Acer is entering the handheld market and is targeting enthusiasts right away. The prototype of the Nitro Blaze 7 made a good impression at IFA
Acer’s new Nitro Blaze 7 gaming handheld, which I was able to try out at IFA, is due to be released later this year.
But it is not yet known exactly when the device running on Windows 11 will be available.
At IFA, there was only a prototype model on display, which is already at a very advanced stage of development, but should by no means be regarded as the final version.
But even if it was – the little powerhouse that lay comfortably in my hand already looked very presentable. You can find out why now.
The screen is already impressive
The seven-inch Full HD touchscreen alone is impressive. It has a decent 500 nit brightness and a frame rate of 144 hertz. It is therefore aimed at enthusiasts.
The extent to which this high frame rate can be operated by a mobile system and whether it makes any sense at all from a gaming perspective to play shooters that benefit from such frame rates using a controller joystick leaves room for discussion.
Power-saving AMD internals
The inner workings of the Nitro Blaze 7 are not particularly surprising AMD as far as the eye can see, although most of the other Acer devices unveiled at IFA on the same day make the switch to Intel
I was unfortunately unable to find out from the presenters whether this was due to the development time or whether the new, surprisingly energy-efficient Intel chip is too power-hungry for a handheld after all.
The technical data at a glance:
- CPU:AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS with 38 TOPs
- GPU:Radeon 780M
- Memory:16 GB LPDDR5x (7.5 Ghz)
- Moniotor:Freesync-compatible touchscreen, 144 Hertz, 1080p, 500 nit
- Ports:2x USB-C port at 40 Gbps
- Storage:NVMe storage replaceable (Gen 4, up to 2 TB), MicroSD card slot
In order to keep power consumption low, an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS is installed in the chassis. Graphical advantages are provided by a Radeon 780M chip, which taps into a total of 16.0 GB of RAM
In a theoretical comparison under ideal conditions (i.e. in a laptop environment with a 50 watt power supply), this graphics chip achieves around three times the performance of the GPU used by the Steam Deck.
In practice, however, this could look very different with a greatly reduced power supply, so it is not yet possible to make a reliable prediction.We will have to wait for benchmarks. The fact that Horizon: Zero Dawn ran smoothly in the exhibition halls gives us hope
Two and a half hours of gaming timeat full power is promised by Acer, whereby the runtime can be extended with the help of a power-saving mode. A push of a button on the top of the device is all it takes to set three levels, 10 watts, 20 watts or 30 watts to be precise.
If the travel companion does require power, it must be operated via a USB-C socket at up to 65 watts, whereby two sockets have been installed – one at the top and one at the bottom.
This enables charging via the most convenient current access as well as a simultaneously usable USB-C screenshare function.
Handy and nice to hold
Since the prototype shown has not yet been finalized, statements about the feel should be taken with a grain of salt. However, I found the device to be very grippy in its current state
- Not least because a rough surface on the sides prevented unintentional slipping. All controls are well positioned and responsive.
- I particularly liked the reverb effect analog sticks thanks to their generous range of movement and comfortable concave thumb recesses.
- Only the directional pad still felt a little stiff. I found it difficult to control diagonal directions, so it almost felt like a four-way pad, even though it’s an eight-way pad.
This will certainly change, especially since Acer’s Nitro Blaze 7 focuses on comfort in every other respect
- The Acer Game Space app is designed to pack all installed games from all marketplacesinto a clearly arranged menu, regardless of whether they come from the Steam Store or the Xbox marketplace. Practical if you fill the removable SSD memory to the brim with games.
- A plug-in module with up to two terabytes of NVMe Gen 4 storage can be installed via the rear.
- If that’s not enough for you, Microsoft’s PC Game Pass can help. Three months of the subscription are included as a bonus with the purchase
It’s still too early for a meaningful verdict. We will find out whether Nitro Blaze 7 can prove itself as a Steam Deck competitor when the first models go on sale – especially as its acceptance is also a question of price
However, the prototype looks promising and, above all, valuable.
