Its silicon supports up to Arc B390 graphics and XESS 3 upscaling.
Acer’s gaming handhelds don’t get quite as much attention as those from rival manufacturers like ASUS and Lenovo. But that could change with the Predator Atlas 8, as it will be one of the first portable PCs to feature Intel’s new line of Arc G3 chips.
While Acer isn’t introducing a ton of major changes to its chassis or general design, the Atlas 8 features a solid assortment of core components including an 8-inch 1,920 x 1,200 500-nit IPs display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, a large 80WHr battery, 1TB of storage and up to 24GB of shared memory. Some other notable inclusions range from Hall Effect analog triggers to a Gorilla Glass Victus panel in front, a microSD card reader and not one but two Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Meanwhile, on the inside, Acer is looking to provide a higher tier of mobile performance by using either Intel Arc G3 or G3 Extreme processors. These chips support up to Arc B390 graphics along with Intel’s XESS 3 AI-powered upscaling to reduce stutter and input lag while increasing max fps. And to help preserve battery life, Intel’s latest silicon uses a new Endurance Gaming protocol that seeks to balance performance and power draw so you can play longer without needing to plug the Atlas into the wall. Underneath, the handheld is based on the full Windows 11 experience with the Atlas getting a dedicated button for the Xbox Game Bar.
Acer
Finally, Acer is putting its touch on the category with an updated AeroBlade fan, which the company says delivers 10 percent better airflow than what you get on previous models. There are also dual two-watt speakers with DTS:X Ultra audio and support for Wi-Fi 7. And for anyone who likes to adjust trigger feedback based on the type of game they are playing, Acer included a switch that allows for super shallow actuation in shooters or a deeper pull with analog sensitivity for flight sims, racing games and more.
Unfortunately, Acer has yet to reveal official pricing for the Atlas 8 or much in the way of expected benchmarks, which makes it difficult to do a proper comparison with previous-gen handhelds like the Legion Go 2 and ROG Xbox Ally. But with the never-ending appetite for better performance from PC gaming handhelds, the Predator Atlas 8 is worth keeping an eye out for as we get closer to its release window later this year in October.
