Acer's Nitro Blaze Link handheld wants to take on the Logitech G Cloud

Acer has announced a new handheld, and while it falls under its Nitro Blaze line of gaming handhelds, this device doesn't run Windows. As a matter of fact, it runs Linux, and its specs are similar to what we would find on cheap Android handhelds. While that might be surprising, the use case — which is for streaming games from your more powerful computer — sort of justifies why its specs are a far cry from those of the other Nitro Blaze handhelds.

Called the Acer Nitro Blaze Link, the handheld has a 7-inch touch display with a 1920 × 1200 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. The display is the same size as that of the Logitech G Cloud, but Acer's handheld has a higher resolution. There's no mention of a high refresh rate, so it is presumed the display refreshes at 60Hz.

Although the official product page doesn't say, Videocardz reports that the Nitro Blaze Link has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of eMMC storage. There's no mention of a microSD card slot and we didn't spot one in any of the images. It is also reported to have a single-cell 18Wh battery that charges at 15W.

With respect to its look, the display is flanked on the left by a thumbstick, a D-pad, and two buttons (Home and Back). There's another thumbstick on the right, alongside the ABXY buttons, a mute button, and a Start button. The top of the Nitro Blaze Link is home to the power and volume buttons, and a USB-C port, while the bottom houses an audio jack.

The handheld has stacked shoulder and trigger buttons. It also features dual front-facing 2W speakers. The back has ergonomic grips, and Acer says that the handheld's 464-gram weight is easy to carry and comfortable to hold for long gaming sessions. 

Acer says the Nitro Blaze Link has Wi-Fi 6 for low-latency streaming from a laptop or PC. Videocardz mentions that the handheld ships with Sunshine and Moonlight software for game streaming. Acer hasn't revealed pricing details for the Nitro Blaze Link, but it is scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter of the year.