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

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

Acer has debuted its largest gaming handheld to date, the Nitro Blaze 11, alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, at CES 2025. Let's delve into the specs and impressive screen size.

The Nitro Blaze 11: A 10.95-Inch Behemoth

Acer redefines "portable" with the Nitro Blaze 11, boasting a substantial 10.95-inch display. This powerhouse, showcased alongside the Nitro Blaze 8 and the Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller, promises cutting-edge performance.

Both Blaze models share impressive hardware: WQXGA touch displays (up to 144Hz refresh rate), an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor paired with an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and a generous 2TB SSD. Expect immersive visuals and versatile features in a portable, foldable design. Buyers also receive a three-month PC Game Pass subscription. The key difference? The Nitro Blaze 8 features an 8.8-inch screen.

However, the Blaze 11's size comes at a cost: it weighs a hefty 1050g. This contrasts sharply with the Steam Deck OLED (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). While the Blaze 8 is also weighty at 720g, it's more comparable to other portable PC handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.

All three devices launch in Q2 2025, priced at $1099 USD (Blaze 11), $899 USD (Blaze 8), and $69.99 USD (Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller).

No Z2 Steam Deck 2, Confirms Valve

Interestingly, 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 handhelds like the Lenovo Legion Go, Asus ROG Ally, and Steam Deck would incorporate this new technology.

However, Valve, the creators of the Steam Deck, emphatically stated that "There is and will be no Z2 Steam Deck." Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified on Bluesky that a previously circulated slide was misinterpreted, intending to showcase the Z2's applicability to gaming handhelds in general, not specifically a Steam Deck 2.

This doesn't rule out a future Steam Deck 2; Valve confirms its development, but a significant, next-generation upgrade is required before its release.