Acer unveils Project DualPlay, a gaming laptop with detachable controllers

This is just a concept so far, but it's no doubt a cool one.

Aside from its new handheld gaming PC, Acer unveiled the Project DualPlay gaming laptop concept during the next@acer global press conference in Berlin.

Note that this is only a laptop concept for now, meaning it won’t enter production. It is, however, an interesting showcase of what innovations Acer might deliver soon in the portable gaming space.

Currently, the biggest innovation in the scene is arguably the proliferation of handheld gaming PCs. While these devices have been available for years now, it was Valve’s Steam Deck that ushered in the arrival of even more handhelds, many of which can handle demanding triple-A games without many issues.

Acer also entered this space recently with its Nitro Blaze 7, but what arguably drew more attention during the brand’s press conference is the Project DualPlay concept. Essentially, this laptop concept features a detachable wireless controller which should offer players a better experience for triple-A titles (at least those that play better with a controller).

What’s cool about the detachable controller is that it doubles as a touchpad, and it can be released by simply placing two fingers on the release button at the top of the keyboard. Doing so will also trigger two speakers to pop-out from the laptop’s sides for better audio.

 

What makes this detachable controller even more interesting is that it is kind of like the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers as they can be seperated into two. Thus, this controller can be used by two people for multiplayer titles like fighting games.

Plus, users won’t be stuck with the controller for gaming as this concept also has the ability to seamlessly switch between the controller and the keyboard.

Project DualPlay is no doubt an intriguing laptop, though it likely won’t enter production as is. What we can expect is for some of its unique features to potentially trickle down to high-end Acer Predator gaming laptops in the future.