Acer Unveils Colossal 11-Inch Handheld at CES

Acer Unveils Giant Nitro Blaze 11 Gaming 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. Joining it is the smaller Nitro Blaze 8, and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller.

Nitro Blaze 11: A 10.95-Inch Gaming Beast

Both Blaze models boast impressive specs: WQXGA touchscreens with up to 144Hz refresh rates, AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processors paired with AMD Radeon 780M GPUs, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and 2TB SSD storage. Acer promises "top-tier performance and versatile features" in a foldable, portable package, complete with three months of PC Game Pass. The key difference? Screen size – the Blaze 8 features an 8.8-inch display.

However, the Nitro Blaze 11's substantial 1050g weight is a notable consideration. This contrasts sharply with lighter competitors like the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). While the Blaze 8, at 720g, is heavier than the Switch, it's comparable to other high-performance handheld PCs such as the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.

All three devices (Blaze 11, Blaze 8, and the controller) will be available in Q2 2025, priced at $1099, $899, and $69.99 respectively.

No Z2 Steam Deck 2, Confirms Valve

Interestingly, while the Nitro Blaze series utilizes the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 chipset, it missed the opportunity to incorporate AMD's latest Ryzen Z2 processors, designed specifically for handheld gaming devices. AMD's promotional materials featured the Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally, and Steam Deck, suggesting future iterations might adopt this new technology.

However, Valve definitively quashed rumors of a Z2-powered Steam Deck 2. Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified on Bluesky that a Z2 Steam Deck is not in development. He suggested the AMD slide likely represented the broader applicability of the Z2 series to the handheld gaming market.

This doesn't rule out a future Steam Deck 2, but Valve indicates it will require a significant, next-generation upgrade before its release.