Ayaneo is no stranger to Android handhelds, but now it’s turning attention towards an arguably less competitive landscape: smartphones.
The Ayaneo Pocket Play combines a fairly modern-looking Android phone with a slide-out gamepad, immediately (and almost certainly purposefully) calling comparisons into the semi-forgotten cult classic Xperia Play. Like Sony’s phone from more than a decade ago, the Pocket Play includes a physical D-pad, start and select buttons, ABXY inputs, and triggers along the side of the device, while opting for touchpad-based joysticks to allow the slider to function.
Despite its similarities, this isn’t a 1:1 recreation of the Xperia Play. Ayaneo has kept this device looking fairly modern, with flat polished edges and a significantly taller display than the 16:9 panel that graced Sony’s phone. I’ll be curious how that affects usability; comparing images of the two devices, Ayaneo’s gamepad looks significantly narrower thanks to the taller screen.
That aspect ratio could cause some issues with actually playing games, too, since the widest titles you’ll likely be playing here — outside of native Android games — is 16:9. Retro titles, which are typically Ayaneo’s bread and butter, are going to suffer through massive wasted space to the left and right.
Those concerns aside, though, it’s honestly refreshing to see an Android phone launch with a truly out-there gimmick circa 2012. If you’ve found modern Android hardware to be a little too boring for your tastes, Ayaneo’s Pocket Play sort of feels like a must-buy for you. Unfortunately, all we really have to go off of today is these renders and this design video. You’ll have to keep waiting for both specs and pricing, and with a phone like this, I’d argue both are key pieces of information necessary to really know whether this is worth picking up.
In the meantime, Ayaneo recently launched its DS-esque Pocket DS, as well as a $70 handheld perfect for retro and arcade games. You’ll have to supply your own smartphone with either, of course.
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