The Consumer Electronics Show is taking place this week in Las Vegas, and you know what that means: impractical tech announcements out the wazoo (and, like, three things that are actually cool). Among the former is Acer’s new Nitro Blaze 11 gaming handheld, which has a 10.95-inch screen. I love a gleaming, glorious window into the digital realm as much as the next guy, but I’m sorry: That’s too big.
I submit just one piece of evidence: the above picture. That should be enough, because look at it! My man is studying Balatro hands on a device five times the size of his own. He’s attempting a Hades II run while explaining to a child that the whole world is “thiiiiiiiiiiiis big.” He’s playing the Tony Hawk remasters on a surface he could attach wheels to and use as a skateboard.
This is a handheld only in the technical sense; it does indeed require hands to hold, but probably many more than you or I actually possess. Like any member of our exceedingly exhausted species, I enjoy playing my Steam Deck while lying down in bed. Due to the width of that device, however, my wrists, elbows, and shoulders tend to tap out after an hour or so. Imagine trying to use the Nitro Blaze 11 in that scenario. You’d succumb to cramps you didn’t even know your body could produce in seconds.
At the very least, the Nitro Blaze 11 includes a built-in kickstand and detachable controllers, but that merely gestures at the problem. It does not solve it. If you're mainly planning to perch this thing atop another surface and play it from a couch or a chair, you do not want a handheld; you're looking for a console or gaming PC, both of which you likely already have if you're the kind of person who'd considering buying a device like this for the low, low price of $1,099.99.
I’m guessing that Acer – which also announced the 8.8-inch Nitro Blaze 8 – is testing the limits here or engaging in a full-on marketing stunt, the kind which companies lean on during CES to stand out among a crowded convention hall. Either way, take it from me, somebody who plays almost everything on handhelds despite owning a pretty decent gaming PC: too big.
