It won't launch in the US until next month, but the Acer Predator Atlas 8 just landed in the UK. The 8-inch gaming handheld is anything but a Steam Deck rival, as it'll provide your thumbs with TMR thumbsticks all while running games on a punchy Intel Arc G3 Extreme chipset for £1,300, and while I'd prefer cheaper options, it's nice to see the brand up its portable availbility.
Available for £1,299 at Currys, the Predator Atlas 8 isn't actually Acer's first best gaming handheld contender. That would technically be the 7-inch Nitro Blaze, but that portable pretty much failed to take permanent residence at retailers globally. That is to say, it had a sort of soft launch in the UK and Europe while practically skipping the US, but it looks like the Arc G3 Extreme model is looking to set things straight.
If you're in the US and have what should be around $1,700 to throw at Acer, the Predator Atlas 8 should hit your relevant retailers this October. The price tag is hard to stomach, and the premium portable party is getting a bit too busy for my liking. But, this 1TB / 24GB handheld does pull all the stops in terms of features, sprinkling in extras like those aforementioned TMR thumbsticks, adjustable triggers, and a beefy 80Wh battery.
Hitting the UK first before the US, the Acer Predator Atlas 8 with 24GB RAM and 1TB storage just made its debut. While the same model will likely be more expensive than the ROG XBOX Ally X20 when it arrives in the states, it's actually the same price as the 7.4-inch OLED handheld, meaning it could come down to whether you want extra vibrancy or a fresher Arc G3 Extreme chipset.
I'm not entirely sure any of those tricks truly justify the Predator Atlas 8's lofty price tag, nor do I think they're what's driving the MSRP. Ultimately, if cutting some of those perks brought things down to a more approachable price point, it'd make sense to dial things back, but reality is that you're paying over the odds for a capable chipset like the Intel Arc G3 Extreme, that 2GB RAM, and 1TB storage thanks to RAMageddon.
In truth, the extras are really a spoonful of sugar to help the MSRP medicine go down, and Acer isn't the only one taking a Mary Poppins approach to handheld PCs. Asus is gearing up the ROG Xbox Ally X20 in October too, and that model pretty much takes the ROG Xbox Ally X, drops in a 7.4-inch OLED display and TMR thumbsticks while coming in at $1,299, which is a chunk less than the estimated Predator Atlas 8 tag.
There's room to argue the X20's OLED display is worth an extra $300, but I do believe it's also there to mask some inflated component costs. You can still grab the ROG Xbox Ally X for $999.99 right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it finds itself either creeping up in price down the road or being replaced by the new version. Either way, the Xbox handheld is giving you a bigger perk in its display tech for less than Acer's alternative, especially if you're not fussed about a 0.4-inch difference in size.
Of course, that's ignoring the comparative performance of the X20's AMD Ryzen Z2 Extreme chip versus the new Intel Arc G3 Extreme. I'm hoping to test both side by side, and benchmarks should give me a clearer view on where your moolah is better spent. At the end of the day, you want solid frame rates when splashing this sort of cash on a portable, and if there's a meaningful gap between these two contenders, it could result in a pretty clear victor.
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