Every once in a while in the gaming industry, something comes along that delights the senses and sparks the neurons in your brain so they fire off like it’s the fourth of July, and that’s what the Acer Project DualPlay does. A wild new gaming laptop concept that rethinks how you play games with friends.
Announced today at IFA in Berlin, Project DualPlay is a gaming laptop concept that comes with a built-in controller. Typically, you’d connect your own controller to the laptop to play games. Like a DualSense controller from your PS5 or the Xbox Wireless controller. But Acer has envisioned a gaming laptop that comes as a total package. A laptop that has its own controller built-in. While not the only new gaming hardware Acer announced at the event, it is the most interesting.
The Acer Project DualPlay laptop concept touchpad serves as a controller
Here’s where it gets really interesting. The controller is sort of hidden in plain sight. While not in use, the controller serves as a touchpad like the touchpad on any other regular laptop. When attached, all the buttons of the controller face downward, so it looks as if there’s no controller there at all.
The magic of something like this is the ability to always have a controller with you. While also maintaining extra space in your laptop bag. Not to mention, something you probably don’t have to charge separately. As the controller would likely charge while docked in its laptop housing. The Project DualPlay laptop also features pop-out speakers that jettison out from the sides a bit for increased immersion. It’s like a wild new gaming laptop of the future.
Acer says it embedded an electromagnetic lock with a latch at the top of the keyboard that allows users to detach the controller. So should they ever want to use it, you just place two fingers on the release button. This button also has a dual function, just like the laptop’s namesake. It causes those speakers to pop out. These are small, 5-watt speakers, but Acer says they provide “heart-pounding audio that brings every scene to life.”
It’s perfect for playing couch co-op games with friends
The other really neat thing about this laptop is that the controller promotes local couch co-op. Have you ever had a friend that wants to play something but you don’t have an extra controller? That wouldn’t be a problem with this thing. The controller that pops out actually separates into two controllers. So each person gets a joystick with a set of buttons. Not too unlike the way the Nintendo Switch controllers split up for playing with another person.
Now, while all of this is a pretty cool idea, it’s important to remember this is just a concept. Acer is likely never going to release this thing. But it’s fun to think about the possibilities of something like this existing in the consumer market.
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