These days, the plethora of choices in PC gaming handhelds can be dizzying, but Acer aims to make a splash with its latest offerings: the Nitro Blaze 8 and Nitro Blaze 11. These devices boast some of the largest screens we’ve seen in the handheld gaming space, with the Blaze 8 featuring an 8.8-inch display and the Blaze 11 sporting a 10.95-inch one. Both models impress with a resolution of 2560 x 1600, and come with refresh rates of 144 Hz for the smaller version and 120 Hz for its larger sibling. So, there’s no doubt you’ll have plenty of pixels to enjoy.
However, while these dazzling displays are set to challenge the capabilities of today’s silicon with resource-hungry AAA titles, don’t expect groundbreaking tech under the hood. The Nitro Blazes are powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 8840HS CPU, alongside the same 780M GPU found in Asus’ ROG Ally. Therefore, it seems you may need to frequently lean on AMD’s upscaling technology to get the most out of this setup.
When it comes to battery prowess, the Acer devices feature a 55 Whr battery, which tops the original Ally’s 40 Whr and Steam Deck OLED’s 50 Whr, though it falls short of the beefier 80 Whr battery in the Ally X. Equipped with 16GB of RAM and storage of up to 2TB, both models offer touchscreens with a bright output of 500 nits. Acer also highlights the CPUs’ 39 AI TOPS, which might pique the interest of tech enthusiasts, but in terms of raw performance or battery longevity, the Nitros probably won’t break any new ground. Still, their larger format does set them apart.
Looking at the Blaze 11, it comes with detachable controllers, making it somewhat akin to a larger Lenovo Legion Go, minus the nifty built-in mouse sensor. Yet, without a dedicated cursor control, navigating through the Windows 11 Home interface might have you doing quite a bit of tapping and swiping outside the realms of Acer’s Game Space software.
You’d expect these bigger screens to translate into a bit more heft, and they do: the Nitro Blaze weighs in at a manageable 1.59 pounds, while the Blaze 11 is a heftier 2.31 pounds. After a quick hands-on experience, the Blaze 11 didn’t come across as overly bulky as some promotional photos might suggest, but it’s also not the easiest to tote around. That said, much like larger gaming laptops, it seems designed for home use, where you’ll likely have easy access to your USB-C charger.
A notable concern is battery life, especially given the energy draw from the larger, high-res screen. Nevertheless, if you’re mostly enjoying your games in a comfy setting at home, being near a power source probably won’t be a major challenge.
Looking ahead, Acer plans to make the Nitro Blaze 8 and Blaze 11 available in Q2, with pricing reflective of their screen sizes: starting at $899 for the 8-inch model and $1,099 for the 11-inch version.
