Acer has unveiled Project DualPlay Mini at IFA 2026, an 8-inch concept designed to alternate between a gaming handheld and a miniature laptop. Its flip-and-swivel mechanism raises and rotates the display to reveal a backlit physical keyboard beneath it, bringing controller and keyboard inputs to one pocketable PC design.
In handheld mode, the DualPlay Mini uses conventional game controls for controller-focused titles. Raising the screen exposes the keyboard, which Acer positions as an option for games such as first-person shooters. The concept can also connect to an external monitor for work, extending its ambitions beyond a dedicated handheld.
Acer has confirmed only that the prototype is powered by an Intel processor. It has not disclosed the chip model, memory, storage, display resolution or battery capacity. Cooling comes from a dual-fan setup combining a metal Predator AeroBlade fan with thinner blades and a conventional plastic fan, an arrangement similar to the one used in the Predator Atlas 8.
The project shares a name with Acer’s Project DualPlay shown at IFA 2024, though the two concepts take opposite approaches. The earlier Predator laptop design hid a detachable controller under its keyboard; the new Mini starts as a handheld and conceals a keyboard under its screen.
A Morse-code inscription on the rear reads “Acer 50 since 1976,” marking the company’s 50th anniversary. Project DualPlay Mini is being exhibited at Acer’s next@acer event in Berlin ahead of IFA 2026, but it remains strictly a concept with no price or commercial launch plan confirmed.
