Acer Unveils Its First Handheld Gaming PC: The Nitro Blaze 7

Key points

Acer introduces the Nitro Blaze 7, its first handheld gaming PC.

Equipped with an 8th-gen AMD Ryzen 7 processor and up to 2TB of storage.

Pricing and release date are still unknown.

Acer has entered the handheld gaming PC market with the introduction of the Nitro Blaze 7, revealed during their big IFA launch. This device features a 7-inch 1080p display with a 144Hz refresh rate, powered by an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS chip. According to Acer, it’s capable of running AAA games, though its integrated Radeon 780M graphics may not compete with high-end dedicated GPUs.

The Nitro Blaze 7 also comes with Acer’s Game Space app, designed to help users manage games from various services, including Microsoft’s PC Game Pass, all on top of Windows 11. It offers 16GB of RAM and can be equipped with up to 2TB of SSD storage, with a microSD slot available for additional space.

While Acer hasn’t yet disclosed battery life, the Nitro Blaze 7 is powered by a 50Wh battery. In comparison, competitors like the ASUS ROG Ally X boast an 80Wh battery, which could give them an advantage in battery life.

Acer is a bit late to the handheld gaming PC scene, where it will face competition from devices like Valve’s Steam Deck OLED, ASUS’ ROG Ally X, Lenovo’s Legion Go, and MSI’s Claw. Although the Nitro Blaze 7’s modern Ryzen processor might offer some advantages, its real-world performance and durability have yet to be proven.

Pricing could be a crucial factor. The ROG Ally X is priced at $800, while the Steam Deck OLED goes for $650. To attract gamers, Acer might need to price the Nitro Blaze 7 competitively against these established options.