{"id":2128538,"date":"2026-09-04T19:17:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T16:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2128538"},"modified":"2026-09-04T19:17:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T16:17:48","slug":"hands-on-with-acers-prototype-convertible-handheld-pc-laptop-hybrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2128538","title":{"rendered":"Hands-On With Acer&#8217;s Prototype Convertible Handheld PC\/Laptop Hybrid"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-cy=\"article-content\" class=\"jsx-2154984108 article-content page-0\">\n<section data-cy=\"article-subtitle\" class=\"article jsx-3932497636 article-section jsx-2044616299 news\" data-autopogo=\"true\">\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Europe&#8217;s biggest tech show, IFA, is currently underway in Berlin, Germany, and Acer decided to show off not one, but two working prototypes of its &#8220;Project DualPlay Mini.&#8221; <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/best-handheld-gaming-pc\">handheld gaming PC<\/a> seems fairly innocuous at first glance, other than its aggressive, brand-appropriate Predator styling, but a quick lift of its front gaming panel and a subtle flip of its screen turns it into a surprisingly adequate mini PC.<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">Acer Project DualPlay Mini<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3027214138 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RightChevron.272be43c.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 12 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It&#8217;s very important, now that I&#8217;ve hyped this up, for me to mention this is only a prototype. This isn&#8217;t something you can buy anytime soon, if ever. Acer told me they&#8217;re basically feeling out the market with it, seeing if there&#8217;s enough interest. Now this is purely anecdotal, but an informal survey of &#8220;me&#8221; says &#8220;yes, please, I want this device in my life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">For a prototype with no solid release plan, the Project DualPlay Mini was surprisingly full-featured. I played Forza Horizon 6 and it looked great, and I was really surprised there were rumble features built in. If there was anything pre-release about the rumble feature, it&#8217;s that it was surprisingly loud. But other than that, it worked really well and helped add an extra dimension to the already cool experience. <\/p>\n<div class=\"display-title jsx-684634384 jsx-2659527929 quote-container\" data-cy=\"quoteBox\">I feel like busting one of these out would have the same feel as busting out a T-Mobile Sidekick circa 2006.<span class=\"stack jsx-2959124702 jsx-326843967\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-428691023\"><\/div>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The buttons and joysticks also felt awesome, with great tactile feedback and an extremely smooth thumbstick experience. The screen looked amazing, although Acer&#8217;s representative wouldn&#8217;t give me much in the way of specs since the units on display are still in the prototype phase.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Turning from gaming to mini laptop mode is legitimately fun. You just open up the top and give the screen a little flip to get it into laptop mode. The one big downer here is there&#8217;s no trackpad, but the prototype did have a touch screen, and I had no trouble navigating around the Windows 11 desktop and in the Steam app. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Honestly, when I first opened it up into laptop mode, I got heavy 2011-esque Netbook vibes, and I say that from a place of love. Those teeny Netbooks are just old enough now to evoke some wistful nostalgia for that weird age when smart phones weren&#8217;t quite smart enough but regular laptops were still too clunky. I found the keyboard to be a pleasure, as far as laptop keyboards go, and while it&#8217;s meant to be a convertible gaming handheld, the WASD and arrow keys are highlighted on the face of the keys.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">This could be the best way to play mouse and keyboard on a handheld device, should it ever become a reality. And honestly, after my very brief time with it, I want so badly for it to be real. It&#8217;s the best of both worlds and I feel like busting one of these out on the train or the airplane would have the same feel as busting out a T-Mobile Sidekick circa 2006.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Please, Acer, make this into a reality. <\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Seth Macy is Senior Social Commerce Producer, and just wants to be your friend. You can find him on social media sites @SethFromMaine.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"jsx-2511205168 preferred-source\"><strong class=\"jsx-2511205168\">Get IGN&#8217;s Biggest Stories FIRST. Set Us as Your Source.<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.ign.com\" class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--secondary jsx-3027214138 icon-button contained centered large\" title=\"Add Source\" aria-label=\"Add Source\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ign-icon icon-google jsx-2750866048 jsx-3701596282\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-cy=\"icon-google\" alt=\"Google\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/Google.9e99a9d7.svg?cors=0\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 large\">Add Source<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-1475529924\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 bobble bobble-1 pogocnt pg-article\">\n<div data-mix-name=\"secondaryMedrec\" data-pos=\"1\" data-pogo-hide=\"1\" class=\"jsx-343126785 pogo-slot\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Europe&#8217;s biggest tech show, IFA, is currently underway in Berlin, Germany, and Acer decided to show off not one, but two working prototypes of its &#8220;Project DualPlay Mini.&#8221; <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/best-handheld-gaming-pc\">handheld gaming PC<\/a> seems fairly innocuous at first glance, other than its aggressive, brand-appropriate Predator styling, but a quick lift of its front gaming panel and a subtle flip of its screen turns it into a surprisingly adequate mini PC.<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">Acer Project DualPlay Mini<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3027214138 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"mask:url(https:\/\/kraken.ignimgs.com\/_next\/static\/media\/RightChevron.272be43c.svg?cors=1) no-repeat center center \/ contain;background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 12 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">It&#8217;s very important, now that I&#8217;ve hyped this up, for me to mention this is only a prototype. This isn&#8217;t something you can buy anytime soon, if ever. Acer told me they&#8217;re basically feeling out the market with it, seeing if there&#8217;s enough interest. Now this is purely anecdotal, but an informal survey of &#8220;me&#8221; says &#8220;yes, please, I want this device in my life.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">For a prototype with no solid release plan, the Project DualPlay Mini was surprisingly full-featured. I played Forza Horizon 6 and it looked great, and I was really surprised there were rumble features built in. If there was anything pre-release about the rumble feature, it&#8217;s that it was surprisingly loud. But other than that, it worked really well and helped add an extra dimension to the already cool experience. <\/p>\n<div class=\"display-title jsx-684634384 jsx-2659527929 quote-container\" data-cy=\"quoteBox\">I feel like busting one of these out would have the same feel as busting out a T-Mobile Sidekick circa 2006.<span class=\"stack jsx-2959124702 jsx-326843967\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-428691023\"><\/div>\n<p><span>\u201c<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The buttons and joysticks also felt awesome, with great tactile feedback and an extremely smooth thumbstick experience. The screen looked amazing, although Acer&#8217;s representative wouldn&#8217;t give me much in the way of specs since the units on display are still in the prototype phase.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Turning from gaming to mini laptop mode is legitimately fun. You just open up the top and give the screen a little flip to get it into laptop mode. The one big downer here is there&#8217;s no trackpad, but the prototype did have a touch screen, and I had no trouble navigating around the Windows 11 desktop and in the Steam app. <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Honestly, when I first opened it up into laptop mode, I got heavy 2011-esque Netbook vibes, and I say that from a place of love. Those teeny Netbooks are just old enough now to evoke some wistful nostalgia for that weird age when smart phones weren&#8217;t quite smart enough but regular laptops were still too clunky. I found the keyboard to be a pleasure, as far as laptop keyboards go, and while it&#8217;s meant to be a convertible gaming handheld, the WASD and arrow keys are highlighted on the face of the keys.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">This could be the best way to play mouse and keyboard on a handheld device, should it ever become a reality. And honestly, after my very brief time with it, I want so badly for it to be real. It&#8217;s the best of both worlds and I feel like busting one of these out on the train or the airplane would have the same feel as busting out a T-Mobile Sidekick circa 2006.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Please, Acer, make this into a reality. <\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Seth Macy is Senior Social Commerce Producer, and just wants to be your friend. You can find him on social media sites @SethFromMaine.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Europe&#8217;s biggest tech show, IFA, is currently underway in Berlin, Germany, and Acer decided to show off not one, but two working prototypes of its &#8220;Project DualPlay Mini.&#8221; The handheld gaming PC seems fairly innocuous at first glance, other than its aggressive, brand-appropriate Predator styling, but a quick lift of its front gaming panel and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,243],"class_list":["post-2128538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-ign-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128538","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2128538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2128538\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2128538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2128538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2128538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}