PC Handheld pricing is getting out of control. Let’s get that out of the way. Acer unveiled its new insane 11-inch Nitro Blaze 11 gaming handheld alongside its 8.8-inch Nitro Blaze 8 at CES 2025. The company chose to call its 11-inch the ultimate portable all-rounder.
As shared by The Verge, Acer unveiled their new 11-inch handheld today. Acer boasts it’s an ultimate portable all-rounder but at just over a kilogram (2.34lbs) it’s definitely not something you can easily toss in your backpack. It’s worth mentioning that there are three variants of the Nitro Blaze: the 7-inch, 8.8-inch and 11-inch.
The 11-inch is a heavy hitter but doesn’t seem to have the battery to match. It features the same battery as the 8.8-inch. Acer claims it’s for weight considerations but at over a kilogram, very few people are going to be using it as a handheld. It’s more likely going to become a tabletop companion.
Nitro Blaze 11 Rapid fire specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 with 780M Radeon Graphics
- RAM: 16GB of LPDDR5X (7500MT/s)
- Storage: 512GB – 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD
- Battery: 55WH
- Weight: 1.05KG
- Screen: WQXGA 10.95inch 2560×1600 120Hz
- OS: Windows 11
- Controllers: Detachable controllers
The stats for the Acer Nitro Blaze 8 are largely similar. Aside from the screen and weight. The screen is also a WQXGA 2560×1600 display but 8.8 inches with a refresh rate of 144Hz. The Nitro Blaze 8 also weighs 720g (1.6 lbs), so it is significantly lighter than its big brother.
The behemoth comes with an alarming price, roughly $100 per inch of screen. According to initial reports, the Nitro Blaze 11 will set you back $1100. That’s one of the most expensive handhelds from a well-known name brand. The Nitro Blaze 8 will reportedly cost $900. Fortunately, both variants come with 3 months of Game Pass so purchasers will have immediate access to a wide variety of games. There’s no report on battery life but one can’t help but wonder how poorly the 11 will perform with its hardware.
The sad thing is that pricing a handheld at this point makes it unobtainable for a lot of people. It also contributes to the handheld price-creep that’s currently plaguing the market. Dedicated handheld gaming is becoming less and less accessible. Acer already announced their 7-inch handheld, a slightly cheaper offering, but it does a poor job of achieving affordability.
