Acer's Massive 11-Inch Handheld Exposed at CES 2025

Acer Unveils Giant 11-Inch Nitro Blaze Gaming Handheld at CES 2025

Acer redefined "portable gaming" at CES 2025 with the launch of the Nitro Blaze 11, a behemoth of a handheld boasting a massive 10.95-inch display. This giant joins its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the new Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller.

Both Blaze models share impressive specs: a WQXGA touch display (up to 144Hz), 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, immersive visuals, and versatile features in a foldable, portable design. 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, portability comes with a trade-off. The Blaze 11 tips the scales at a hefty 1050g, significantly heavier than competitors like the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). The Blaze 8, at 720g, is still substantial but closer in weight to other PC handhelds such as the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.

All three devices (Blaze 11, Blaze 8, and the controller) will be available in Q2 2025, priced at $1099, $899, and $69.99 respectively.

While the Nitro Blaze series utilizes the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 chipset, it missed out on AMD's newest Ryzen Z2 processors, designed for high-performance handhelds. Although AMD's promotional materials initially suggested a Z2-powered Steam Deck, Valve swiftly clarified that a "Steam Deck Z2" is not in development. Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais stated on Bluesky that the slide likely represented the processor's broader applicability to gaming handhelds. This doesn't rule out a future Steam Deck 2, but Valve indicates a significant, next-generation upgrade is needed before its release.