This is what the merger between a tablet and a Steam Deck gives

As the portable console market explodes, Acer releases its Nitro Blaze. With a unique 11-inch model, the manufacturer pushes the limits of nomadic gaming.

The XXL format: innovation or madness?

With its Nitro Blaze 11, Acer dares the unthinkable: a portable console with a screen of almost 11 inches. A format that stands out compared to the 7 inches of the Steam Deck or the 8 inches of the ROG Ally.

The WQXGA (2560 x 1600 pixels) display offers image quality that should be sharp, bolstered by a 120Hz refresh rate and 500 nits brightness. But this choice has a price: 1050 grams on the scale. That's almost double the Steam Deck (669g). A mass that questions the very notion of “portable”.

The little 8.8-inch sister is more reasonable with its 720 grams, while retaining interesting characteristics such as a 144 Hz screen.

Raw power on tap

Under the hood, Acer doesn't skimp on performance. Both models include an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor with 8 cores and 16 threadscapable of climbing up to 5.1 GHz. The graphics part is provided by an AMD Radeon 780M, supported by 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM at 7500 MT/s. A muscular configuration which promises to run the latest AAAs without flinching, it's a shame not to take advantage of the new Z2 Extreme.

Interesting feature: the emphasis on AI with 39 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second) available. A power that could be used to improve gaming performance, even if Acer remains discreet about concrete applications. This will be more useful for Copilot, and it is a plus compared to the Ryzen Z2 without an NPU.

Unlike its competitors, the Nitro Blaze 11 offers detachable controllers, reminiscent of the Nintendo Switch approach. A choice that reinforces its versatility: portable console, gaming tablet, even mini-living room PC with its integrated support. The Acer Game Space interface promises to centralize access to games and different platforms under Windows 11.

The connectivity is generous with USB 4, USB 3.2 and Wi-Fi 6E. The storage can increase up to 2 TB in PCIe Gen 4 SSD, enough to install a nice library of games.

Priced from €999 for the 8-inch model (price of the 11-inch model to come), the Nitro Blaze is positioned in the premium segment. A consistent positioning given the technical characteristics, but which puts it in direct competition with sure values ​​like the Steam Deck OLED or the ROG Ally.