Acer Predator Atlas 8 Review: Is This Gaming Handheld Worth It?

The Windows gaming handheld market continues to grow, with manufacturers competing to deliver desktop-like gaming performance in portable devices. Acer has entered the segment with its first gaming handheld, the Predator Atlas 8, featuring Intel's Arc G3 Extreme chipset, an 8-inch display, and advanced gaming controls.

Sharing much of its hardware with the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+, the device promises an impressive portable gaming experience. However, its weight, battery endurance, and overall performance determine whether it deserves its premium price.

Acer Predator Atlas 8 Design and Build Quality

The Acer Predator Atlas 8 is a considerably chunky handheld, weighing in at 860g. It occupies substantial backpack space and makes the Steam Deck look noticeably smaller. Despite its weight, the ergonomic grips and textured finish make it comfortable to hold during gaming sessions lasting an hour or two.

RGB lighting adds some personality, with illuminated thumbsticks and a customizable Predator logo around the back. You can adjust the lighting effects and colors through the settings or turn them off entirely.

Build quality is really good, with a sturdy build and Gorilla Glass Victus covering the display. You get two Thunderbolt 4 ports, volume controls, a fingerprint-enabled power button, a microSD card slot, and a headphone connector. But the power button often takes several clicks to wake up the device.

XBOX Interface and Predator Sense Features

The portable boots into an XBOX-style gaming interface that provides easy access to installed games and Xbox Game Pass titles. It supports Steam and other gaming platforms, and switching to Windows desktop mode gives you access to browsers and other apps.

Predator Sense lets you easily check your display's resolution, refresh rate, FPS limits, and temperature. The 120Hz display can also run at 60Hz. Advanced options include fan controls, VRAM tweaks, endurance gaming, and XeSS frame generation.

And the controls are a feature as well. TMR thumbsticks use magnetic technology to eliminate traditional dead zones and reduce mechanical wear. Hall effect analog triggers allow variable sensitivity, while two rear macro buttons add utility.

Intel Arc G3 Extreme Gaming Performance

The Predator Atlas 8 runs on Intel's Arc G3 Extreme chipset, with an integrated Arc B390 GPU and up to 32GB of RAM. The review configuration is 24GB. Performance profiles include Quiet, Balanced, and Turbo (35W TDP). The manual mode can be set to 40W. Games were tested in Turbo mode utilizing the battery at the native resolution of 1200p.

Forza Horizon 6 averaged 75 fps on Low settings, and actual gameplay was usually 80-90 fps. Crimson Desert averaged 30-32 fps on High settings, with occasional spikes up to 120 fps. Speed stayed above 60fps even with graphics cranked up to High.

Control had been far more demanding. Performance with ray tracing on Medium settings averaged about 30fps, dropping to 27-28fps at times. But the gameplay was still really nice.

Display, Cooling & Audio Quality

The 8-inch IPS display provides a crisp 1200p image, punchy colors, and a buttery 120hz refresh rate. You could go for an OLED for more contrast, but the brightness here is good enough to game outside, just not in direct sun.

The Acer dual-fan Predator AeroBlade cooling system keeps temperatures down during intensive sessions. Fan noise can be heard in quiet surroundings, but is usually drowned out by game sounds.

The two 2W stereo speakers are decently clear and loud. The headphones are more immersive and offer Bluetooth connectivity. They also have a standard headphone jack.

Battery Life and Final Thoughts

Storage is a 1TB SSD, with the option for expansion via the microSD slot. Wi-Fi 7 also offers quick wireless connectivity for downloading huge games. The 80Wh battery lasted about 100 minutes under heavy gaming conditions with Turbo mode and the screen at maximum brightness. MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ lasted just under two hours in the same settings, giving it a clear edge.

Overall, the Acer Predator Atlas 8 is a good first attempt at a gaming handheld from Acer. Its performance, great controls, good cooling, and lively display make it a solid choice for portable PC gaming. But it still makes some compromises with its 860g weight, lack of an OLED option, and very limited battery life.

Still, it ranks alongside the MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ and ASUS ROG Ally Xbox as an intriguing Windows gaming handheld.