Acer Unveils Giant 11-Inch Nitro Blaze Handheld at CES 2025
Acer redefined "portable gaming" at CES 2025 with the launch of the Nitro Blaze 11, a colossal 10.95-inch handheld gaming device. Its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller also debuted.
Nitro Blaze 11: A Big Screen Experience
Both Blaze models boast impressive specs: WQXGA touch displays (up to 144Hz refresh rate), an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor paired with an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and a spacious 2TB SSD. Acer promises cutting-edge performance, immersive visuals, and versatile features in a foldable, portable design. A three-month PC Game Pass subscription is included. The key difference? The Blaze 11's expansive 10.95-inch screen versus the Blaze 8's 8.8-inch display.
However, size comes at a cost: the Blaze 11 weighs a hefty 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 high-performance handhelds such as the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.
All three devices are slated for release in Q2 2025, priced at $1099 USD (Blaze 11), $899 USD (Blaze 8), and $69.99 USD (Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller).
No Z2 Steam Deck 2, Confirms Valve
While the Nitro Blaze series utilizes the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 chipset, it missed out on AMD's newest Ryzen Z2 processors designed for gaming handhelds. AMD's promotional materials initially suggested future iterations of popular handhelds, including the Steam Deck, would incorporate this new technology.
However, Valve clarified that a Z2-powered Steam Deck is not in development. A Valve developer, Pierre-Loup Griffais, stated on Bluesky that the promotional slide was likely a general representation of the Ryzen Z2's target market, not a specific product announcement.
This doesn't rule out a future Steam Deck 2, but Valve indicates a significant, next-generation upgrade will be required before its release.
