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As part of a large IFA launch, Acer has introduced the Nitro Blaze 7 as its first handheld gaming PC.
The brand new device mates its namesake 7-inch 1080p, 144Hz touchscreen with an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS chip to deliver solid performance for the size. Acer claims it can handle “AAA titles,” although the integrated Radeon 780M graphics won’t beat most dedicated GPUs.
Software also plays a role. An Acer Game Space app sits on top of Windows 11 to help you run games from multiple services, including Microsoft’s PC Game Pass.
Acer hasn’t shared the estimated battery life from the 50Wh power pack, but the handheld has 16GB of RAM as well as a maximum 2TB of SSD storage. There’s a microSD slot if you need more room.
The Nitro Blaze 7 price and release date are unavailable as of this writing, but we’d expect launches in the US and Europe.
Acer is coming relatively late to the handheld gaming PC arena. It faces competition that includes Valve’s Steam Deck OLED, ASUS’ ROG Ally X, Lenovo’s Legion Go, and MSI’s Claw. While the recent Ryzen processor might give it an edge in some cases, its real-life performance and longevity haven’t been tested. The Ally X has an 80Wh battery, so Acer stands to lose on that front.
Pricing might be the deciding factor. While the Ally X is powerful, it also costs $800. The Steam Deck OLED, for context, sits at $650. Acer might need to undercut at least some of these alternatives if it’s going to draw many gamers.
