At its next@acer press conference in Berlin on September 2, Acer showed off Project DualPlay Mini, an 8-inch gaming handheld concept. Swivel the display and open it up, and a physical keyboard appears, turning the device into a small notebook PC. Acer also formally announced the Predator Atlas 7, a new 7-inch gaming handheld.

An 8-Inch Device That Opens to Reveal a Keyboard

Project DualPlay Mini is a concept device under the Predator brand, designed so that a single machine can serve as both a gaming handheld and a portable work device. Closed, it looks like a handheld with grips and sticks on either side. Raise the screen on its hinge and flip it around, and a backlit physical keyboard is waiting underneath.

The reasoning behind the layout is straightforward: different genres call for different input methods. Titles where a keyboard and mouse have the advantage, such as first-person shooters, are meant to be played in laptop mode, while everything else can be played in handheld mode for a more console-like feel. Away from games, the device can drive an external display and work as a portable productivity station.

Given that many people who carry a gaming handheld also end up carrying a laptop, the idea makes practical sense. If two items in the bag become one, a certain amount of added weight becomes an acceptable trade for plenty of users.

Morse Code on the Back Cover Marks 50 Years

The decoration on the back cover is the design detail that stands out. What looks at first like an abstract pattern of dots and dashes is Morse code spelling out "Acer 50 since 1976." Acer was founded in 1976, which makes 2026 the company's 50th anniversary.

Cooling has not been skimped on either. The concept carries over the same two-fan layout used in the already-shipping Predator Atlas 8, with the metal fan's blades made even thinner. The processor is described only as an Intel part, with no model number disclosed.

Project DualPlay Mini is a concept only, and Acer has given no indication of production plans. The company also showed Project DualPlay at IFA 2024, a laptop whose touchpad doubled as a detachable controller, so concept hardware of this kind has become a regular fixture of its announcements.

The Predator Atlas 7 Is the Shipping Product

The device that will actually go on sale is the Predator Atlas 7 (model PA07-I51). It is a 7-inch version of the 8-inch Predator Atlas 8 announced at COMPUTEX in May.

The top configuration pairs an Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor with Intel Arc B390 graphics. Memory goes up to 24 GB of LPDDR5x (7467 MT/s), and storage up to 1 TB via a PCIe Gen4 M.2 SSD. The display is a 7-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 500 nits of peak brightness, and support for variable refresh rate (VRR). The surface is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, and a tempered-glass screen protector is included in the box.

The chassis measures 292 x 112.7-123 x 28.5-48.4 mm and weighs under 750 g with the 80 Wh battery, or under 700 g with the 60 Wh battery. It runs Windows 11 Home and ships with two months each of Xbox Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass.

Cooling and Controls Carry Over From the Atlas 8

Cooling is where the Atlas 7 draws attention. The metal Predator AeroBlade fan uses 89 blades at 0.1 mm thickness and, according to Acer, moves up to 10 percent more air than a plastic fan. It is paired with a plastic fan in a two-fan arrangement, combined with Vortex Flow, which uses angled internal channels to route hot air out of the chassis and hold temperatures down under sustained load.

On the control side, the option of TMR (tunneling magnetoresistance) joysticks is the practical highlight. The technology inherently resists the stick drift that creeps in as a device is used over time, which suits a handheld meant to last. The triggers use Hall-effect analog sensing, so inputs that depend on how far the trigger is pulled are handled properly. A fingerprint sensor built into the power button allows a quick sign-in through Windows Hello.

For connectivity there are two Thunderbolt 4 ports, a UHS-II microSD card slot, and a 3.5 mm combo jack, with Intel Killer Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 on the wireless side. Audio comes from two 2 W speakers with DTS:X Ultra, and the microphones are backed by Acer PurifiedVoice for noise reduction.

The Predator Atlas 7 arrives in North America in the fourth quarter of 2026 and in EMEA in November 2026. The previously announced Predator Atlas 8 begins shipping in North America and EMEA in September 2026. Pricing varies by region and has not been disclosed at this stage.

Summary

Project DualPlay Mini folds two form factors that have always been carried separately, a gaming handheld and a notebook PC, into one device on a swivel hinge. There is no production plan attached to it, but putting a physical keyboard on an 8-inch handheld is a suggestive idea about where the category might go next. The shipping model, the Predator Atlas 7, packs an Intel Arc G3 Extreme processor, an 80 Wh battery, and metal-fan cooling into a 7-inch body, arriving in North America in the fourth quarter of 2026.