If you thought the Steam Deck was huge, let alone Acer's Nitro Blaze 11, then buy this Frankenstein's Monster PC gaming handheld I've cobbled together. This is a pre-production version of ASUS's upcoming ROG Flow Z13 tablet, combined with the GameSir G8 Plus clip-on mobile controller; the Z13's AMD Strix Halo processor makes it possibly the most powerful handheld gaming device you can play on . Until, of course, your hands cramp from the weight of it.

It's ridiculous, I love it, and I'm starting to think the big screen is the future.

I'm not the first to try this weird experiment, as I got the idea from a Reddit user who did something similar with an earlier version of the same tablet. But after trying it myself, I started to rethink what a gaming handheld might become. The newly announced Nintendo Switch 2 is reportedly expanding its screen to 8 inches, and the Acer handheld is expanding its screen to 11 inches; maybe portability isn't as important as a lethal dose of pixels going straight into my eyes?

Let's get one thing out of the way first: You probably shouldn't pair this particular controller with a tablet like I did. The Z13 isn't really designed to be clamped by a pair of controllers, and I had to overstretch the GameSir G8 Plus to get it to fit - it's not designed to be used with anything larger than an iPad Mini, and the overstretching The extended spring can snap shut if you accidentally move the gamepad during use. The one time it happened to me, it didn't hit my finger, but it was an amazing close call. Consider yourself warned.

Why risk my soft hands that bruise more easily than a peach with a setup like this? When I put on the Acer Nitro Blaze 11 at CES and compared it to the Steam Deck, I immediately had two thoughts. The angel on my shoulder told me "This is too big and, frankly, a bit rude", while the devil on my other shoulder thought: "OMG! Put me on the couch like I always do on Steam Deck does that and lets me burn my retinas with as much screen as possible!”

After some of you fine reviewers seemed to agree with me on the latter, I realized the ROG Flow Z13 I'd been wheeling around the showroom could fulfill my evil desires.

This is obviously no Comments - Since the Flow Z13 is a pre-production device - but the AMD Ryzen AI Max Plus 395 "Strix Halo" chip has 40 stunning graphics cores and runs well on today's gaming handhelds. i can play Hellraiser 2 and Indiana Jones and the Circle Mix low and medium settings in the tablet's native 2560 x 1600 resolution and easily maintain 50+ or ​​60+ fps respectively. Can you do this with a laptop? certainly! But I just did it with my entire computer sandwiched between two gamepads.

I spread quite a bit of "managerial democracy" in Hellraiser 2 On the Steam Deck, you don't have to mind that the game looks like it's from the PlayStation 3 era, although it's certainly playable. By comparison, it works great on the Z13 - at least until it's inundated with low-battery warnings. I couldn't stray too far from the power cord, as the Z13's battery drained from 100% to 10% in about 90 minutes. But frankly, it's not terrible compared to the original Steam Deck, and perhaps downsizing to a more modest 1920 x 1200 resolution or lowering the chip's TDP might help.

But what surprised me most was how good I felt using Windows on this "handheld computer." The large screen size makes touch targeting in Windows 11 actually bearable. For the first time in the PC handheld space, I didn't immediately go, "This thing needs SteamOS or Bazzite." I might still prefer those, but I can use Windows in this format, especially since tablets will work too make laptop and one Handheld devices are an interesting triple threat. (I've only seen OneXPlayer try it out so far with its fancy X1 series.)

As for portability, well... this combo is definitely an acquired taste, as at 3.6 pounds according to my kitchen scale, it's about 1.3 pounds heavier than Acer's bulky Blaze 11 and a full 2.2 pounds heavier than the Steam Deck . It's like having two Steam Decks and a Nintendo Switch with Joy-Con all in one package.

Don't even dream of playing this in bed, unless you plan on concussing yourself into dreamland if the heavy tablet slides out of its controller bookends. You don't even need gravity to work against you lest the tablet slip off, as the overextended GameSir controllers can twist and rotate around the Z13's side rails when in use.

The Z13's large, sturdy kickstand really helps a lot with carrying so much weight, allowing you to prop it on your lap or on a table for support. But if you plan on taking the device anywhere other than your couch, the clip-on controller isn't very convenient. You have to decide whether your definition of "portability" involves the process of setting up and breaking down each time you move locations.

I'll admit, as much fun as it is to try out the Z13 in this way, it makes more sense to prop the tablet up on a desk or table and play with a traditional controller. The GameSir isn't built to handle that much weight, and my hands were a bit sore after hours of continuous play, something that might not happen with a larger gamepad designed specifically for this setup.

But this ridiculous little experiment showed me that oversized handheld devices definitely have their uses. Perhaps Acer's Blaze 11 is just the first step in a larger trend toward home handheld devices, a market where Sony's PlayStation Portal already has a firm foothold. If Asus comes out with the right controller add-on for the Z13, one that's sized and mounted to balance its weight, maybe the company could even sell it as a 13-inch handheld gaming PC.

I used to think a Switch or Steam Deck would be the ideal size, but after trying this giant experiment and seeing that the Switch 2 will also be larger than before, I'm happy to say there's no perfect size for these devices. I'm excited to see handheld devices of all sizes entering this space, even if they're big.

Photography: Antonio G. Di Benedetto/The Verge