It’s been a while since the launch of the Nitro Blaze 7, Acer’s own contender in the handheld PC gaming market. While it was a capable device, it didn’t really carry the weight of Acer’s “Predator” series, its dedicated gaming line. That all changes today though with the debut of the Predator Atlas 8, a new handheld which packs some serious hardware.
As such, the Atlas 8 is one of the first devices powered by Intel’s Arc G3 and the more powerful Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor. On the graphics side, the device is also available with Intel’s Arc B370 and Arc B390 integrated graphics, which bring hardware ray tracing and Intel XeSS 3 AI-powered upscaling. Acer also offers up to 24 GB of ultra-fast LPDDR5x memory and up to 1 TB of storage via a full-sized PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD slot.
In front, the Predator Atlas an 8-inch WUXGA IPS touchscreen with a 1920 x 1200 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio, complete with a 120Hz refresh rate; there’s also Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for a bit of added durability against scratches and potential cracks. Of course, you get a full suite of controls as with most other handhelds these days.
Additionally, you’re getting Wi-Fi 7 BE1775s and Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity, in addition to a pair of Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-bandwidth accessories and external GPUs, a 3.5 mm audio combo jack, and a high-speed UHS-II microSD card reader that supports up to SD 4.0 formats.
The handheld does feature a built-in cooling system with Acer’s Vortex Flow setup, which uses a dual-fan array featuring a plastic fan alongside a specialized Predator AeroBlade metal fan to maximize internal airflow. Powering this entire setup is an 80Wh, 4-cell lithium-ion battery which will last a decent amount of time before needing to recharge.
The Predator Atlas 8will be available in North America, EMEA, and Australia starting in October this year, although Acer hasn’t specified any pricing details at the moment. The device will also come bundled with three months of PC Game Pass and two months of XBOX Game Pass Premium.
