Acer Unveils Giant 11-Inch Nitro Blaze Gaming Handheld at CES 2025
Acer redefined "portable" at CES 2025 with the Nitro Blaze 11, a gaming handheld boasting a massive 10.95-inch display. This behemoth, alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the new Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller, dominated the show.
Both Blaze models share impressive specs: WQXGA touchscreens (up to 144Hz refresh rate), an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor paired with an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and a generous 2TB SSD. Acer promises "cutting-edge performance" and "immersive visuals" in a portable, foldable form factor. 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 weighs a substantial 1050g, significantly heavier than competitors like the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). 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 launch in Q2 2025, priced at $1099 USD (Blaze 11), $899 USD (Blaze 8), and $69.99 USD (Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller).
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 high-performance handhelds. AMD's promotional materials initially suggested future iterations of devices like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally would incorporate this technology.
However, Valve swiftly dispelled rumors of a "Steam Deck Z2," with Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais stating on Bluesky that such a device isn't in development. He clarified that the promotional slide likely represented the Ryzen Z2's broader applicability to the handheld gaming market.
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.
