Hands-on with the Nitro Blaze 11, Acer’s massive new PC gaming handheld

The PC handheld house continues to develop, and the largest of all is Acer’s new Nitro Blaze 11. As quickly as I noticed it introduced at CES, I knew I needed to attempt to get it in my palms, at the very least for the sheer curiosity of “Will this factor even match in my palms?” The reply is sure — although type of simply barely.

I introduced a Steam Deck OLED with me for a fast dimension and really feel comparability. One of many first issues I seen is that it’s rather more precarious to choose up the Blaze 11 the way in which I’m used to grabbing the Steam Deck: by gripping it on the highest and backside edges. My fingers simply barely stretch far sufficient for this place. As soon as in hand, the two.3-pound Blaze 11 really feels lighter than you’d count on, making it not too unwieldy in case you do most of your “transportable” gaming at residence on the sofa like I do. (Taking part in it in mattress could also be a hazard to your face.)

Whereas the Blaze 11 isn’t as heavy as I feared, the Steam Deck OLED’s 1.41 kilos really feel like a featherweight as compared. The Deck additionally feels slightly extra solidly constructed. Acer’s handheld isn’t flimsy, but it surely did appear cheaper.

However credit score the place credit score’s due: enjoying video games on such a giant display in your palms is a deal with, and the kickstand felt stable for propping it up in pill mode with indifferent controllers, which the Steam Deck can’t do. Acer additionally will get factors for utilizing Corridor impact sticks and triggers.

Perhaps if we at some point get 13- or 14-inch handhelds, a Steam Deck will have the ability to match inside the display itself.

The Steam Deck OLED’s display is 7.4 inches, in comparison with the ten.95 inches of the Blaze 11.

I solely held the Blaze 11 for a short while, however I can say I did discover the Steam Deck extra ergonomic.

Acer’s launcher seems and feels a bit spartan. It sits atop Home windows, whereas Valve’s SteamOS is Linux-based.

I don’t know what these pins on the underside of the Blaze 11 are, however I’ve reached out to Acer to seek out out.

The highest of the Blaze 11 has twin USB 4 ports, a USB-A 3.2 port, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm headset jack.

Don’t discuss to me or my son ever once more.

The rear seems like a wall of black plastic.

The Blaze 11 has removable controllers and a kickstand, which the Steam Deck doesn’t.

The Blaze 11’s pill mode. With a display this large, it really appears pretty usable on this configuration.

A handheld this large isn’t more likely to be one thing you tackle the street very a lot.

Pictures by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge