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 massive 10.95-inch display, redefining the concept of portable gaming.
Both Nitro Blaze models share impressive specs: WQXGA touch displays with up to 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, 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, the Blaze 11's substantial 1050g weight is a significant consideration. This contrasts sharply with the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). While the Blaze 8, at 720g, is more comparable to competitors like the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.
All three devices (Blaze 11, Blaze 8, and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller) launch in Q2 2025, priced at $1099, $899, and $69.99 respectively.
No Steam Deck 2 with AMD Ryzen 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. Promotional slides initially suggested future iterations of handhelds like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally would incorporate this new technology.
However, Valve clarified that a Z2-powered Steam Deck is not in development. Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais stated on Bluesky that the promotional slide was a general representation of the Ryzen Z2's applicability to gaming handhelds, not a specific announcement.
This doesn't rule out a Steam Deck 2, but Valve emphasizes that a substantial, next-generation upgrade is necessary before its release.
