Exclusive: Acer unveils mammoth 11-inch handheld at CES

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

Acer redefined "portable gaming" at CES 2025 with the introduction of the Nitro Blaze 11, a colossal 10.95-inch handheld gaming device. Alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the new Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller, Acer showcased impressive power in a surprisingly large form factor.

Both Blaze models boast identical high-performance specs: a WQXGA touch display with a 144Hz refresh rate, 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 "immersive visuals" in a portable, foldable 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, the Blaze 11's substantial 1050g weight is a notable consideration. This contrasts sharply with lighter competitors like the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). While the Blaze 8, at 720g, is more comparable 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 launch in Q2 2025, priced at $1099, $899, and $69.99 respectively.

Interestingly, while the Nitro Blaze series utilizes the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 chipset, it missed the opportunity to incorporate AMD's latest Ryzen Z2 processors, designed specifically for gaming handhelds. Although AMD's promotional materials initially suggested otherwise, Valve explicitly denied any plans for a Z2-powered Steam Deck. A Valve developer clarified that the promotional slide was a general representation of the processor's target market, not a specific product announcement. While a Steam Deck 2 remains a possibility, Valve has indicated that a significant technological leap is required before its release.