Acer unveiled several new laptops this week during a press event at IFA Berlin, but the most interesting hardware it unveiled is a conceptual one. The company posted a short trailer for what it calls Acer Project DualPlay: a gaming laptop that comes with its own detachable controller.
Similar to how the Joy-Cons detach from a Switch console, the controller can be easily popped out of the laptop–as demonstrated in the video below–and separated from the cradle for when you want to do so co-op gaming. The controller forms part of the underside of the trackpad when inserted back into place, and the laptop also features pop-up speakers on the side.
The obvious benefit to this idea is that it gives a user less hardware to carry about with them, as most controllers can take up a fair amount of space due to their design. Acer says the controller on its DualPlay concept can be quickly detached from its electromagnetic lock by placing two fingers on the release button located on top of the keyboard, so it should be a secure fit for when you’re doing non-gaming tasks on the laptop.
It also has quite a lot of RGB lighting, because nothing says gaming hardware like a constant flow of rainbow lights around the chassis of a device. For now, the DualPlay remains an idea with a snazzy trailer. It’s not clear if Acer will ever put it into full production, and right now, it has several other gaming laptops coming out soon in its Predator and Orion lines. On top of that, the company also revealed several new gaming monitors and its first entry into the handheld gaming PC space.
The Acer Nitro Blaze 7 looks like an interesting alternative to the bulkier Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally models on the market, as it measures 25.6cm in width, 11.3 cm in depth, and 2.25cm in height. Internally, it’s packing a Ryzen 7 8840HS chipset, 16GB of RAM, and a 1080p 144hz display.
