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. This giant joins its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the new Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller.

Both Blaze models share impressive specs: a WQXGA touchscreen (up to 144Hz), AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and a 2TB SSD. Acer promises "cutting-edge performance and immersive visuals" in a foldable, portable design. Buyers also receive a three-month PC Game Pass subscription. The key difference? Screen size; the Blaze 8 features an 8.8-inch display.

Portability comes with a trade-off: The Blaze 11 weighs a hefty 1050g, significantly more than competitors like the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). The Blaze 8, at 720g, is closer in weight to other PC handhelds such as the Lenovo Legion Go and Asus ROG Ally.

All three devices (Blaze 11, Blaze 8, and controller) are slated for release in Q2 2025, priced at $1099, $899, and $69.99 respectively.

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. Promotional slides from AMD initially suggested future iterations of devices like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally would incorporate this new technology.

However, Valve swiftly dispelled rumors of a "Steam Deck Z2," with Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarifying on Bluesky that a Z2-powered Steam Deck is not in development. He suggested the slide was a general representation of the Z2's application to handheld gaming, rather than a specific product announcement.

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