Acer has answered an age-old PC gaming question with its latest concept laptop

HardwareLaptopsAcer has answered an age-old PC gaming question with its latest concept laptopWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. HardwareLaptopsAcer has answered an age-old PC gaming question with its latest concept laptopWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Future) Buttons or keys? It’s a question that’s divided PC players for generations (well, a couple of decades) but ultimately we all know some games are made for a set of joysticks and others need that mouse and keyboard combo. Makers of thebest gaming laptopsseem to have ignored this inconvenient truth, untilAcer. The brand showed off its latest concept project, dubbed ‘DualPlay’ at IFA this week. A gaming laptop trackpad that can physically detach from the main chassis, revealing a full gamepad underneath. It adds a fair chunk to the palm wrest section of the laptop, but takes unique advantage of new taller 16:10 displays to add extra functionality to the experience overall. Each side is set out as you would expect, with an Xbox-style asymmetrical layout, but can also be split for a more Nintendo Switch-like experience. (Image credit: Future) Obviously, Project DualPlay is only a concept and likely won’t make it to market in its current state. However, there are very few real experiential innovations taking place in the gaming laptop world at the moment. The last time we saw any real change to the established clamshell design was theAsus ROG Zephyrus Duo 16- featuring a whole second screen that really did add to the experience. Innovations have always been below the surface in this world and it’s high time we saw more functional developments. After all, this year’s roster of gaming laptops has showed that internal upgrades can be minimal. (Image credit: Future) We’ve had no new graphics cards to play with and Intel’s 14th generation CPUs offer up marginal iterative upgrades in terms of sheer gaming performance. To truly capture audience imagination, and drive excitement around new releases, brands are going to need to keep experimenting with exactly what a gaming laptop has to offer for the entire play experience as a whole - especially now that 100+fps framerates are rapidly becoming the norm. Today’s best gaming laptop dealsLenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9)$2,999.99$2,399.99ViewSee all pricesAsus TUF A15 FA507$899.99ViewSee all pricesAsus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,899$1,599ViewSee all pricesRazer Blade 16 (2024)$5,499.99ViewSee all pricesAlienware m18 R2$1,899.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Today’s best gaming laptop dealsLenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9)$2,999.99$2,399.99ViewSee all pricesAsus TUF A15 FA507$899.99ViewSee all pricesAsus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,899$1,599ViewSee all pricesRazer Blade 16 (2024)$5,499.99ViewSee all pricesAlienware m18 R2$1,899.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Today’s best gaming laptop dealsLenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9)$2,999.99$2,399.99ViewSee all pricesAsus TUF A15 FA507$899.99ViewSee all pricesAsus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,899$1,599ViewSee all pricesRazer Blade 16 (2024)$5,499.99ViewSee all pricesAlienware m18 R2$1,899.99ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Today’s best gaming laptop deals Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9)$2,999.99$2,399.99ViewSee all pricesAsus TUF A15 FA507$899.99ViewSee all pricesAsus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,899$1,599ViewSee all pricesRazer Blade 16 (2024)$5,499.99ViewSee all pricesAlienware m18 R2$1,899.99ViewSee all prices Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9)$2,999.99$2,399.99ViewSee all prices Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9)$2,999.99$2,399.99ViewSee all prices Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) Lenovo Legion Pro 7i (Gen 9) $2,999.99$2,399.99View $2,999.99$2,399.99 $2,399.99 See all prices Asus TUF A15 FA507$899.99ViewSee all prices Asus TUF A15 FA507$899.99ViewSee all prices Asus TUF A15 FA507 Asus TUF A15 FA507 $899.99View $899.99 $899.99 See all prices Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,899$1,599ViewSee all prices Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024)$1,899$1,599ViewSee all prices Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 (2024) $1,899$1,599View $1,899$1,599 $1,599 See all prices Razer Blade 16 (2024)$5,499.99ViewSee all prices Razer Blade 16 (2024)$5,499.99ViewSee all prices Razer Blade 16 (2024) Razer Blade 16 (2024) $5,499.99View $5,499.99 $5,499.99 See all prices Alienware m18 R2$1,899.99ViewSee all prices Alienware m18 R2$1,899.99ViewSee all prices Alienware m18 R2 Alienware m18 R2 $1,899.99View $1,899.99 $1,899.99 See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Can’t wait for something like the DualPlay to make it into reality? Check out thebest Alienware laptopsinstead, or we’re also rounding up all thebest Asus gaming laptopsand thebest Razer laptopson the market. Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more TOPICSAcer TOPICS CATEGORIESPC GamingPlatforms CATEGORIES More about laptopsHere I was thinking I was neglecting my Steam library, but Valve’s 2024 player stats prove y’all are only playing 4 games a year on averageAsus TUF A14 review: “a wonderful step towards a portable and powerful future"LatestSquid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"See more latest► More about laptopsHere I was thinking I was neglecting my Steam library, but Valve’s 2024 player stats prove y’all are only playing 4 games a year on averageAsus TUF A14 review: “a wonderful step towards a portable and powerful future"LatestSquid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"See more latest► More about laptopsHere I was thinking I was neglecting my Steam library, but Valve’s 2024 player stats prove y’all are only playing 4 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review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 4 Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 5 Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 2 Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic 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classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 3 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 4 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place” 5 Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”