Acer’s tiny Project DualPlay Mini handheld is built for gaming and getting things done

Published Sep 2, 2026, 5:30 AM EDT Patrick O'Rourke is XDA's News Editor and Entertainment Segment Lead. Previously, he was Pocket-lint's Editor-in-Chief, the Editor-in-Chief of Canadian tech publication MobileSyrup, and earlier in his career, he worked as the technology editor at the Financial Post and Postmedia. He's based in Toronto. Over the past 15 years, he's written thousands of articles. Patrick has also interviewed dozens of tech industry executives and covered GDC, E3, Gamescom, WWDC, Apple keynotes, Samsung Unpacked events and more. Patrick has a BA in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. Summary Acer has shown off Project DualPlay Mini, its flip-and-swivel concept handheld that docks with a small backlit keyboard. The company also revealed more about the Predator Atlas 7, its Intel Arc G3 Extreme (B390)-powered handheld with a 7-inch FHD 120Hz display and 24GB LPDDR5x. The Atlas 7 is set to release in November, but pricing is still unknown. New laptops and PCs have been revealed: Vero 16 MIL-STD chassis, Switch Blade/Air with Core 7 350, SFF RTX Spark and Veriton RI110 with up to 96GB. At IFA 2026, Acer once again showed off Project DualPlay Mini, a concept device the company has "revealed" several times over the years in various forms, including back at CES 2025 and even as far back as IFA 2024. Acer says that the DualPlay Mini functions both as a gaming handheld and a mobile productivity station. Basically, you can use the DualPlay Mini as a more traditional Windows 11 handheld, but there's also a backlit physical keyboard you can dock it in for a more traditional laptop experience. Acer says that Project DualPlay features a "distinctive flip-and-swivel" design that easily converts between handheld and mini-laptop modes. Credit: Acer The concept is actually pretty compelling, and the type of device would really appeal to me personally, since I like to get work done when traveling, but also kick back and game for a bit. Acer says the Project DualPlay Mini is still just a concept device and doesn't have a release date. While a lot of concept devices don't actually ever get released, I can see the DualPlay Mini dropping at some point, if only because Acer has shown it off so many times now, including a larger working prototype at CES 2025. Acer revealed the smaller Predator Atlas 7 with a 7-inch screen The company showed off several laptop hardware refreshes, too Credit: Acer At IFA, Acer also highlighted its Predator Atlas 7, one of the first handhelds powered by Intel's Arc G3 Extreme Chip with Intel Arc B390 graphics, featuring a 7-inch FHD 120Hz screen with 500-nit peak brightness and VRR support, TMR joysticks, 24GB LPDDR5x RAM, AeroBlade fans, and more. Acer will also offer a lower-end version of the Atlas 7 that features an Intel Arc G3 processor and an Intel Arc B370 GPU. The handheld appears nearly identical to the previously revealed Atlas 8, but with a smaller Acer confirmed that the Predator Atlas 7 will be released in North America in November 2026, but unsurprisingly, given the ongoing RAMpocalypse, the company didn't confirm pricing. However, since it's already September, we'll know how much the Atlas 7 will cost soon enough. I bet that the Predator Atlas 7 will cost in the $1,800 range, similar to the Arc G3 Extreme-powered MSI Claw 8 EX AI+. The company also revealed that the larger Predator Atlas 8 will launch in September. As is always the case, Acer showed off several new laptops at IFA 2026, including the Acer Vero 16, a heavy-duty laptop with a MIL-STD-810 certified chassis and up to an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H processor, and its lightweight Switch Blade 14 and Switch Air 16, which feature Intel's Core 7 350 Processor. Acer also revealed its SFF RTX Spark, a compact, AI-focused desktop that's powered by Nvidia's RTX Spark chip, and its Veriton R10 AI Mini Workstation, which features an Intel Core Ultra X 358H processor, an Intel Arc B390 GPU, and up to 96GB of LPDDR5X RAM.