Sources: 4 linked sources, checked 2026-10-28. Report an error

Acer's Predator Atlas 8 goes on sale in the US on Sunday 1 November 2026 for $1,299.99, sold only through Best Buy. It is the first Acer gaming handheld to get an official US launch. Only the faster Intel Arc G3 Extreme model is coming, and Best Buy's first pre-order batch has already sold out, The Verge and Engadget report.

Online orders reopen on 1 November, the same day the handheld reaches Best Buy stores. Neither company has given a time of day.

Key facts

Item

US model

Price

$1,299.99 (Best Buy)

Release

1 Nov 2026, online and in store

Processor

Intel Arc G3 Extreme

Graphics

Intel Arc B390 (12 Xe3 cores, per The Verge and Engadget)

Memory

24 GB LPDDR5x (7467 MT/s)

Display

8-inch 1920x1200 touchscreen, 120 Hz, VRR, 500 nits

Battery

Up to 80 Wh

Weight

Under 810 g with the 80 Wh battery

Ports

2x Thunderbolt 4, UHS-II microSD reader, 3.5 mm audio jack

Software

Windows 11 Home with Xbox Mode; Acer lists 2 months of Xbox Game Pass Premium and 3 months of PC Game Pass included

Specs come from Acer's May launch release, which lists up to 1 TB of storage. Best Buy's exact SSD capacity for the US unit has not been confirmed by Acer, so check the listing before you buy.

Infographic with four panels: $1,299.99 US price, 8-inch 120 Hz display, 24 GB memory and 80 Wh battery
NextPlayIntel infographic built from Acer's press release and Best Buy pricing reported by The Verge and Engadget.

What the money buys

Acer is pitching the Atlas 8 at players who want laptop-class performance in a handheld. It uses two fans, one of them Acer's AeroBlade metal fan (89 blades, which Acer says moves up to 10% more air), Hall-effect triggers that can switch to a short micro-switch click, Killer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Because it runs full Windows 11, it is not tied to one store: Steam, Xbox PC games and other launchers all work.

A woman with curly hair and headphones around her neck plays on an Acer Predator Atlas 8 handheld outdoors beside a pink building
Image: Acer (official Predator Atlas 8 lifestyle photo).

At $1,299.99 it sits at the top of the PC handheld market, well above a Steam Deck. There are no independent reviews yet, so battery life and how well the Arc B390 handles new games are still open questions.

Front and back views of the black Acer Predator Atlas 8 handheld on a white background
Image: Acer (official Predator Atlas 8 press image).

What's unconfirmed

  • Prices and dates outside the US. Acer's release says the Atlas 8 reaches North America, EMEA and Australia, with regional pricing set by local Acer offices.

  • Whether the cheaper non-Extreme Intel Arc G3 model will ever be sold in the US.

  • The smaller Predator Atlas 7, shown in September, has no US release date yet.

Regional note: Acer India has not announced the Atlas 8, so there is no official INR price yet.

Sources & verification

Sources last verified on . This article covers published information, not hands-on testing.

Editorial & update notes

Published 28 Oct 2026 with primary-source citations.

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