Acer announces Project DualPlay, a peculiar laptop concept with a built-in gamepad for playing doubles

The next@acer conferences are one of the great classics of the IFA, both for the number of new products, which this year is once again almost overwhelming, and for the peculiar (even bizarre) nature of some of its proposals. Every year Acer comes to Berlin with some kind of prototype that is difficult to classify, and this year the star is the Predator Project DualPlay.

Described as a sort of new gaming concept, this twist on the traditional gaming laptop is characterized by hiding under its enormous trackpad a large, easily removable controller that can be used as a complement to the keyboard and mouse.

What’s more, the gamepad separates into three different sections using an electromagnetic lock, so it’s theoretically possible to reinstall the trackpad and continue playing with the side controls in much the same way as on the Nintendo Switch. This allows for greater versatility without needing to carry a separate gamepad around in your backpack, and makes it easier to play doubles with friends.

Predator Project DualPlay also features two surround speakers that are separated from the laptop itself to provide high-quality sound without the need for headphones.

Acer has not provided a spec sheet, but it would be interesting to know the specifications of the prototype. Of course, the space for the gamepad and the speakers themselves cannot be “free” in terms of resources, and elements such as the battery, GPU or cooling system (with the subsequent reduction in the hardware ceiling) should be affected.

As its name suggests, Project DualPlay is just that: a project. Or perhaps just an idea, a device created with no other purpose than to survey the public at IFA and see if a laptop of this nature could have a place on the market. As such, it doesn’t even have a price or release date.