CES 2025 saw egregious and out-of-this-world tech, but one of the most show-stopping revelations here was from Acer who is now trying out their luck in the PC handheld world with the Nitro Blaze series. To be more precise, there are two models under this lineup, with the regular Nitro Blaze 8, but there is the Nitro Blaze 11 which redefined expanded display for portable gaming consoles with almost 11 inches of screen.
The Nitro Blaze 11 is already a handful with its massive screen alone, but there are also detachable controllers for either side of the handheld console, akin to the Lenovo Legion Go, Nintendo Switch, and more.
Acer Nitro Blaze 11 Is The Biggest PC Handheld There Is
Acer is now all about handhelds with their recent showcase via CES 2025, and according to the company, their Nitro Blaze lineup is enough to fulfill the experience for users who are craving PC handhelds. However, the biggest scene-stealer in their booth was the Nitro Blaze 11, a gigantic PC handheld device that features a 10.95-inch WQXGA IPS display that is unrivaled by others in the industry.
To scale, the Apple iPad Air's sixth generation with the M2 chip has two screen options of 11-inch or 13-inch variants. The 11-inch device already features a 10.9-inch display, which is almost similar to the Nitro Blaze 11, but Acer's gaming handheld still has detachable controllers its size.
Sadly, because of this massive development, the Nitro Blaze 11 is no longer pocketable, but the good thing is the smaller, regular-sized variant, the Nitro Blaze 8, offers a more portable version.
11-inch Display, Monster Battery Life, Performance
Acer's Nitro Blaze 11 also features impressive specs on paper, and its 19.95-inch screen features a 2560x1600 resolution, a.k.a. a 4K display, with an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS with 8 cores, AMD Ryzen AI with 39 AI TOPS, and AMD Radion 780M for graphics.
The Nitro Blaze 11 also features a 16GB LPDDR5X SDRAM, up to 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD, with 1 USB4 Type C port, 1 USB 3.2, 1 USB 2.2 Type-A, and a Micro SD card slot.
It also features Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E for connections, and a 55Wh battery with 100W of AC adapter charging, which Acer did not reveal its estimated screen time.
The Handheld Console Industry in Gaming
Valve and the Steam Deck may be the first to introduce a PC handheld gaming console, but many of its competitors and rivals soon followed the company to develop their take on this new form factor for the gaming experience. The company was followed by renowned rivals like AYANEO and ASUS ROG with their significant developments on handheld consoles, offering more intuitive features for users.
There is also another gaming console worth mentioning, and that is Lenovo's Legion GO handheld which puts its unique twist on the portable device, particularly as users may enjoy more from its controllers. Instead of the traditional handheld where users need to use it with console-style controls, Lenovo introduced various accessories to the peripherals to bring improved functions, with FPS games among those who benefit from the handheld.
Many companies are looking to catch up on the trend, with Acer, Microsoft's Xbox, and Sony's PlayStation among those who are speculated to deliver their new handhelds to compete with the already-established names in the industry. Acer finally unveiled its take on the portable consoles, but the company took it up a notch with the Nitro Blaze 11, now the largest and possibly most powerful with its impressive specs.
