Acer showcases gaming laptop with built-in controller

A novel concept for a gaming laptop was shown off by Acer during IFA and features a built-in controller and detachable speakers.

Though many PC gaming fans swear by the use of a keyboard and mouse as a control option, many players prefer using an actual controller. This was only emphasized by the success of the Steam Deck and the resurgence of quality third-party controllers for PC.

Acer appears to recognize this demand and has demonstrated a unique hybrid laptop called Project DualPlay at IFA Berlin.

The laptop concept features a controller that can be detached from the laptop. The controller can then be further separated into two parts, somewhat like the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons, to enable multiplayer.

When attached to the laptop, the controller occupies the spot usually taken by the touchpad and is held in place by a magnetic locking mechanism. The simple touch of two fingers disengages the lock and also causes two 5W speakers to pop out on either side.

Acer has not gone into any details about what specifications this conceptual machine might have, but according to Videocardz, Acer has said that the laptop would support ‘AAA gaming on the go’. Street Fighter 6 was specifically highlighted and supports the dual controller set-up.

In order to allow for the sophisticated controller mechanism to take up so much of the laptop, Acer reduced the internal design. There is less space for a large battery, or for an active cooling solution, which does raise questions about how the device would support high-end gaming.

This is only a concept, however, and might not ever reach the stage of being a product on store shelves. Instead, its purpose is to demonstrate what the Acer engineering team is capable of and speculate on what future trends might be for gaming laptops of the future.

If you are interested in what other tech products are on the way, you can check out our list of upcoming handheld gaming devices, or see what the VR market is planning.