There are only so many ways you can build a handheld console with two hands and 10 monkeys. When you look at it, the Acer Nitro Blaze 7 feels very familiar despite its race car aesthetic. I’ve finally had some real hands-on time with the latest in the growing lineup of small gaming PCs, and I’m left wondering how this handheld can compare to the Steam Deck OLED or Asus ROG Ally X. I worry that it could take the same, circular path MSI makes Claw.
It feels better in the hand than I thought it might based on the pictures alone. The grip fits well in the hand, and there are no hot spots in your palm at the rounded corners. The joysticks feel more fragile than the Lenovo Legion Go or the original Asus ROG Ally. They have more weight to them, like the Steam Deck OLED or the ROG Ally X. The triggers feel smooth around the curve of the fingers, and are a hall effect. The sticks, unfortunately, do not include Hall effect sensors.
There is a dedicated keyboard button for convenience, so there is no need for a shortcut. On the hand, the race car decals aren’t too distracting. Everything you need to hold hands is there, but that’s where things get weird. There are no back buttons to speak of. I asked Acer why they went that way, and the reps couldn’t say for sure. I don’t use the back buttons, but I know a lot of players who do.
Acer Game Space’s built-in software needs a lot of work. You can bring up the control panel to change other options, such as controlling VRR between 60 and 144 Hz refresh rates, setting AMD FSR, or turning on simple performance monitoring. There are no quick options to control TDP or fan speed. The launcher menu currently has only two tabs: games and launchers. That’s what you can choose from.
The software will hopefully improve before release. When is that, really? It is yet to be decided. Ditto with any types of pricing information or even if consumers will have different options for specifications at different price levels. The 2 TB storage option will certainly be more expensive, but Acer told me it will consider how it will compare to the high-end competition. While you can find some non-standard laptops from the likes of Ayaneo for $1,000 or more, the Ally X and MSI Claw are the more expensive offerings at $800 MSRP.
Apart from this, I am more concerned about performance. Instead of using an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme mobile processor like Asus or Lenovo, it chose the AMD Ryzen 8840HS. In all but name, it’s the same chip. I don’t know why Acer chose a Hawk Point specific chip, and the company didn’t have an answer for me when I asked.
Acer had two solid games running on its demo units. In Horizon Forbidden West, it was barely above 30 or 40 FPS on low settings. In the shadow of Tomb Raider, it was jumping between the top 45 and 50 in some places. Now, we have to remember that these handhelds were working continuously for hours. This was not the place for any kind of real benchmark. At the same time, Acer chose these games for its press demos. The company would be the first to know of any problems with its equipment
Apart from the VRR and above-average refresh rate, the display is almost standard. At high brightness, the screen is bright enough for a dark room, but the IPS LCD won’t compete with Valve’s OLED for viewing quality or the Legion Go’s large screen with a wide color gamut.
There is only a 50 Whr battery, which seems average, although it is small compared to the Ally X’s 80 Whr battery. It’s on par with the Steam Deck OLED, although that display screen is said to be more efficient, giving it a longer lifespan, which the Acer won’t benefit from. There is time for things to change, but it will be difficult to win the race if the rivals are too far away.
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