Acer Unveils Giant 11-Inch Nitro Blaze Gaming Handheld at CES 2025
Acer has redefined "portable" gaming with the Nitro Blaze 11, a behemoth 10.95-inch handheld gaming device showcased at CES 2025. Alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller, Acer is targeting a new segment of the mobile gaming market.
Both Blaze models boast impressive specs: a WQXGA touchscreen (up to 144Hz), 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 foldable, portable design. A three-month PC Game Pass subscription is included with purchase. 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 OLED (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). 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 controller) will 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 handheld gaming. 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 has definitively stated that a "Z2 Steam Deck" is not in development. Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified on Bluesky that the promotional slide likely represented the Ryzen Z2's broader applicability to handheld gaming, not specific device plans.
This doesn't rule out a future Steam Deck 2; Valve confirms its intention to release a successor, but only after a substantial, next-generation upgrade.
