Acer has entered the increasingly competitive PC gaming handheld market with its new Nitro Blaze 7, revealed at the IFA tech conference. This portable gaming device aims to challenge existing offerings from competitors like Asus and Lenovo.
Powerful Hardware in a Compact Package
At the heart of the Nitro Blaze 7 is an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor, part of the Ryzen 8040 series. This chip boasts 8 cores based on AMD's Zen 4 architecture and can reach clock speeds up to 5.1 GHz. The integrated AMD Radeon 780M GPU features 12 RDNA 3 compute units, promising solid gaming performance.
The handheld sports a 7-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) display with an impressive 144 Hz refresh rate, surpassing some competitors in this aspect. AMD FreeSync Premium technology is included to ensure smooth gameplay without screen tearing.
Familiar Design with Acer's Touch
The Nitro Blaze 7's design follows the established format of other Windows-based gaming handhelds. It features an Xbox-style control layout with offset joysticks and additional buttons near the screen and below the D-pad.
Acer has developed its own handheld-friendly interface called Game Space, which serves as a launcher designed to work with most gaming platforms while running on top of Windows 11.
Connectivity and Storage
The device includes two USB 4 ports for charging and connecting peripherals. Storage expansion is possible via a microSD card slot, complementing the built-in 2TB of storage. This ample storage capacity allows users to carry a substantial game library on the go.
Battery Life and Comparisons
The Nitro Blaze 7 is equipped with a 50.04 WHr battery, which is comparable to other handhelds like the Steam Deck OLED and slightly larger than the Lenovo Legion Go's battery. However, it falls short of the 80 WHr battery found in the premium Asus ROG Ally X.
Availability and Pricing
As of now, Acer has not announced a specific release date or pricing for the Nitro Blaze 7. These details are expected to be revealed in the near future as the company prepares to enter this competitive market segment.
The introduction of the Nitro Blaze 7 demonstrates Acer's commitment to expanding its gaming portfolio and capitalizing on the growing interest in portable PC gaming devices. As more details emerge, it will be interesting to see how this new entrant stacks up against established players in the handheld gaming PC space.