While it feels safe to say that the Steam Deck is the most popular PC gaming handheld, we’ve also seen plenty of love for the Legion Go. It offers something relatively unique in the handheld space. For example, comparing the Steam Deck vs Legion Go, Lenovo’s handheld boasts a larger 8.8″ screen, higher 2560 x 1600 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and detachable controllers.

And now, at CES 2025, Acer has revealed a pair of new Nitro Blaze handhelds; the Blaze 8 and Blaze 11. This follows up on the original Nitro Blaze 7 which was unveiled back in September last year. What we’re particularly interested in is the massive Blaze 11 model, especially as it shares some features that previously made the Legion Go a unique pick.

Acer Nitro Blaze 11 is like a bigger Legion Go

Thanks to Acer’s press release for the new handhelds, we can take a closer look at what you get for your money. Focusing on the Blaze 11, the realization that it will set you back at least $1,099 (or €1,199 in Europe) is tough to stomach. Let’s see how the specs shape up.

Looking at the specs, we can see that it shares the same native resolution and integrated graphics as the Legion Go, so it’s safe to speculate that gaming performance will be relatively similar. On top of that, it has a slightly lower refresh rate (120Hz) and weighs just over a kilogram; the 8.8″ Legion Go weighs 854 grams with the controllers attached in comparison. Speaking of, the detachable controllers are one of the biggest links to the Go, especially since we’ve seen them demonstrated so well in games like Black Ops 6.

Yes, the Blaze 11 boasts a massive 10.95″ display and will certainly be a great choice if you appreciate the extra screen space. However, as a truly portable handheld device, it does seem a little overzealous and we’d argue that the price tag makes it hard to justify for many consumers looking to pick up a new handheld. There are many reasons why the Steam Deck is so popular, and its budget-friendly price tag is one of those strengths.

Battery life is another fiercely-discussed topic and the Blaze 11 has just a 55Wh battery, which is not a whole lot better than the Legion Go’s 49.2Wh. Right now, the ASUS ROG Ally X leads the pack with 80Wh, and you can grab one of those for around $800 these days for the longest-lasting handheld experience. We’re also waiting to see how Ryzen Z2 processors will solve the battery life issue in future handhelds. For now, it feels like the Blaze 11 isn’t doing enough to tackle this issue.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.