Acer’s concept gaming laptop has a pop-out controller

Out of all the new laptops Acer announced at IFA today, Project DualPlay pops out the most. It’s a concept laptop that Acer says gives gamers more ways to play on the go, but looking at the design, I’m not sure which gamers it’s talking about.

For Project DualPlay, Acer took its Predator gaming laptop and added a cutout beneath the keyboard to hold its custom gaming controller face-down. The back of the controller doubles as the laptop’s trackpad. A button at the top of the keyboard releases the controller and causes two 5W speakers to pop out from the sides of the laptop. The controller can be further separated into two gamepads, Nintendo Switch-style.

Acer’s press release says Project DualPlay lets a second person join you just as easily as detaching the controller. Street Fighter 6 is called out specifically as well as first-person shooters, though the latter only makes sense if the game supports split-screen play. You can also just use it for single-player games, of course.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Acer’s concept in person at IFA, so that leaves me with a few questions. Mostly: is the controller any good? If a second person is using the controller, how pleasant is it to game on a laptop with a gaping hole where the trackpad should be?

None of the press photos show someone using the laptop with the controller removed.

Plenty of PC games have controller support, and many people prefer using a controller over a mouse and keyboard. So there’s something to be said for having a controller that fits right into your laptop rather than having to cart one around.

Project DualPlay is just a concept for now. But how much extra would you pay for a laptop with the controller built right in?