD Z2, Says 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 promotional materials initially suggested future iterations of handhelds like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally would incorporate this technology.
However, Valve has officially confirmed that a "Z2 Steam Deck" is not in development. Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified on Bluesky that the promotional slide likely represented the processor's broader applicability to the handheld market rather than specific device plans.
This doesn't rule out a future Steam Deck 2, but Valve emphasizes that a significant, next-generation upgrade would be required before its release.
