There's a Nintendo Switch-style PC gaming handheld in town – I want one already

I sometimes forget how long ago the Nintendo Switch first launched to market. It was a landmark moment in gaming history, ushering in a whole new era of handheld gaming. Since, there have been a wide variety of handheld gaming PCs built around a familiar yet different blueprint — such as the Valve Steam Deck — and now there’s a new player in town, with a new 7-inch handheld. 

The Acer Nitro Blaze 7 is the Taiwan-based company’s first handheld gaming PC, designed to give you top-notch gaming experiences on the go. It’s powered by AMD’s Ryzen 8040 series paired with 16GB RAM, putting the aged Nintendo Switch hardware on the back foot — and I want one of these Acer handhelds already!

I know, it’s like comparing apples to oranges: after all, Nintendo’s intellectual property is its key selling point, with droves of incredible first-party games that set it apart from any PC distinction; but on the flip side of that, I’d love a Nitro Blade 7 to play Diablo IV on long-haul flights, for example. I might even have to make twice as much space to carry two gaming handhelds with me in my hand luggage. 

The 7-inch format is spot-on for gaming handhelds in my view, just the right pitch of portable yet sharp enough to see without difficulty. And the Acer has chosen a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution panel with a gamer-friendly 144Hz refresh rate. There’s even AMD FreeSync Premium technology to get the smoothest matching of frame-rates to that fast-refresh panel. 

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While the Nitro Blaze 7 might not compare to the best gaming laptops, which cost several thousands to purchase, it’s still a mighty capable machine that doesn’t need to be plugged in to deliver its strengths. And being free from the power cord is such a godsend sometimes. 

The Nitro Blaze 7 runs Microsoft Windows 11, so managing your library of games should be simple. And with plenty of top-drawer specs — 2TB storage, built-in speakers, a 3.5mm headphones jack, and even 65W fast-charging via the two USB-C ports — this gaming handheld sounds like a little dream. 

It’s also only 670g, which is about the weight of three of the best flagship phones right now, and far less than one of the best lightweight laptops, so I think that sounds like an ideal portable gaming machine. T

here’s no word on pricing or availability just yet, though, but I suspect Acer will want to be mega-competitive in this space — which has seen growth from many competitors in recent years.

So, no, I’m not hanging up my Nintendo Switch OLED just yet by any means, but bring on the Nitro Blaze 7 for some warranted added entertainment…