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

Acer redefined "portable gaming" at CES 2025 with the launch of the Nitro Blaze 11, a behemoth of a handheld boasting a massive 10.95-inch display. Its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller also debuted.

Both Blaze models share impressive specs: WQXGA touchscreens (up to 144Hz refresh rate), 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 Nitro 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 the controller) will be available 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 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 technology.

However, Valve definitively stated there are no plans for a "Z2 Steam Deck." Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified on Bluesky that the promotional slide was likely a general representation of the Ryzen Z2's applicability to the handheld gaming market.

This doesn't rule out a future Steam Deck 2; Valve confirmed its intention to release a successor, but only after a substantial, next-generation upgrade.