Acer's Massive 11-Inch Handheld Exposed at CES 2025

Acer Unveils Giant 11-Inch Nitro Blaze Gaming Handheld at CES 2025

Acer redefined "portable gaming" at CES 2025 with the Nitro Blaze 11, a colossal 10.95-inch handheld gaming powerhouse. Alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller, Acer showcased impressive specs.

Both Blaze models boast WQXGA touch displays (up to 144Hz), an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, AMD Radeon 780M graphics, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and a 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? Screen size – the Blaze 8 features an 8.8-inch display.

However, the Blaze 11's substantial 1050g weight is a notable consideration. This contrasts sharply with the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). While the Blaze 8, at 720g, is comparable to competitors like the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.

All three devices launch in Q2 2025, priced at $1099 (Blaze 11), $899 (Blaze 8), and $69.99 (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 latest Ryzen Z2 processors designed for gaming 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 new technology.

However, Valve definitively stated there are no plans for a Z2 Steam Deck. Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified on Bluesky that a previously circulated slide was misinterpreted, implying the Ryzen Z2 series is for gaming handhelds in general, not specifically a Steam Deck 2.

While a Steam Deck 2 remains a possibility, Valve emphasized it requires a significant, next-generation upgrade before its release.