Pictured: I tried the Acer Project DualPlay, a bonkers laptop for one-on-one entertainment

LAS VEGAS –Are you a keyboard player, or do you prefer to use a separate controller while gaming on your laptop? With Acer’s Project DualPlay, you don’t have to choose. This unique prototype gaming laptop has a wireless game controller—or two!—built into the keyboard deck. It’s ready for solo play, head-to-head matches, or even some co-op mayhem.

(Credit: John Burek)

First revealed last year at the IFA trade show (and teased with a few new upgrades since then), this Predator laptop lighting was available for demos at CES last week when I visited Acer. Naturally, I took it for a spin and had my derriere handed to me, royally, in some fighting games. I’m a writer, not a fighter, I’ve learned, but I had a blast getting bruised along the way. Here are my first impressions. (Ie those beyond: “Hey! Oh!”)

An output control block (or two)

At a glance, the DualPlay looks like any other gaming laptop, albeit a large one. It has the gamer aesthetic, with angular chassis elements and Acer’s Predator branding, of many other family members in the Taiwanese tech firm’s line of gaming notebooks. Since the last time Project DualPlay was showcased, Acer added some RGB trim around the perimeter of the screen and made some other tweaks and tweaks. But make no mistake: This is 100% pure gaming laptop, undiluted.

(Credit: John Burek)

Look closer, though, and you’ll notice that the touchpad area has a deep groove around it. That’s because the entire touchpad assembly (which extends an inch or so beyond the actual clickable surface on either side) can pop out and turn into a two-handed game controller.

(Credit: John Burek)

To perform the magic, place two fingers on the release buttons (hexagons) located in front of the keyboard…

(Credit: John Burek)

This frees the touchpad/controller module from its electromagnetic confines and it comes into your hands, ready for action as soon as you flip it over to get into its business side.

(Credit: John Burek)

You can use the DualPlay module like any other game controller, thanks to a complement of two joysticks, a D-pad, and a few other assorted face and shoulder buttons.

(Credit: John Burek)

Note that the space that houses the touchpad/controller unit has a complex high-tech look that suggests it may contain a subwoofer or some other upgrade. But really it’s just dressed up for show…

(Credit: John Burek)

However, pulling out and using the two-handed controller is only half the fun. If you want to create a little multiplayer action, DualPlay obliges you further. The controller unit actually consists of two mini-controllers themselves. You separate them from the main body of the module (strong magnets hold them), giving you two mini joysticks that are perfect for one-on-one combat.

(Credit: John Burek)

That got us wondering: Is this thing a really big Nintendo Switch, or a laptop?

(Credit: John Burek)

Finally, elevated laptop gaming like this wouldn’t be complete without above-average open-air audio. (After all, if you’re fighting an on-screen buddy, you can’t both wear headphones attached to the laptop.) DualPlay offers some serious talent in the sound department. When you release the controller by pressing the buttons on the keyboard, it also activates two high-fidelity 5-watt output speakers to emanate from the sides of the laptop, so…

(Credit: John Burek)

Admittedly, on the DualPlay prototype, they sometimes needed a little finger help to fully extend.

The DualPlay also has a lot of other standard gaming laptop gimmicks that are tailored to its unique chassis. For example, the laptop has 360-degree customizable dynamic RGB lighting on the keyboard, on the bar on the display bezel and around the touch/control area, allowing it to power a light show during gaming sessions. (In case, you know, the game controller it launched wasn’t impressive enough.)

(Credit: John Burek)

Coming to Blows…Well, getting down to business

How did he play? For a prototype, pretty good, I must say. A couple of solo sessions with a late-edition Street Fighter game (far from my forte, mind you) resulted in my left screen and right screen being hit, with combos against me that would take me 20 minutes to wrap my brain around. I didn’t get a chance, but I had fun getting educated.

(Credit: John Burek)

I had a bit more luck playing head-to-head against one of Acer’s test engineers who was on site. We each commanded one of the miniature half-controllers that snapped the main controller. The mini-controller is, admittedly, a little small to use for long sessions of taking it out. But we had a solid crash for 10 minutes before I had to go back to work.

Gaming was smooth, and the speakers were impressive. Acer didn’t share key specs with me at DualPlay, but it’s a safe bet that this is a high-end GPU inside, possibly an RTX 4090.

For now, Acer says Project DualPlay is merely a proof-of-concept aimed at elevating the company’s Predator PC gaming brand. Whether the laptop will ever become a real product and how much it might cost is unknown. But in the meantime, it’s a fun distraction from the trade show parade if you’re ever lucky enough to come across it. Monster trade shows like CES can be similar Mortal Kombat sometimes, after all.

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About John Burek

Executive Editor and Director of PC Labs

I’ve been a technology journalist for more than 30 years, and I’ve covered just about every type of computer hardware—from the 386SX to 64-core processors—in my long tenure as an editor, writer, and advice columnist. For almost a quarter of a century, I worked at the foundation, the giant Computer buyer magazine (and later, its digital counterpart), known as the PC buyer’s phone book and every mailman’s nemesis. I was Computer buyers editor-in-chief for the past nine years, after which most of its digital content was folded into PCMag.com. I also served, briefly, as editor-in-chief of the well-known hardcore tech site Tom’s Hardware.

During that time, I’ve built and destroyed enough desktop computers to outfit a city block’s worth of Internet cafes. Under race conditions, I’ve built computers from board-boot-up in less than 5 minutes.

In my early career, I worked as an editor of science fiction books and as an editor of “Dummies” style computer guides for Brady Books (now, BradyGames). I am a lifelong New Yorker, a graduate of New York University’s journalism program, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

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About Tom Brant

Deputy Managing Editor

I’m the deputy managing editor of the hardware team at PCMag.com. Do you read this during the day? Then you’ve caught me testing gear and editing reviews of laptops, desktops, and lots of other personal technology. (Am I reading this at night? Then I’m probably dreaming about all those cool products.) I’ve been covering the world of consumer technology as an editor, reporter, and analyst since 2015.

I’ve evaluated the performance, value and features of hundreds of personal technology devices and services, from laptops to Wi-Fi hotspots and everything in between. I’ve also covered the launches of dozens of innovative technologies, from hyperloop test tracks in the desert to the latest silicon from Apple and Intel.

I appeared on CBS News, on USA Todayand in many other media outlets to provide analysis on the latest technology news.

Before joining the ranks of tech journalism, I wrote about topics as diverse as Borneo’s rainforests, Middle Eastern airlines, and the role of Big Data in presidential elections. A graduate of Middlebury College, I also hold a master’s degree in journalism and French studies from New York University.

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