Acer’s gaming section at IFA 2024 showcases new laptop concept, gaming monitors with bonkers refresh rate, and more

Acer’s IFA 2024 showcase introduced several cutting-edge products, along with a couple of innovative concepts that have never been seen before. Let’s dive into what’s in store for gamers.

First up is the exciting Project DualPlay, which aims to bring couch gaming back by combining the portability and performance of laptops. The laptop’s touchpad is cleverly designed to function as a detachable wireless controller, unlocked with a simple two-finger gesture over the electromagnetic lock. Once that’s done, dual 5W speakers slide out from the sides to intensify the experience with booming sound.

If you’ve got a friend next to you, you can “Switch” things up by separating the joysticks, allowing Player 2 to join in easily. Additionally, RGB lighting surrounds the keyboard, screen bezels, and trackpad area, with an infinity mirror lighting bar at the back to create a visual spectacle.

As a concept and prototype, detailed specs haven’t been released yet.

Next, Acer is stepping into the handheld gaming PC space with the Nitro Blaze 7. Featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS processor and Radeon 780M integrated GPU, this device boasts a 7-inch FHD IPS touchscreen with a smooth 144Hz refresh rate, supported by FreeSync Premium to eliminate screen tearing. It runs on Windows 11 and comes with Acer Game Space, a native interface that organizes all your game launchers in one place.

With 16GB of LPDDR5X-7500 RAM and up to 2TB PCIe SSD storage, this handheld can handle big games and fast loads. Connectivity includes USB4 ports, a microSD card reader, and WiFi 6E for quick downloads, made even better by the inclusion of a 3-month Xbox PC Game Pass code for access to a wide library of games.

The battery is a 50WHr unit and it comes with a 65W USB-C charger.

Continuing the Nitro lineup, Acer has also introduced the new “UltraSpeed” gaming displays. The Nitro XV240 F6 sports a 24-inch screen with a blistering 600Hz refresh rate, while the 27-inch Nitro XV270 F5 hits 520Hz. The XV240 F6 boasts VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification and covers 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, while the XV270 F5 is HDR10-certified.

For those seeking higher resolution, the Nitro XV270U F5 offers a 27-inch QHD display with a 500Hz refresh rate, a 0.5ms response time, HDR10, and 99% DCI-P3 coverage.

On the Predator side, Acer revealed the XB273U F5, which combines a QHD resolution with a 360Hz refresh rate, as well as NVIDIA’s new G-SYNC Pulsar technology, which provides 4x enhanced motion clarity for smoother, tear-free gameplay. It also offers 90% DCI-P3 coverage, HDR support, and 550-nit peak brightness.

Another Predator highlight is the XB273K V5, offering 4K at 160Hz or FHD at 320Hz, complete with FreeSync Premium and DFR (Dynamic Frame Rate) technology. It has VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification and covers 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

Both Predator monitors feature up to a 0.5ms response time, 178-degree viewing angles, and multiple connectivity options, including dual HDMI 2.1 and a DP 1.4 port. Adjustable tilt, swivel, pivot, and height settings ensure optimal setup.

In the desktop category, the Predator Orion 7000 returns with refreshed next-gen Intel CPUs and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. It’s kept cool by Acer’s in-house Predator CycloneX 360 cooling system, which combines a 360mm CPU liquid cooler and a specialized airflow channel for maximum efficiency.

Other features include Thunderbolt 4, WiFi 7, and up to 4TB HDD and 6TB PCIe SSD support. It also comes with a 3-month Xbox PC Game Pass code.

For gaming laptop fans, the Nitro V 14 stands out with its new white finish. It packs up to an AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, alongside up to 32GB DDR5 RAM and 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD storage. The screen options include either WQXGA or WUXGA, both offering 120Hz refresh rates, 3ms response time, and 100% sRGB color accuracy, along with a MUX switch for maximum performance.

The Nitro V 16 is also available, though without the white finish. This version tops out with an Intel Core i7-14650HX processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. Its screen can reach up to 180Hz at WQXGA resolution.