Computex 2026: Acer Debuts Next-Gen Intel And AMD Laptops, A Streaming Handheld, And More
Acer Nitro Blaze Link
Surprisingly, the Acer Nitro Blaze Link cloud/remote play PC gaming handheld is not the only new Acer handheld. In addition to this more budget-oriented offering, Acer is also set to release the Predator Atlas 8 sometime this October, which flaunts Intel's new Arc G-Series SoCs based on Panther Lake. But with that in mind, what does the Acer Nitro Blaze Link have to offer?
Nitro Blaze Link is billed as a streaming-first handheld and companion device intended to extend the reach of your existing gaming PC setup. It leverages a 7-inch WUXGA touchscreen, weighs only 464 grams (only 1.02 lbs for my fellow Americans,) and should be a strong companion for cloud gaming and in-home streaming alike.
Unlike other prominent cloud gaming handhelds, including Logitech G Cloud and PlayStation Portal, the Nitro Blaze Link also features Wi-Fi 6 instead of Wi-Fi 5, which potentially allow for even lower latencies and better streaming quality. While pricing has yet to be announced, the handheld is expected for release in North America in Q4 of this year.
It wouldn't be an Acer gaming showcase without a peek at its latest and greatest laptops, and the Intel offering is looking particularly premium this year. Meet the Acer Predator Helios 18 AI. The top-end kits will be spec'd with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 laptop GPU, and up to 256GB of RAM and 6TB of storage...though reasonably, we doubt even the most performance-hungry gamers will go that extreme.
The Helios 18 AI leverages an 18-inch mini LED 4K WQUXGA (3840x2400) display rated for 100% DCI-P3 coverage, Calman Verified color accuracy, and up to 1,000 nits of brightness in HDR. Like we've seen with an ever-growing market of high-end monitors, it'll also allow for switching between a lower-resolution Full HD 1080p mode at 240Hz or a higher-resolution 4K mode at 120Hz.
Acer Predator Helios 18 AI will be available in North America and EMEA regions starting in August, and in Australia in Q4 2026. Starting price will be announced at a later date.
The AMD-powered Acer Nitro 16 is a more mid-range laptop, but still capable, based on the specs. Acer's focus with this laptop is value-oriented gaming performance, flaunting up to an AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D CPU with 2nd-gen 3D V-Cache technology, as well as discrete graphics up to a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.
With AMD X3D CPUs being rightfully-praised for their great gaming performance and the WQXGA (2560x1600) display rated for up to 240Hz, the flexibility for a great esports experience is very much present here. While the display doesn't seem to be on the same tier as the Helios 18 AI's and is likely standard IPS rather than mini LED, it does still offer 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, which should provide a suitably-vibrant picture for a high-performance gaming laptop.
The maximum supported RAM spec of up to 32GB DDR5 RAM, as well as up to 2TB NVMe storage (1TB per drive slot), is also more humble than the Helios 18 AI, but that's likely a good thing considering current market conditions.
Acer's also unveiling a bunch of gaming monitors, one of which will appeal to anyone with a fascination for modern glasses-free 3D display, Predator XB273K 3D. On paper, it's an impressive piece of hardware, flaunting a 27-inch 4K IPS panel rated for up to 180Hz with 400 nits brightness and 95% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. The Predator 273K 3D will be available in North America in Q4 of 2026 at a price point of $1,299.99 USD.
For those not interested in glasses-free 3D but still yearning for a high-end Acer gaming display, the Predator X34 F1 is a 34-inch WQHD QD-OLED model with a 360Hz refresh rate, 1,300 nits brightness, 1800R curvature, and G-SYNC compatibility for $1,099.99. It is also scheduled for a Q4 2026 release.
Rounding things out is Acer's HL6820GTV, a 4K UHD laser projector with an embedded Google TV dongle and, most importantly for gamers, variable refresh rate (VRR) support. As a fan of gaming-grade projectors, the HL6820GTV looks like a real treat, offering 240Hz at 1080p output with an estimated 1ms latency. 4K output is capped to 14 Hz, but since VRR support is also limited to 144Hz, that may be preferable for this particular piece of kit.
In any case, it looks particularly versatile, and should be a viable gaming projector pick at the right price point. Unfortunately, there is no confirmed release date for North America. It will be coming to EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) regions in Q3 of this year starting at €1399 Euros, which is around $1,630 in U.S. currency.
For more information on what Acer is getting up to inside and outside of gaming hardware, including new Copilot+ notebooks and AIO PCs as well as TravelMate laptop and even tablets, be sure to check out Acer's blog for more information.
