Acer’s new concept hardware is a gaming handheld with a keyboard

For the past fewer years, PC gamers connected the spell person had a choice: Buy a gaming laptop, aliases prime up 1 of the galore Steam Deck–inspired handhelds that are a fraction of the size but a batch little versatile. Acer’s latest conception device, Project DualPlay Mini, is an effort to upend that dichotomy by sticking a keyboard successful a handheld.

The DualPlay Mini is first and foremost a Windows gaming handheld, trim from the aforesaid cloth arsenic Acer’s existing Predator Atlas 8 (which is being joined this week by a caller 7-inch model). In its default configuration, the handheld’s surface is flanked by analog sticks, a D-pad, and Xbox-style ABXY look buttons, positive 2 triggers connected each shoulder. But the DualPlay Mini’s “flip-and-swivel design” allows you to flip the instrumentality unfastened and swivel the surface information to alternatively statement it up pinch a compact, backlit mini keyboard.

With a dinky small 8-inch screen, I’m not judge the DualPlay Mini would ever go anyone’s superior activity device, unless they intended to make dense usage of its expertise to link to an outer screen. But it mightiness beryllium conscionable capable to make it a useful backup action while traveling, letting you bring 1 instrumentality alternatively of two. The action to play keyboard-friendly PC games connected a instrumentality the size of a Steam Deck is an evident entreaty too.

Since the DualPlay Mini is strictly a concept, pinch nary plans for a unit release, Acer hasn’t gone into overmuch item connected the specs wrong it truthful far. It’s powered by an Intel spot and uses a akin dual-fan cooling creation to the Predator Atlas 8 — pinch 1 metallic instrumentality and 1 integrative — though the blades connected the metallic constituent are thinner than before. A brace of USB-C ports beryllium connected the back, pinch Thunderbolt support connected one.

It’s unclear if Acer will ever merchandise a existent merchandise pinch thing for illustration the DualPlay Mini’s design, but I’ll beryllium seeing each of Acer’s caller IFA hardware this week, and I’m hoping for a chance to get my hands connected the DualPlay Mini to spot if the conception has legs.