Last week for its latest Next@Acer press conference in Berlin, Acer unveiled its first handheld gaming console in the form of the Nitro Blaze 7.
It enters a market which has in recent years seen a number of traditional PC and laptop makers now add a new form factor to the mix when it comes to their respective gaming hardware lineups.
We were on hand during said Next@Acer press conference, and while we got some hands-on time with the Nitro Blaze 7, another aspect of the device’s unveiling piqued our interest a little more than just the components which power it. We’re talking here of the naming convention.
Anyone familiar with Acer products, knows that it has a dedicated portfolio of high-powered gaming devices under the Predator moniker. As for Nitro, it seems somewhere between hardcore and casual gaming, so what does that mean for the Blaze 7 and the experience that consumers can expect from the new handheld.
We spoke with Acer’s associate VP for EMEA, Valerie Piau, for a bit more insight into the naming of the new device, as well as what players can expect from it, along with where the company’s gaming ambitions lie for a market like South Africa.
When it comes to the Nitro Blaze 7 and why it has not been christened the Predator Blaze 7, the reasoning is rather simple, and ultimately boils down to the existing industry partnerships that Acer has when it comes to different types of hardware.
“The reality is that with the Predator brand we have always partnered with Intel. If you look at our entire lineup, we usually keep Intel, and of course the Blaze 7 comes with AMD, so the logic is to keep it with the Nitro brand,” she explained.
When asked whether South Africans will be able to experience the Blaze 7, Piau was not able to give a definitive yes or no, but did mention that closer to the time, more details would be forthcoming.
“Q4 is the launch time. We know it’s a long period, but Q4 is when we are planning the announcement,” she confirmed.
Shifting focus more to South Africa, when asked what Acer products are performing well locally, Piau pointed to a handful of devices that are designed to offer great value for money, with it clear that there is an alignment between the brand and local consumers on that front.
“I think the Aspire Lite is doing very well, because there is of course a search from South African customers for value for money. There is a real search for the right price point in South Africa, so I would say we are very successful with Aspire Lite,” Piau pointed out.
“Then I think the same as everywhere else, we are doing well with Nitro and Predator for gaming,” she added.
Looking forward, and highlighting what device from Next@Acer that Piau is excited for local consumers to experience (outside of the Nitro Blaze 7), the associate VP pointed to a rather interesting pick.
“If you have to ask me in terms of innovation, of course, the Dual Play is the best of the best, but for me, I like the Nitro V 14 in the White chassis,” said Piau.
“It was the demand, and the request for a different way of approaching gaming, as in the past we only had Nitro and Predator in Black, but this Nitro V 14 is covering a certain price point, and it can be your device that you use for work during the day and play in the evening, so I like the idea and the research for combining play and work aspects,” she concluded.
