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 device. Alongside its smaller sibling, the Nitro Blaze 8, and the new Nitro Mobile Gaming Controller, Acer showcased impressive power in a surprisingly large form factor.

Both Blaze models boast identical high-end specs: a WQXGA touchscreen display (up to 144Hz), an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor paired with an AMD Radeon 780M GPU, 16GB LPDDR5x RAM, and a substantial 2TB SSD. Acer promises "cutting-edge performance" and "immersive visuals" in a portable, foldable 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.

However, the Blaze 11's considerable size comes at a cost – it weighs a hefty 1050g, significantly heavier than competitors like the Steam Deck (approx. 640g) and Nintendo Switch (approx. 297g). The Blaze 8, at 720g, is still heavier than many but aligns with other high-performance handhelds such as 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

While the Nitro Blaze series utilizes the powerful AMD Ryzen 7 chipset, it missed the opportunity to incorporate AMD's latest Ryzen Z2 processors, designed for high-performance handhelds. AMD's marketing materials initially suggested future iterations of devices like the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally would feature this new chip.

However, Valve definitively stated there are no plans for a "Z2 Steam Deck." Valve coder Pierre-Loup Griffais clarified on Bluesky that the marketing slide was likely a general representation of the Z2's target market, not 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 justifies its development.